| Official Name: | Rapid River, Michigan |
| Settlement Type: | Census-designated place (CDP) & unincorporated community |
| Pushpin Map: | Michigan#USA |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Label: | Rapid River |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of Michigan |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Michigan |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Delta |
| Subdivision Type3: | Township |
| Subdivision Name3: | Masonville |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 3.27 |
| Area Land Km2: | 3.27 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 1.26 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 1.26 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 335 |
| Population Density Km2: | 102.49 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 265.45 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation M: | 181 |
| Elevation Ft: | 594 |
| Coordinates: | 45.9264°N -86.9669°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code(s) |
| Postal Code: | 49878 |
| Area Code: | 906 |
| Blank Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank Info: | 1621342 |
Rapid River is an unincorporated community in Masonville Township, Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan.
It is situated on the northern end of the Little Bay de Noc between the mouths of the Tacoosh and Rapid rivers with the mouth of the Whitefish River just to the east. U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) passes through Rapid River and joins with US 41 just west of town; the two then run concurrently from Rapid River south to Escanaba. The Rapid River ZIP code is 49878 and also serves areas in the nearby townships in Delta County of Baldwin, Bay de Noc, Brampton, Ensign, Garden, Maple Ridge, Masonville, and Nahma. It also serves a small area in Mathias Township in Alger County[2]
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.[3] 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. [4]
One scene from the 2001 film Escanaba in da Moonlight was shot in the Swallow Inn, a bar in Rapid River.[5]
Public schools in Rapid River are administered by the Rapid River Schools, the area's school district.[6] The high school's athletic teams are known as the "Rockets".[7] [8] The school's 8-man varsity football team won Division 2 of the Michigan State Championship in 2018.[9]
Fire coverage is provided by the Masonville Township Volunteer Fire Department and Ensign Township Volunteer Fire Department.[10] Emergency Medical Services are provided by the Masonville Township Volunteer EMS service which provide non-transport Basic Life Support services.
Indian Trails provides daily intercity bus service between St. Ignace and Ironwood, Michigan.[11]