Felch Township, Michigan Explained
| Official Name: | Felch Township, Michigan |
| Settlement Type: | Civil township |
| Pushpin Map: | Michigan#USA |
| Pushpin Label Position: | top |
| Pushpin Label: | Felch Township |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of Michigan##Location within the United States |
| Mapsize: | 250 |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Michigan |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Dickinson |
| Government Footnotes: | [1] |
| Leader Title: | Supervisor |
| Leader Name: | Robert Mattson |
| Leader Title1: | Clerk |
| Leader Name1: | Darrell Oman |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Total Km2: | 372.47 |
| Area Land Km2: | 367.36 |
| Area Water Km2: | 5.10 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 143.81 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 141.84 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 1.97 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 687 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 4.84 |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Elevation M: | 360 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1181 |
| Coordinates: | 46.0797°N -87.8742°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code(s) |
| Postal Code: | 49815 (Channing)
49831 (Felch)
49877 (Ralph)
49881 (Sagola) |
| Area Code: | 906 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 26-27660[2] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1626273 |
Felch Township is a civil township of Dickinson County in the U.S. state of Michigan, named in honor of Alpheus Felch.[3] The population was 687 at the 2020 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 143.8sqmi, of which, 143.1sqmi of it is land and 0.7sqmi of it (0.47%) is water.
Communities
There are no incorporated municipalities in the township.
- Felch is an unincorporated community on M-69 at . Felch was a station on a branch of the Chicago and North Western Railway. A post office has been in operation there since 1906.[4]
- 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 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.[4] 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 . It was platted for the Lake Superior Ship Canal, Railway & Iron Company in 1881 by J.A. Van Clive.[4]
- 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. 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[4] at near the junction of Lucas Rd with M-69
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 726 people, 274 households, and 204 families residing in the township. By 2020, there were 687 people in the township.
Notes and References
- Web site: Michigan Townships Association. Felch Township, Dickinson County, Michigan. 2023. October 15, 2023.
- Web site: U.S. Census website . . 2008-01-31 .
- Book: Daly. Matthew L.. Herman. Jennifer L.. Hannan. Caryn. Michigan Encyclopedia. 1 December 2008. North American Book Dist LLC. 978-1-878592-94-1. 268.
- Book: Romig, Walter . 1986 . Michigan Place Names . 1973 . Wayne State University Press . Detroit, Michigan . 0-8143-1838-X.
