Munising Township, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Munising Township is a civil township
of Alger County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 3,125.
is at the northwest corner of the township, but is a municipality governed independently of the township. There are several historic locales and unincorporated communities in the township:
, the township has a total area of 217.7 square miles (563.8 km²), of which, 202.6 square miles (524.7 km²) of it is land and 15.1 square miles (39.1 km²) of it (6.94%) is water.
of 2000, there were 3,125 people, 828 households, and 669 families residing in the township. The population density
was 15.4 per square mile (6.0/km²). There were 1,154 housing units at an average density of 5.7 per square mile (2.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 73.02% White, 18.98% African American, 4.29% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.86% from other races
, and 2.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.54% of the population. 8.4% were of United States
or American, 8.4% French
, 8.0% German
, 7.0% Finnish, 6.4% Polish, 6.2% Irish
, 6.0% French Canadian
and 5.8% English
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 828 households out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.0% were married couples
living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.2% were non-families. 14.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the township the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 39.5% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 179.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 206.9 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $40,946, and the median income for a family was $45,114. Males had a median income of $38,649 versus $24,167 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $17,448. About 5.4% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
Civil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...
of Alger County
Alger County, Michigan
Alger County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,601. Its county seat is Munising. The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is located within the county.-History:...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 3,125.
Communities
The City of MunisingMunising, Michigan
Munising is a city on the southern shore of Lake Superior on the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,539. It is the county seat of Alger County...
is at the northwest corner of the township, but is a municipality governed independently of the township. There are several historic locales and unincorporated communities in the township:
- Doty is a locale at the junction of the former Marquette and Eastern Railway (now the Lake Superior and Ishpeming RailroadLake Superior and Ishpeming RailroadThe Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad , a U.S. railroad offering service from Marquette, Michigan, to nearby locations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, began operations in 1896...
) and the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic RailwayDuluth, South Shore and Atlantic RailwayThe Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, westward through Marquette, Michigan to Superior, Wisconsin,...
(now the Soo Line RailroadSoo Line RailroadThe Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S. Class I railroads. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste...
) at 46°21′46"N 86°32′07"W. It was named after Marcus A. Doty, a manager for the Marquette & Eastern. The station is called Evelyn on the Soo Line. - Gogarnville is a former post office in the township at 46°25′30"N 86°37′31"W. It was established as the Munising post office on December 22, 1868 and renamed as Gogarnville on October 23, 1889, when the office moved to the Gogarn farm with German-born American Civil War veteran and first Munising Township supervisor Julius Gogarn as the postmaster. The office continued until July 15, 1893.
- Juniper is a place at 46°21′29"N 86°35′25"W.
- Indian Town is a place at 46°24′32"N 86°33′47"W.
- Melstrand is an unincorporated community at 46°27′47"N 86°24′55"W, about eleven miles (18 km) east of Munising on county road H-58H-58 (Michigan county highway)County Designated Highway H-58 is a road that runs east–west in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. H-58 is routed through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Along H-58, there are the towns of Melstrand, Van Meer, and Myren. The length is .The western terminus is at M-28 in downtown Munising,...
. It was a sawmill village with a railway station and a post office that operated from July 11, 1917, until February 15, 1926. - Myren is a place at 46°25′34"N 86°25′38"W.
- Petrel was a former post office and station on the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic RailwayDuluth, South Shore and Atlantic RailwayThe Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, westward through Marquette, Michigan to Superior, Wisconsin,...
at 46°21′10"N 86°23′10"W, formed as a lumber settlement around the C. H. Worcester Company operations. A post office was established on September 2, 1903, although the first appointed postmaster, E. V. McGregor, declined the position. Marcel A. Nadeau was appointed on November 2, 1903. The office was discontinued on June 29, 1907. - Reedsboro was a former post office and a station on the Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette RailroadDetroit, Mackinac and Marquette RailroadThe Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette Railroad was a land grant railroad that was built and operated briefly in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Incorporated in 1879, the -long railroad began operations in 1881. It was intended to help the economic development of a region of...
in 1884 at 46°20′53"N 86°29′25"W. A post office operated from March 29, 1886, until February 16, 1887. - Shingleton is an unincorporated community at 46°20′54"N 86°28′13"W, about ten miles (16 km) southeast of Munising, at the eastern junction of M-28M-28 (Michigan highway)M-28 is an east–west state trunkline highway that almost completely traverses the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan, from Wakefield to near Sault Ste. Marie in Bruce Township...
and M-94M-94 (Michigan highway)M-94 is a state trunkline in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It runs for from K. I. Sawyer to Manistique. The highway is part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour during a concurrency with M-28. M-94 crosses the Siphon Bridge in Manistique, unique for the fact that the bridge roadway...
. West of Shingleton, M-28 and M-94 run concurrently until about a mile south of Munising. The Michigan Department of Natural ResourcesMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesThe Michigan Department of Natural Resources is the agency of the state of Michigan charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appointed by the Governor and accepted by the Natural Resources Commission...
operates the Cusino Wildlife Research Station & Field Office in Shingleton. Camp CusinoCamp CusinoCamp Cusino was created in 1951. It is located one mile west of Shingleton, Michigan. The camp was officially called the Cusino Corrections Prison Work Camp and was part of the Corrections Conservation Prison Camp Program in the State of Michigan. The name Cusino was taken from a Civilian...
, a minimum security state prison, has a Shingleton address one mile (1.6 km) west of town. The ZIP CodeZIP CodeZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 49884. Shingleton was a station on the Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette RailroadDetroit, Mackinac and Marquette RailroadThe Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette Railroad was a land grant railroad that was built and operated briefly in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Incorporated in 1879, the -long railroad began operations in 1881. It was intended to help the economic development of a region of...
named "Jeromeville" in 1882, after David H. Jerome, then the governor of Michigan (1881–1883). A post office was established in 1887 named Shingleton, after the local shingle mill. - Star is a place at 46°20′34"N 86°53′11"W.
- Van Meer is a place at 46°25′10"N 86°28′11"W.
- Wetmore is an unincorporated community at 46°22′47"N 86°37′13"W, about two miles (3 km) southeast of Munising, on M-28M-28 (Michigan highway)M-28 is an east–west state trunkline highway that almost completely traverses the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan, from Wakefield to near Sault Ste. Marie in Bruce Township...
/M-94M-94 (Michigan highway)M-94 is a state trunkline in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It runs for from K. I. Sawyer to Manistique. The highway is part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour during a concurrency with M-28. M-94 crosses the Siphon Bridge in Manistique, unique for the fact that the bridge roadway...
. The ZIP Code is 49895. Wetmore began as mostly Indian settlement called "Floeter", and had a post office with that name from 1883 to 1889 (with short interruptions). In October 1889, it was renamed "Munising" (the present city of Munising was known as "Old Munising" at the time). It was a station on the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic RailwayDuluth, South Shore and Atlantic RailwayThe Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, westward through Marquette, Michigan to Superior, Wisconsin,...
. William L. Wetmore arrived in about 1871 and built up a business making hardwood charcoal and a general store. The town and post office were renamed for him in 1895.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the township has a total area of 217.7 square miles (563.8 km²), of which, 202.6 square miles (524.7 km²) of it is land and 15.1 square miles (39.1 km²) of it (6.94%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,125 people, 828 households, and 669 families residing in the township. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 15.4 per square mile (6.0/km²). There were 1,154 housing units at an average density of 5.7 per square mile (2.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 73.02% White, 18.98% African American, 4.29% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.86% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.54% of the population. 8.4% were of United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
or American, 8.4% French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
, 8.0% German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, 7.0% Finnish, 6.4% Polish, 6.2% Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, 6.0% French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
and 5.8% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 828 households out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.2% were non-families. 14.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the township the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 39.5% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 179.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 206.9 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $40,946, and the median income for a family was $45,114. Males had a median income of $38,649 versus $24,167 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the township was $17,448. About 5.4% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.