Grant 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 ...

Keweenaw County Keweenaw County (, ) is a county in the western Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 2,046, making it Michigan's least populous county. It is also the state's largest county by total ...

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 so ...

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 275 at the 2020 census. Grant Township is one of the most isolated municipalities in Michigan, as it forms the tip of the

Keweenaw Peninsula The Keweenaw Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Part of the greater landmass of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula, the Keweenaw Peninsula projects about northeasterly into Lake Superior, forming Keweena ...

, which projects into

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

History

Grant Township was one of the original townships of

, which was organized in 1861. At the time, Grant Township occupied a much smaller centralized area of the county. The township soon expanded and absorbed the townships of Sibley and Copper Harbor, which are now defunct but can be seen on an 1873 map of Keweenaw County. The Keweenaw Rocket Range, located within the township at the easternmost tip of the

, was used by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

as a rocket launch site from 1964 until 1971.

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 (41.20%) is water. Grant Township is located at the northern end of the

along

, and the township has the northernmost point of mainland in the state of Michigan. The township contains

Fort Wilkins Historic State Park Fort Wilkins Historic State Park is a historic preservation and public recreation area operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at Copper Harbor, Michigan. The park preserves the restored 1844 army military outpost, Fort Wilkins ...

, and the community of

Copper Harbor Copper Harbor is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located within Grant Township. The population of the CDP was 136 as of the 2020 census. The communit ...

also provides the main ferry access to

Isle Royale National Park Isle Royale National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States consisting of Isle Royale, along with more than 400 small adjacent islands and the surrounding waters of Lake Superior, in Michigan. ...

via the '' Isle Royale Queen IV''. The Montreal River flows through the township, and the township contains numerous lakes, most notably Lac La Belle, Lake Fanny Hooe, and a part of

Lake Gratiot Lake Gratiot is a lake in Keweenaw County, Michigan. The lake is surrounded by dense forest of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The bottom is mainly muck and it has a maximum depth of . The lake flows through the Little Gratiot River into Lac La Belle ...

. There are several lighthouses located within Grant Township, including

Copper Harbor Light The Copper Harbor Light is a lighthouse located in the harbor of Copper Harbor, Michigan USA on the Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan inside Fort Wilkins Historic State Park. It is a Michigan State Historic Site and listed on the National R ...

(and Copper Harbor Front Range Light), Gull Rock Light Station, Manitou Island Light Station, and

Mendota (Bete Grise) Light The Mendota Light, also known as the Bete Grise light, was built on the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan to facilitate travel between Lake Superior and Lac La Belle (an artificial canal having been made to connect the two). History The origina ...

. The township includes three islands: Gull Rock, Manitou Island, and Porters Island.

Major highways

* is a lengthy U.S. Highway that has its northern terminus within the township. * is a state highway that briefly enters the northwest corner of the township before having its northern terminus at US 41 in Copper Harbor. * Brockway Mountain Drive is a scenic roadway that briefly enters the western edge of the township before ending at M-26 in

Communities

Bete Grise Bete Grise (from the French ''Bête grise'', "Gray Beast") is the name given to an unincorporated place, a bay on Lake Superior, a county-owned public beach on that bay, a nearby lighthouse and two neighboring nature preserves in Michigan. Located ...

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 ...

located within the township at . It is also the center of the Bete Grise Nature Preserve. *Betsy is an unincorporated community at the south end of the township at . *

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 ...

located at the northern end of the township at . It is the northernmost community in the state with a year-round population. *

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

is an unincorporated community in the western portion of the township along

U.S. Route 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miam ...

at . * Lac La Belle is an unincorporated community located at . It is located along the lake of the same name, which is part of the

Little Gratiot River The Little Gratiot River is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed February 3, 2012 river in Keweenaw County on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States. It flow ...

. *

Mandan The Mandan () are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains who have lived for centuries primarily in what is now North Dakota. They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. About half of the Mandan still ...

is an unincorporated community located along U.S. Route 41 at . *Wyoming is an unincorporated community located along the Montreal River at . Wyoming was

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 ...

ted in 1862 on the site of an old stamping mill.

Demographics

According to 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 172 people, 87 households, and 52 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 480 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 98.84%

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 ...

, and 1.16% from two or more races.

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 0.58% of the population. 38.5% were of Finnish, 8.5%

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 7.7%

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), ...

, 6.2% Irish and 5.4% Scots-Irish ancestry. There were 87 households, out of which 12.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% 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, 2.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.98 and the average family size was 2.48. In the township the population was spread out, with 11.6% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 14.5% from 25 to 44, 43.6% from 45 to 64, and 26.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.1 males. The median income for a household in the township was $34,464, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $27,917 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 $24,336. About 11.4% of families and 10.8% 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 ...

, including 25.0% of those under the age of eighteen and 7.0% of those 65 or over.

Education

The entire township is served conterminously by its own public school district, the Grant Township School District Number 2. The district operates a single

one-room school One-room schoolhouses, or One-room schools, have been commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, and Spa ...

house, Copper Harbor School, which serves students from kindergarten to eighth grade. The school was established in 1850 and continues to operate a small school with a very small student population. It is one of the smallest districts by enrollment in the state, as it recorded only 10 students for the 2020–21 school year with one teacher.

Recreation

* Brockway Mountain Drive, a historic scenic route that runs briefly through the western edge of the township * Copper Harbor Cemetery, a historic cemetery dating back to 1853 *

, an active lighthouse first built in 1848 * Fort Wilkins, a deactivated military base that operated from 1844 to 1870 * Gull Rock Light Station, an active lighthouse first activated in 1867 * Keweenaw Mountain Lodge and Golf Course Complex, a resort complex built during the Great Depression * Manitou Island Light Station, an active lighthouse dating back to 1850 *

US 41–Fanny Hooe Creek Bridge The US 41–Fanny Hooe Creek Bridge is a highway bridge located on U.S. Route 41 in Michigan, US Highway 41 (US 41) over the Fanny Hooe Creek about one mile east of Copper Harbor, Michigan, Copper Harbor, adjacent to Fort Wilkins State ...

, a bridge built along U.S. Route 41 in 1928

Gallery

File:Copper Harbor from BWMD.jpg, File:Copper Harbor Light 2020-08-31.jpg, File:Copper Harbor School 2020-08-31.jpg, File:Keweenaw Rocket Range.jpg,

References

{{authority control Townships in Keweenaw County, Michigan Houghton micropolitan area, Michigan Townships in Michigan Michigan populated places on Lake Superior