Randville, Michigan
Geography
Much of the township is the Copper Country State Forest. The northwest portion is drained by the Michigamme River. A small portion of the northeast is drained by tributaries of the Escanaba River. The central portion is drained by the Ford River, and the south by the Sturgeon River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 162.8 square miles (422 km), of which, 160.3 square miles (415 km) of it is land and 2.5 square miles (6.5 km) of it (1.55%) is water.
Communities
There are no incorporated municipalities in the township. There are a few small unincorporated communities.
- Channing is on M-95 about 24 miles (39 km) north of Iron Mountain at 46°08′30″N 88°05′38″W / 46.14167°N 88.09389°W. It began as a railroad junction called "Ford Siding". In 1892, a post office was established named Channing, after John Parke Channing, a mining engineer who surveyed the area. The post office continues to serve ZIP code 49815.
- Floodwood is on M-95 about five miles (8 km) north of Channing and two miles (3 km) south of the Marquette County boundary. It began as a lumber settlement on the Milwaukee and Northern Railroad. A post office was in operation there from 1887 until 1905.
- Randville is on M-95 about 14 miles (23 km) north of Iron Mountain. It is just south of the junction with M-69 at 45°59′30″N 88°03′25″W / 45.99167°N 88.05694°W. The mining settlement formed because of the nearby Groveland Mine. It was a station on the Milwaukee and Northern Railroad in 1880 and a post office was in operation there from 1891 until 1932.
- Sagola is on M-95 at the junction where M-69 branches off to the west. Crystal Falls is 13 miles (21 km) west on M-69. M-69 runs concurrently with M-95 south of town about six miles (10 km) to just north of Randville. Sagola is at 46°05′25″N 88°04′39″W / 46.09028°N 88.07750°W. It was formed, when in about 1885, five Chicago men formed the Sagola Lumber Company to harvest pine timber in the area. The name was derived from the local Indian word for "welcome". A post office was first established there in 1889, and continues today to serve ZIP code 49881.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,169 people, 475 households, and 323 families residing in the township. In 2020, its population was 1,066.
Bibliography
- Stevens, Viola (1977). A History of Channing, Michigan. [Green Bay, Wis.]: Stevens.
References
- ^ Michigan Townships Association (2023). "Sagola Township, Dickinson County, Michigan". Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Sagola Township, Michigan
- ^ Romig, Walter (1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1838-X.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Channing, Michigan
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Floodwood, Michigan
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Randville, Michigan
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Sagola, Michigan