St. Helen is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Roscommon County in the U.S. state of Michigan.

The mills were estimated to have produced more than 1 billion board feet (2,000,000 m3) of lumber within a period of fourteen years.

The St. Helen Development Company was organized to sell land and promote development of the area, and over seven years sold 80,000 acres (320 km2) of land and helped to build more than 30 miles (48 km) of roads and over 80 miles (130 km) of fencing.

It is believed that French voyageurs named it after Saint Helena of Constantinople, mother of Emperor Constantine.

The Detroit, Bay City and Alpena Railroad (later the Michigan Central, then the Detroit and Mackinac Railway and presently the Lake State Railway Company) built a line through the area with a station at St. Helen.