Felch Township, Michigan

Felch Township, Michigan
Civil township
Location within Dickinson County
Felch Township Location within the state of Michigan Show map of Michigan Felch Township Location within the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 46°04′47″N87°52′27″W / 46.07972°N 87.87417°W / 46.07972; -87.87417
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Dickinson
Government [1]
• Supervisor	Robert Mattson
•  Clerk	Darrell Oman
Area
• Total	143.81 sq mi (372.47 km2)
• Land	141.84 sq mi (367.36 km2)
• Water	1.97 sq mi (5.10 km2)
Elevation	1,181 ft (360 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	687
• Density	4.84/sq mi (1.87/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code(s)	49815 (Channing) 49831 (Felch) 49877 (Ralph) 49881 (Sagola)
Area code	906
FIPS code	26-27660 [2]
GNIS feature ID	1626273 [3]
Website	Official website

Felch Township is a civil township of Dickinson County in the U.S. state of Michigan, named in honor of Alpheus Felch. ^[4] The population was 687 at the 2020 census.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 143.8 square miles (372 km²), of which, 143.1 square miles (371 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it (0.47%) is water.

Communities

There are no incorporated municipalities in the township.

• Felch is an unincorporated community on M-69 at 45°59′50″N87°49′33″W / 45.99722°N 87.82583°W / 45.99722; -87.82583 . ^[5] Felch was a station on a branch of the Chicago and North Western Railway. A post office has been in operation there since 1906. ^[6]
• Metropolitan was a thriving village established just after 1880 to exploit the iron ore in the nearby Metropolitan Mine. Metropolitan was about one mile west of Felch ^[7] and was the last station on a branch of the Chicago and North Western Railway coming west from Escanaba. The village was platted by the Metropolitan Mining Company in 1881. A post office was in operation there from 1881 until 1963. ^[6] The present Zion Lutheran Church of Metropolitan sits almost exactly on the site of the old village, which is now a string of farms along the country roads. Metropolitan was sometimes referred to as Milltown and Farmertown.
• Theodore is an unincorporated community on M-69 about half a mile northwest of Felch at 46°00′05″N87°50′07″W / 46.00139°N 87.83528°W / 46.00139; -87.83528 . ^[8] It was platted for the Lake Superior Ship Canal, Railway & Iron Company in 1881 by J.A. Van Clive. ^[6]
• Felch Mountain is an unincorporated community on M-69 about half a mile northwest of Felch. It is immediately adjacent to, and east of, Theodore. ^[9] Both Theodore and Felch Mountain are located on a steep hill north of M-69, while Felch and Metropolitan are located in the lower land south of M-69.
• Spruce was a station on the Chicago and North Western Railway ^[6] at 45°59′09″N87°46′38″W / 45.98583°N 87.77722°W / 45.98583; -87.77722 near the junction of Lucas Rd with M-69 ^[10]

Demographics

As of the census ^[2] of 2000, there were 726 people, 274 households, and 204 families residing in the township. By 2020, there were 687 people in the township.

References

1. Michigan Townships Association (2023). "Felch Township, Dickinson County, Michigan" . Retrieved October 15, 2023.
2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Felch Township, Michigan
4. Daly, Matthew L.; Herman, Jennifer L.; Hannan, Caryn (December 1, 2008). Michigan Encyclopedia. North American Book Dist LLC. p. 268. ISBN   978-1-878592-94-1.
5. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Felch, Michigan
6. Romig, Walter (1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. ISBN   0-8143-1838-X.
7. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Metropolitan, Michigan
8. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Theodore, Michigan
9. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Felch Mountain, Michigan
10. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Spruce, Michigan