The community was first named Rapid Siding as a stop on the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad, and subsequently renamed for the nearby river.[4] The name was recorded as Rapid River when the community was platted in 1887. The community never incorporated as a village.
Rapid River has a rich history that spans centuries which included Native American tribe Ojibwe and was also once a thriving logging town with businesses lining Main Street (then called Broadway Street). The first sawmill in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was built along the Rapid River in 1835. The Ojibwe people called the river known as "Rapid River" by the name Waishka. Today a few of the original buildings remain from over 130 years ago. One of the buildings, The Swallow Inn, was built in the 1890s which used to be a boarding house and has been a restaurant and bar for over a hundred years. Another is The Rapid River Pub, while having many different names over the years, this building also was built in the 1890s and was a hotel, restaurant, and bar and continues to be a restaurant and bar. [5]
Public schools in Rapid River are administered by the Rapid River Schools, the area's school district.[7] The high school's athletic teams are known as the "Rockets".[8][9] The school's 8-man varsity football team won Division 2 of the Michigan State Championship in 2018.[10]
Fire coverage is provided by the Masonville Township Volunteer Fire Department and Ensign Township Volunteer Fire Department.[11] Emergency Medical Services are provided by the Masonville Township Volunteer EMS service which provide non-transport Basic Life Support services.
