Wakefield Township, Michigan

Wakefield Township, Michigan
Civil township
Location within Gogebic County
Wakefield Township Location within the state of Michigan Show map of Michigan Wakefield Township Wakefield Township (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 46°31′53″N 89°52′11″W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Gogebic
Government
• Supervisor	John Cox
• Clerk	Mandy Lake
Area
• Total	180.8 sq mi (468.2 km^2)
• Land	179.8 sq mi (465.6 km^2)
• Water	1.0 sq mi (2.5 km^2)
Elevation	1,421 ft (433 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	301
• Density	2.0/sq mi (0.8/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code(s)	49938 (Ironwood) 49947 (Marenisco) 49968 (Wafefield)
Area code	906
FIPS code	26-82800[1]
GNIS feature ID	1627205[2]
Website	Official 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.^[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.^[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. 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

1. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Wakefield Township, Michigan
3. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
4. Romig 1986, p. 164.
5. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Thomaston, Michigan
6. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Thomaston Post Office (historical)
7. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Connorville, Michigan
8. Romig 1986, p. 130.
9. "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)