Crockery Township is a
civil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States that is subordinate to a county, most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country. The term town is used in New England, New York, and Wisconsin to ref ...
of
Ottawa County in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
. As of the
2010 census, the township population was 3,960.
Communities
There are no incorporated municipalities within the township.
*
Nunica is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
located near the center of the township, close to the junction of
Interstate 96
Interstate 96 (I-96) is an east–west Interstate Highway that runs for approximately entirely within the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The western terminus is at an interchange with US Highway 31 (US 31) and Bus ...
and
M-104 at .
* Ottawa Center was a historical settlement along the Grand River in the southeast corner of Crockery Township at . Benjamin Smith became the first postmaster on July 11, 1853. A
plat
In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...
was recorded and entered in 1855. The name reflects its central location (east-west) and was considered as candidate for the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
by county supervisors in 1856.
* Spoonville was a historical settlement where Crockery Creek flows into the Grand River. It was given a station on
Chicago and Michigan Lake Shore Railroad
The Chicago and Michigan Lake Shore Railroad (C&MLS) is a defunct railroad which operated in Michigan between 1869 and 1878, and as the Chicago and West Michigan Railroad until 1881.
The C&MLS was chartered in 1869 and commenced construction of a ...
in 1870.
A swing bridge over the Grand River operated from 1871 until 1881 when it was abandoned in favor of another line.
* The city of
Coopersville is to the east, and the Coopersville ZIP code 49404 serves areas in the eastern part of Crockery Township.
* The village of
Fruitport is to the north, and the Fruitport ZIP code 49415 serves areas in the northwest part of Crockery Township.
* The village of
Spring Lake is to the west, and the Spring Lake ZIP code 49456 serves areas in the southwest part of Crockery Township.
49456 5-Digit ZCTA, 494 3-Digit ZCTA - Reference Map - American FactFinder
U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 census
Geography
Spring Lake Township lies to the west, Muskegon County
Muskegon County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2020, the population was 175,824. The county seat is Muskegon.
Muskegon County comprises the Muskegon, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Grand Rapids- ...
is to the north, and Polkton Township to the east. The Grand River forms the southern boundary, with Allendale Charter Township to the southeast, Robinson Township to the south, and Grand Haven Charter Township to the southwest. The Grand Haven
Grand Haven is a city within the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Ottawa County. Grand Haven is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2010 census, Grand H ...
urban area is about west of the center of the township and Coopersville is about to the east.
The township is drained entirely by tributaries of the Grand River, including the Crockery Creek in the eastern portion.
According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (1.98%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.63% African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.56% Native American, 0.11% Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.03% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.74% from other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.35% from two or more races. Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
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 1.72% of the population.
There were 1,393 households, out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.7% 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, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the township the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.2 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $42,399, and the median income for a family was $50,219. Males had a median income of $39,031 versus $27,552 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the township was $19,089. About 5.6% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.
History
The Western Michigan region has been inhabited by the Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
Native Americans for centuries. It is from this tribe that the county takes its name.
The first European explorers in the Ottawa County region were the French-Canadian explorers Louis Joliet
Louis Jolliet (September 21, 1645after May 1700) was a French-Canadian explorer known for his discoveries in North America. In 1673, Jolliet and Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit Catholic priest and missionary, were the first non-Natives to explore and ...
and Father Jacques Marquette
Jacques Marquette S.J. (June 1, 1637 – May 18, 1675), sometimes known as Père Marquette or James Marquette, was a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Sainte Marie, and later founded Saint Igna ...
, who passed through the region in the mid 17th century.
European settlement in the area proceeded slowly until the mid 19th century, when zinc
Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...
was discovered in Crockery Creek in 1858. (Barnes, 1997) In 1872, the town of Nunica was officially incorporated, the name taken from the Ottawa word for zinc. The 1880 census showed approximately 1,000 settlers in the region. (Barnes, 1997)
Notes and references
* Barnes, Elizabeth. (1997). ''Boom and Bust: A Brief Oral History of Nunica'', Grand Rapids: Kent Publishing House.
* U.S. census data for Crockery township, 1880–1970.
External links
Crockery Township official website
{{authority control
Townships in Ottawa County, Michigan
Townships in Michigan