Iron River Township, Michigan

Civil township in Michigan, United States
46°15′55″N 88°47′25″W / 46.26528°N 88.79028°W / 46.26528; -88.79028CountryUnited StatesStateMichiganCountyIronArea
 • Total243.9 sq mi (631.8 km2) • Land239.6 sq mi (620.4 km2) • Water4.4 sq mi (11.3 km2)Elevation
1,568 ft (478 m)Population
 (2020)
 • Total1,052 • Density6.6/sq mi (2.6/km2)Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)ZIP code
49935
Area code906FIPS code26-41000[1]GNIS feature ID1626527[2]

Iron River Township is a civil township of Iron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,585 at the 2000 census and 1,052 in 2020.[3]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 243.9 square miles (632 km2), of which 239.6 square miles (621 km2) is land and 4.4 square miles (11 km2) (1.80%) is water.

Communities

  • The City of Iron River is situated at the southeast corner of the township, but is administratively autonomous.
  • Beechwood is an unincorporated community in the township northwest of Iron River on US 2 at 46°09′35″N 88°46′24″W / 46.15972°N 88.77333°W / 46.15972; -88.77333 (Beechwood, Michigan)[4] Beechwood was named from a grove of beech trees near the town site.[5] In 1888, Beechwood was made a stop on the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company. In November 1889, a post office was established with Richard M. Dwyer as the first postmaster.[6] The post office was closed in January 1976.[7]

References

  1. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Iron River Township, Michigan
  3. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Beechwood, Michigan
  5. ^ Company, Chicago and North Western Railway (1908). A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. p. 43.
  6. ^ Romig, Walter (1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1838-X.
  7. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Beechwood Post Office (historical)
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Municipalities and communities of Iron County, Michigan, United States
County seat: Crystal Falls
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