Wakefield Township, Michigan

Civil township in Michigan, United States

46°31′53″N 89°52′11″W / 46.53139°N 89.86972°W / 46.53139; -89.86972CountryUnited StatesStateMichiganCountyGogebicGovernment

• SupervisorJohn Cox • ClerkMandy LakeArea

• Total180.8 sq mi (468.2 km²) • Land179.8 sq mi (465.6 km²) • Water1.0 sq mi (2.5 km²)Elevation

1,421 ft (433 m)Population

(2020)

• Total301 • Density2.0/sq mi (0.8/km²)Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)ZIP code(s)

49938 (Ironwood)
49947 (Marenisco)
49968 (Wafefield)

Area code906FIPS code26-82800^[1]GNIS feature ID1627205^[2]WebsiteOfficial website

Wakefield Township is a civil township of Gogebic County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 301 in 2020.^[3]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 180.8 square miles (468 km²), of which 179.8 square miles (466 km²) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²) (0.54%) is water.

Communities

The City of Wakefield is situated within the township, but is administratively autonomous.
Duke was a lumbertown in this township with a station on the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad. It had a post office from 1901 until 1906.^[4]
Thomaston is an unincorporated community in the township a few miles north of Wakefield at 46°30′59″N 89°55′39″W / 46.51639°N 89.92750°W / 46.51639; -89.92750.^[5] A post office opened November 7, 1891 and was discontinued July 31, 1923. The office reopened and operated from January 12, 1925, until August 14, 1926.^[6]
Connorville is an unincorporated community in the township a few miles north of Thomaston at 46°33′07″N 89°55′52″W / 46.55194°N 89.93111°W / 46.55194; -89.93111.^[7] It began as a lumber camp in 1925.^[8]
Tula was a lumbertown approximately 8 miles of the City of Wakefield east on M-28 at 46°32′46″N 89°48′53″W / 46.54611°N 89.81472°W / 46.54611; -89.81472. It had a post office from 1906 until 1916.^[9] There is a sign approximately 1+1⁄2 miles east of the former town site that reads "Tula".

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 364 people, 161 households, and 110 families residing in the township. In 2020, there were 301 people residing in the township.^[3]

References

Notes

^ ^a ^b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Wakefield Township, Michigan
^ ^a ^b "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
^ Romig 1986, p. 164.
^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Thomaston, Michigan
^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Thomaston Post Office (historical)
^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Connorville, Michigan
^ Romig 1986, p. 130.
^ "MICHIGAN GHOST TOWN: Tula, the Town That Isn't There". 99.1 WFMK. Retrieved February 25, 2020.

Sources

Romig, Walter (October 1, 1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities (Paperback). Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0814318386. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)