Au Train Township is a civil township of

Alger County Alger County ( ) is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 8,842. Its county seat is Munising. The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is located within the county. History Alger ...

in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 1,138.

History

Forest Lake village was founded by the

Cleveland Cliffs Company Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., formerly Cliffs Natural Resources, is a Cleveland, Ohio-based company that specializes in the mining, beneficiation, and pelletizing of iron ore, as well as steelmaking, including stamping and tooling. It is the largest f ...

in 1890 and first called "Dixon". At Coalwood, a post office opened on September 21, 1906. On July 15, 1910, the Coalwood Post Office closed. The Dixon post office was established in May 1915 and was renamed to and possibly moved to Forest Lake in November 1921. The Forest Lake Post Office was discontinued in 1984.

Communities

There are no incorporated villages in the township. The city of

Munising Munising ( ') is a city in Alger County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,355 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Alger County. The city is partially surrounded by Munising Township, but the two are administered auton ...

is adjacent, at the northeast corner. There are some unincorporated communities and historic locales in the township: *Au Train is south of M-28 and west of the

Au Train River The Au Train River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed January 3, 2012 river in Au Train Township, Michigan, Au Train Township, Alger County, Michigan, Alger County, Mich ...

near Au Train Bay in Lake Superior (; Elevation: 610 ft./186 m.). *Coalwood is on M-94 near Stillman and Wyman roads (; Elevation: 1007 ft./307 m.). A post office operated from September 21, 1906, until July 15, 1910. *Christmas is on M-28 and Bay Furnace, a few miles northwest of Munising (; Elevation: 623 ft./190 m.). A factory was built here in 1938 to make gifts for sale at Christmas time. The factory burned in 1940. Christmas has frequently been noted on lists of

unusual place names Unusual place names are names for cities, towns, and other regions which are considered non-ordinary in some manner. This can include place names which are also offensive words, inadvertently humorous or highly charged words, as well as place ...

. * Dixon is on M-94 and Au Train Forest Lake Road near the west side of the north end of Cleveland Cliff Basin ( ; Elevation: 791 ft./241 m.). * Forest Lake is located on M-94 near the east side of the north end of Cleveland Cliff Basin (; Elevation: 830 ft./253 m.), and a station on the M.M. & S. Railroad. The village was founded by the

in 1890 and first called "Dixon". A post office named Dixon was established in May 1915 and renamed as Forest Lake in November 1921. The office was discontinued in 1984. * Munising Junction is located west of M-94 on Perch Lake Road (; Elevation: 801 ft./244 m.). *Ridge is located at Ridge Road and the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway Rail Trail (). * Stillman is a place at . * Vail is a place at .

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 10.62%, is water.

Climate

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,172 people, 494 households, and 348 families residing in the township. The population density was 8.3 per square mile (3.2/km²). There were 991 housing units at an average density of 7.0 per square mile (2.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 92.24% White, 4.69% Native American, 0.17% from other races, and 2.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.94% of the population. 16.0% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, 12.4%

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, 10.7% English, 10.2% Finnish, 8.3% United States or American, 7.0%

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

, 6.0%

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

and 5.1%

French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 494 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.81. In the township the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 30.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.4 males. The median income for a household in the township was $40,331, and the median income for a family was $42,857. Males had a median income of $36,563 versus $24,844 for females. The per capita income for the township was $18,751. About 8.1% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Au Train Township official website
{{authority control Townships in Alger County, Michigan Townships in Michigan Michigan populated places on Lake Superior