Bois Blanc Township, Michigan
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Bois Blanc 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 (United States), county, most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country. The term town is used in New England town, Ne ...
of
Mackinac County Mackinac 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 10,834. The county seat is St. Ignace, Michigan, St. Ignace. F ...
in the U.S. state of
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
. The population was 100 at the 2020 census. The insular township occupies Bois Blanc Island, as well as some smaller outlying islands within
Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is shared on the north and east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south and west by the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the lake is derived from early French ex ...
. The nearby Round Island is administered by the city of
Mackinac Island Mackinac Island ( , ; ; ; ) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac and "Mitchimakinak" in Ojibwemowin, meaning "Great Turtle". It is located in ...
. The township is served by Bois Blanc Pines School District, which is the smallest school district in terms of enrollment in the state of Michigan and among the nation. The district had an enrollment of three students for the 2024–25 school year.


History

"Bois Blanc" is
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
for "white wood". The name is commonly thought to be a reference to either: (a) the
paper birch Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is drained through a fine mesh leaving ...
, or more likely (b) the
basswood ''Tilia americana'' is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae, native to eastern North America, from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Oklahoma, southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to ...
, called "bois blanc" in other contexts. The basswood's white underbark was extensively used by Native Americans and French-speaking fur traders for cordage, including the sewing up of canoes and the manufacture of webbing for snowshoes. Bois Blanc is in the traditional lands of the
Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians The Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians is a nonprofit organization and an unrecognized tribe. Located in Michigan, the Mackinac Band identifies as descendants of Bands 11-17 of Ojibwe and Odawa. The organization is headquartered in ...
. Bois Blanc was ceded by the local
Anishinaabe The Anishinaabe (alternatively spelled Anishinabe, Anicinape, Nishnaabe, Neshnabé, Anishinaabeg, Anishinabek, Aanishnaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples in the Great Lakes region of C ...
( Chippewa) to the
U.S. federal government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, execut ...
with the
Treaty of Greenville The Treaty of Greenville, also known to Americans as the Treaty with the Wyandots, etc., but formally titled ''A treaty of peace between the United States of America, and the tribes of Indians called the Wyandots, Delawares, Shawanees, Ottawas ...
in 1795 by Chippewa Chief Menehwehna. After extensive use as a source of kilned lime and firewood for
Mackinac Island Mackinac Island ( , ; ; ; ) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac and "Mitchimakinak" in Ojibwemowin, meaning "Great Turtle". It is located in ...
and other local frontier settlements, Bois Blanc was settled in the late 1800s as a summer resort community. The
Bois Blanc Light Bois Blanc Light can refer to one of five lighthouses erected on Bois Blanc Island (Michigan), Bois Blanc Island, Michigan, in Lake Huron. Two of the lighthouses are currently standing. The lighthouse and surrounding property are privately owne ...
lighthouse (1867) survives on the northern shore of the island; it is no longer in service as a lighthouse and is not open to the public.


Geography

According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (27.94%) is water. The township is located on the eastern end of the
Straits of Mackinac The Straits of Mackinac ( ; ) are the short waterways between the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, traversed by the Mackinac Bridge. The main strait is wide with a maximum depth of , and connects the Great Lakes of Lake M ...
directly north of the city of Cheboygan. It is politically and geographically part of the state's
Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula b ...
. While the rest of the Upper Peninsula uses the
area code 906 Area code 906 is the telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. History Area code 906 was formed in an area code split of numbering plan area (NPA) area code 616, 616 on March 19, 1961. Th ...
, Bois Blanc Township is the only municipality in the Upper Peninsula that uses the
area code 231 Area code 231 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the northwestern portion of the Lower Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan, History Area code 231 was created in June 1999 by an area code split of area ...
. Bois Blanc Township is one of only seven municipalities in the state of Michigan to consist entirely of islands, including
Grosse Ile Township Grosse Ile Township is a civil township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,777 at the 2020 census. The township encompasses several islands in the Detroit River, of which the largest is named as Grosse Ile. Na ...
, Drummond Township, St. James Township,
Mackinac Island Mackinac Island ( , ; ; ; ) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac and "Mitchimakinak" in Ojibwemowin, meaning "Great Turtle". It is located in ...
, Peaine Township, and Sugar Island Township. The township should not be confused with another Bois Blanc Island, which is a Canadian island in the
Detroit River The Detroit River is an List of international river borders, international river in North America. The river, which forms part of the border between the U.S. state of Michigan and the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ont ...
much further to the south. That island is also nicknamed "Boblo."


Communities

*Bois Blanc Island is a historic settlement on the island. Its native name of ''Mikobiminiss'' means "white wood" from the simple French translation, and the township would later share the same name. A post office name Bois Blanc began operating on the island on December 12, 1884. It was closed from June 19, 1886 until June 15, 1888; it was respelled as Boisblanc on October 19, 1895. *Pointe Aux Pins is an
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
on the southern coast of Bois Blanc Island at . The
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 Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...
of this resort community was recorded in 1888 by the Bois Blanc Island Land Company of
Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...
. The Pointe Aux Pins post office was established on May 15, 1889. It was briefly closed from October 25, 1889 until being restored on May 29, 1890. The name comes from French translation for its location in the pine forest area. The Pointe Aux Pins post office uses the 49775 ZIP Code that serves an area conterminous with the township. It is the only post office for the township, while the name Bois Blanc Island can also be used for mail delivery. *Sand Bay is a former lumber settlement developed around a sawmill and general store operated by the E. H. Stafford Manufacturing Company. A post office in Sand Bay began operating on November 12, 1909 but has long been disestablished.


Demographics

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 71 people, 42 households, and 17 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 420 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 100.00%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
. However, about 2,000 people visit the island. Only about 71 people stay year-round. By the 2020 census, its population grew to 100. In 2000, there were 42 households, out of which 7.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.7% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 2.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 59.5% were non-families. 47.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.69 and the average family size was 2.41. In the township the population was spread out, with 7.0% under the age of 18, 2.8% from 18 to 24, 11.3% from 25 to 44, 56.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.3 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the township was $40,833, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $0 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the township was $27,131. There were no families and 3.8% of the population living 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 ...
, including no under eighteens and 14.3% of those over 64. The 2021 estimates determined its median household income grew to $69,167.


Transportation

The sparsely populated township contains no paved roads. A maintained county road extends from the island's northeast corner to the far western tip. There are numerous unmaintained roads and trails. Commercial access to the island is provided by ferry connections with Cheboygan through a dock at Pointe aux Pins. The township is also served by a paved airstrip, Bois Blanc Island Airport, in the interior of the island with facilities for private planes.


References


Sources

*


External links


Bois Blanc Township official website
{{Authority control Townships in Mackinac County, Michigan Townships in Michigan Populated places on Lake Huron in the United States Populated places established in 1895 1895 establishments in Michigan