The community is located in the northwest portion of the county at the corner of four townships: Antioch, Hanover, Springville, and Wexford.

[2] M-37 (North 13 Road) is the main roadway through the community, and M-115 (Cadillac Highway) intersects with M-33 about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the south in the village Mesick.

Other nearby unincorporated communities include Bagnall and Glengary to the west, Wexford Corner to the north, Harlan to the northwest, Meauwataka to the southwest, and Baxter to the northeast.

This portion of the river is routinely monitored by the state and is a popular location for boating and fishing.

In 1862, he built his cabin in what would later become Hanover Township in unorganized Wexford County near the Manistee River.

A bridge was first constructed across the river in 1864, which eventually allowed travel further north to the settlement of Traverse City.

In an attempt to settle the area, many Civil War veterans moved here and took advantage of government land subsidies.

The community contained two hotels, general stores, mechanic shops, a pharmacy, and several sawmills.

By 1877, the town was flourishing and now contained two churches, a newspaper, several flour mills, numerous professional offices, and more sawmills.

By 1877, the argument intensified as Clam Lake (now incorporated as the city of Cadillac) and the village of Manton had growing populations.

On several occasions, physical violence ensued when the county records were attempted to be stolen by force from the courthouse in Sherman.

Prominent Cadillac businessman and mayor George A. Mitchell once led a coalition to Sherman and attempted to bribe local officials to hand over the records.

Numerous bribes, political scandals, controversies, and threats of violence took place, as Cadillac, Manton, and Sherman advocates battled for the right to serve as the county seat.

[12] In 1880, Sherman would ultimately lose the battle when the community suffered a devastating fire that destroyed most of its businesses.

The courthouse remained standing, but the destruction in Sherman forced the county to move its government offices and records to Manton.

A controversial vote in 1882 gave Cadillac, which had a substantially larger population, the right to serve as the permanent county seat.

[19] The Toledo, Ann Arbor, and North Michigan Railway expanded its railroad lines into the area by 1890.

The railway was built through the nearby community of Mesick just to the south but then continued west instead of expanding slightly north to Sherman.

At the time, Sherman contained five sawmills, a bank, two pharmacies, doctors, saloons, and numerous other businesses.

[11] At the time, Sherman was one of the fastest growing communities in Northern Michigan, but a lack of direct railroad access halted further development.