Munising 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
Alger County
Alger County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 Census, the population was 8,842. Its county seat is Munising, Michigan, Munising. The Pictured ...
in the U.S. state 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 2,983.
Communities
The
city of Munising is adjacent to the northwest corner of the township, but is an autonomous municipality. There are several historic locales and
unincorporated communities
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 ...
in the township:
*
Camp Cusino, a minimum security state prison, has a Shingleton address west of Shingleton.
* Doty is a locale at the junction of the former
Marquette and Eastern Railway (now the
Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad
The Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad , is a U.S. railroad offering service from Marquette, Michigan, to nearby locations in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It began operations in 1896. The LS&I continues to operate as an independent railroad f ...
) and the
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway (DSS&A) 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, west ...
(now the
Soo Line Railroad
The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , one of seven U.S. Class I railroads, controlled through the Soo Line Corporation. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sa ...
) at . It was named after Marcus A. Doty, a manager for the Marquette & Eastern. The station is called Evelyn on the Soo Line.
* Gogarnville was the name of a post office here from 1889 until 1893.
* Hallston was a former post office and a station on the
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway (DSS&A) 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, west ...
; Elevation: . The post office was established as "Anna River" on October 12, 1888, with Neil Steinburg as its first postmaster. The office was transferred and renamed Hallston on December 19, 1888, with railroad agent Julius W. Gogarn as its first postmaster. The office operated until August 14, 1897.
From 1895 to 1897, the Hallston Post Office operated as a summer post office.
*Indian Town is located at Old Indian Town and Indian Town Road ( Elevation: .
* Juniper is a place at Coalwood Recreation Trail and County Road 646 ( Elevation: .
* Kentucky is a place on Doe Lake Road west of Kentucky Trail ( Elevation: .
* Melstrand is an unincorporated community at the junction of county highways
H-58 and
H-52 (Cusino Trail) ( Elevation: , about east of Munising on county road
H-58. 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 (Elevation: .
* Petrel was a former post office and station on the
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway (DSS&A) 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, west ...
at , 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 Railroad
The Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette Railroad was a land grant railroad that was built and operated briefly (1881–1886) in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Incorporated in 1879, the -long railroad began operations in 1881. It w ...
in 1884 at
M-28 and Percy Road ( Elevation: . A post office operated from March 29, 1886, until February 16, 1887.
* Shingleton is an unincorporated community at , about southeast of Munising, at the eastern junction of
M-28 and
M-94
The M-94 was a piece of cryptographic equipment used by the United States Army, consisting of several lettered discs arranged as a cylinder. It was also employed by the US Navy, under the name CSP 488.
The device was conceived by Colonel Parke ...
. West of Shingleton, M-28 and M-94 run concurrently until about a mile south of Munising. The
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) 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 a ...
operates the Cusino Wildlife Research Station & Field Office in Shingleton. The
ZIP Code is 49884. Shingleton was a station on the
Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette Railroad
The Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette Railroad was a land grant railroad that was built and operated briefly (1881–1886) in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Incorporated in 1879, the -long railroad began operations in 1881. It w ...
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, or Star Siding, is an unincorporated community on M28, west of Star Siding Road ( Elevation: .
* Van Meer is a place at .
* Wetmore is an unincorporated community at ,
about southeast of Munising, on M-28/M-94. The ZIP Code is 49895. Wetmore began as a 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 Railway
The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway (DSS&A) 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, west ...
. William L. Wetmore arrived ''circa'' 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 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 , or 7.11%, 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 ...
of 2000, there were 3,125 people, 828 households, and 669 families residing in the township. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 15.4 per square mile (6.0/km). There were 1,154 housing units at an average density of 5.7 per square mile (2.2/km). The racial makeup of the township was 73.02%
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 ...
, 18.98%
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 ...
, 4.29%
Native American, 0.32%
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 ...
, 0.86% 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 2.50% 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 1.54% of the population. 8.4% were of United States or American, 8.4%
French, 8.0%
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 ...
, 7.0%
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
, 6.4%
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 ...
, 6.2%
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
, 6.0%
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 ...
and 5.8%
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
ancestry according to
Census 2000
The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...
.
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, 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, 6.4% 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 (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 $17,448. About 5.4% of families and 7.8% 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 9.8% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
References
External links
Munising Township official website
{{authority control
Townships in Alger County, Michigan
Townships in Michigan
Michigan populated places on Lake Superior
1867 establishments in Michigan
Populated places established in 1867
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore