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 ...
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, ...
. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 2,497.
Communities
*Barker Creek 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 M-72, about seven miles northwest of Kalkaska at .
* Rapid City is an unincorporated community and
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
at on the Rapid River.
*Torch River is an unincorporated community at at the south end of Torch Lake, where the eponymous Torch River exits the lake and is joined by the Rapid River. A portion of the community is on the west side of the river in Milton Township, Antrim County.
History
The first permanent white settler in what is now Kalkaska County was William George Copeland, a farmer born in
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
, who located there in the fall of 1855, while it was still attached to Grand Traverse County. For the next twelve years, he and his wife were the only permanent white residents of the county. A dam had been built on the Barker Creek about the time Copeland moved there, but a planned mill was never built. The next permanent resident in the township was William H. Bockes, a native of
Medina County, Ohio
Medina County () is a county located in the northeastern region in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 182,470. Its county seat is Medina, and its largest city is Brunswick.
The county was created in 1812 and la ...
and a
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
veteran. In June 1866, he purchased land in the township near Barker Creek. After returning to Ohio to marry his wife in October, they both returned immediately to take up residence. Another early resident in the Barker Creek area was John H.F. Letherby, born in England and moved to Canada at the age of 16. He settled in section 32 near Barker Creek in October 1866.
The township was organized in 1867.
In section 36 in the southeast corner of the township, a few related families originally from Susquehanna County,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, made their homes. D.P. Beebe, another Civil War veteran, was the first to arrive in the spring of 1867. Norman Ross, his father-in-law came in the summer of 1867 and became the first township supervisor when it was organized. A.C. Beebe, also a Civil War veteran, came in May 1868.
Elisha W. Clement, from
Brantford, Ontario
Brantford (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River (Ontario), Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by County of Brant, Brant County but is politically separate wi ...
settled in section 14 in December 1867. Albert T. Kellogg, from Cortland County, New York, settled in section 14 in September 1868.
Kalkaska County remained unorganized and attached first to Grand Traverse County and then Antrim County until an act of the Michigan Legislature of January 27, 1871. Rapid River Township was the first township organized in the county, while it was still attached to Antrim County for administrative purposes. The township was organized in 1868 so that residents in the area would be able to vote in the presidential election without having to travel all the way to Antrim County. At that time, Rapid River Township encompassed several townships that were later separately organized. Clearwater Township was originally organized as "Round Lake" by an act of the Michigan Legislature on January 18, 1871, and was renamed Clearwater Township in January 1873. A post office with the name of "Clear Water" had been established in May 1869 and renamed "Clearwater" in December 1873. There was also a post office at Barker Creek from February 1874 until May 1937. Barker Creek was a station on the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (7.75%) is water.Torch Lake borders the northern edge of the township, and Lake Skegemog occupies a portion of the western section of the township. Rapid River flows through the center of the township.
Clearwater Township forms the northwest corner of Kalkaska County, and is adjacent to both Antrim and Grand Traverse counties.
Major highway
* is an east-west highway in the southwest of the township, entering from the west (Grand Traverse County) and exiting to the south ( Kalkaska Township).
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 2,382 people, 944 households, and 681 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,375 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 97.52%
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 ...
, 0.04%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 0.84% of the population.
There were 944 households, out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% 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, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the township the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.3 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $37,008, and the median income for a family was $42,056. Males had a median income of $31,932 versus $20,085 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 $16,961. About 5.5% of families and 7.9% 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 ...
, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.