West Branch Township, Dickinson County, Michigan Explained

Official Name:	West Branch Township, Michigan
Settlement Type:	Civil township
Pushpin Map:	Michigan#USA
Pushpin Label Position:	left
Pushpin Label:	West Branch Township
Pushpin Map Caption:	Location within the state of Michigan
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:	Penny Skogman
Leader Title1:	Clerk
Leader Name1:	Lisa Jacobsen
Area Total Km2:	289.69
Area Land Km2:	288.68
Area Water Km2:	1.01
Area Total Sq Mi:	111.85
Area Land Sq Mi:	111.46
Area Water Sq Mi:	0.39
Population As Of:	2020
Population Total:	51
Population Density Sq Mi:	0.46
Timezone:	Central (CST)
Utc Offset:	-6
Timezone Dst:	CDT
Utc Offset Dst:	-5
Elevation M:	353
Elevation Ft:	1158
Coordinates:	46.1483°N -87.725°W
Postal Code Type:	ZIP code(s)
Postal Code:	49831 (Felch) 49841 (Gwinn) 49877 (Ralph)
Area Code:	906
Blank Name:	FIPS code
Blank Info:	26-85520^[2]
Blank1 Name:	GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:	1627245

West Branch Township is a civil township of Dickinson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 51 at the 2020 census.

With a population density of only, the township ranks as the least-densely populated municipality in the state of Michigan. It is also the third least-populated after Pointe Aux Barques Township (15) and Grand Island Township (35).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 111.85sqmi, of which 111.46sqmi is land and 0.39sqmi (0.35%) is water.^[3]

The north and main branches of the Ford River flow through the township, as does the west branch of the Escanaba River.

The township is served by North Dickinson County Schools to the southwest in the community of Felch.^[4]

Alfred is an unincorporated community within the township at . It lis located near where the north branch of the Ford River joins the main branch. Alfred was settled around 1903 as a station along the Chicago, Minneapolis, and St. Paul Railroad. A post office operated here from December 8, 1903 until November 15, 1910.
Ralph is an unincorporated community within the township at . The community as settled in 1901 as a station along the Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad. It was named for Ralph Wells, who was the son of lumberman J. W. Wells from Menominee. A post office opened on January 17, 1901 with the name Bryden, and it was renamed Ralph on June 6, 1904. The Ralph post office closed in 2012.^[5]

As of the census of 2000, there were 67 people, 29 households, and 18 families residing in the township. By 2020, its population was 51.

Book: Walter . Romig . Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities . Paperback . 1973 . October 1, 1986 . . 978-0-8143-1838-6 . Detroit, Michigan. 16, 464–465.

Web site: Michigan Townships Association. West Branch Township, Dickinson County, Michigan. 2023. October 15, 2023.
Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. 2008-01-31.
Web site: Michigan: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing . https://web.archive.org/web/20121019111423/http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-24.pdf . 2012-10-19 . live. PDF . September 2012. United States Census Bureau. 2010 United States census. October 13, 2023. 20 Michigan.
Web site: Michigan Geographic Framework. Dickinson County School Districts. 15 November 2013. October 28, 2023.
News: 2012-11-26 . Ralph Post Office to close . 2023-10-31 . WNMU-FM . en.