Naubinway, Michigan

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Coordinates: 46°05′33″N 85°26′51″W / 46.09250°N 85.44750°W / 46.09250; -85.44750
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Naubinway, Michigan
Census-designated place (CDP) & unincorporated community
Looking east along U.S. Route 2
Looking east along U.S. Route 2
Location within Mackinac County
Location within Mackinac County
Naubinway is located in Michigan
Naubinway
Naubinway
Location within the state of Michigan
Naubinway is located in the United States
Naubinway
Naubinway
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 46°05′33″N 85°26′51″W / 46.09250°N 85.44750°W / 46.09250; -85.44750
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountyMackinac
TownshipGarfield
Settled1843
Established1873
Area
[1]
 • Total0.47 sq mi (1.22 km2)
 • Land0.41 sq mi (1.07 km2)
 • Water0.06 sq mi (0.15 km2)
Elevation
932 ft (284 m)
Population
 (2020)[2]
 • Total147
 • Density358.54/sq mi (138.43/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)
49762
Area code906
GNIS feature ID633624[3]
FIPS code26-56760

Naubinway (/nɒˈbɪnˈweɪ/ NAH-bin-way) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Mackinac County in the U.S. state of Michigan.[3] The population of the CDP was 147 at the 2020 census, which was the first year that it was recorded by the census.[2] The community is located within Garfield Township.

As an unincorporated community, Naubinway has no legal autonomy of its own but does have its own post office with the 49762 ZIP Code.[4][5] Naubinway is located along U.S. Route 2 and is the northernmost community on the shores on Lake Michigan. It is also the largest commercial fishing port in the state's Upper Peninsula.[6][7]

History[edit]

Historic marker in Naubinway

The first European traveler to settle in the area was William Boucha (or Boucher), who partook in the fur trade from Mackinac Island and moved west in 1843. He and his family built their home near Millecoquins Point. They stayed in the area until around 1857. Later in 1873, Boucha received a federal deed under President Ulysses S. Grant to occupy 27.3 acres (11.0 ha) of land at a very inexpensive cost.[7] The new community was settled as "Bouchaville" but soon renamed as Naubinway.[8] The name Naubinway came from the Ojibwe language (Anishinaabemowen) word “Inaabinawe”[9][10](root “inaabi”[11]): “sits and keeps watch for something”[12] or “to look or gaze in wonderment”[13] although local tourist sites often translate the meaning as "place of echoes".[14]

A post office was first established in Naubinway on November 28, 1879, with Benjamin Perkins serving as the first postmaster.[15] The post office has continuously remained in operation and is currently located at West 11631 US Highway 2 in the center of the community.[16] The Naubinway Cemetery (also referred to as the Garfield Township Cemetery) is located just north of the community.[17] The active cemetery contains graves dating back to 1881.

Naubinway began as a lumbering community at the beginning of the lumber boom in the Upper Peninsula by 1880. The history of the nearby community of Engadine had a similar origin, and the two communities grew rapidly and became centers of large lumbering companies. The population of Naubinway and the surrounding area was estimated as high as 10,000 residents during the decade. The Canadian Pacific Railway built a line through the area in 1889. The railway line passed to the north of Naubinway through Engadine, and both communities benefited greatly from the railroad and the exportation of its lumber. Naubinway also benefited from being a port community on Lake Michigan. In addition to the growing lumber industry, the community also had a large commercial fishing industry. When the lumber industry declined after the turn of the century, the fishing industry continued.[7]

The community received a railroad depot just to the north of the community. The depot was referred to as the Naubinway Junction, although its exact location and dates of operation are unknown.[18][19] The line was served by the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad and connected many of the Upper Peninsula's lumber communities. The railway line remains active and is operated by the Canadian National Railway but no longer contains a stop or railway station within Naubinway.[20] Beginning in the 1940s, U.S. Route 2 was constructed and rerouted to pass directly through the community of Naubinway along Lake Michigan. U.S. Route 2 provided a major transportation route through the area.[21]

As Naubinway is at the northernmost stretches of Lake Michigan, the point was designated as a Michigan State Historic Site named "the Northernmost Point of Lake Michigan" on April 14, 1964. This point was used to draw the westernmost boundary of the Michigan Territory when it was created in 1805. West of this point belonged to the Indiana Territory until the Michigan Territory expanded westward in 1818.[22]

In recent years, due to the community's remoteness and lack of amenities, the area's population has steadily declined. The community is supported primarily by commercial fishing and tourism.[23] For the 2020 census, Naubinway was included as a newly-listed census-designated place, which is included for statistical purposes only. Naubinway continues to remain an unincorporated community with no legal autonomy of its own.[24][25]

Geography[edit]

Naubinway road signage looking east along U.S. Route 2
U.S. post office in Naubinway

Naubinway is located along the northernmost shores of Lake Michigan within Garfield Township in the state's Upper Peninsula. The community is centered along U.S. Route 2 (Lake Michigan Scenic Highway) about 41 miles (66 km) west of St. Ignace and 45 miles (72 km) east of Manistique.[6][7] Hiawatha Trail (County Highway 40) is located just north of the center of Naubinway, and M-117 is to the west. Portions of the surrounding area are part of Lake Superior State Forest.[8] The community sits at an elevation of 932 feet (284 m) above sea level.[3]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Naubinway CDP has a total area of 0.47 square miles (1.22 km2), of which 0.06 square miles (0.16 km2), or 12.34%, are water.[1] U.S. Route 2 forms the northern edge of the community.

Smaller communities nearby include Engadine and Millecoquins to the northwest, Gould City to the west, Garnet to the northeast, and Epoufette to the east. Waterways near Naubinway include the Lower Millecoquins River a mile to the west and the east and west branches of Mile Creek the same distance to the east, which all drain into Lake Michigan.[26][27][28] The southernmost point of land in the community is called Millecoquins Point.[29] This cape creates a small natural harbor known as Naubinway Harbor, which contains a park and marina called the Naubinway–Garfield Township Marina.[30][31] The Michigan Department of Natural Resources maintains a public boating access site in Naubinway on Lake Michigan.[32]

Naubinway and the surrounding area is served by Engadine Consolidated Schools.[33] Naubinway contains its own post office that uses the 49762 ZIP Code. The post office serves the southern portion of Garfield Township and a much larger area to the east of Naubinway, including most of Hudson Township, all of Hendricks Township, and a small western portion of Moran Township. The Garlyn Zoo, located to the east in Hudson Township, also uses the Naubinway ZIP Code.[4][5]

Naubinway Island is a small island located about 0.63 miles (1.01 km) south of the community in Lake Michigan.[34] The Naubinway Island Light was first constructed in 1931 on the island. The original structure has been replaced with a cylindrical tower and continues as an active lighthouse.[35][14][36] The lighthouse was necessary to alert vessels of the shallow underwater Naubinway Reef, which can pose a hazard for vessels heading in and out of Naubinway Harbor. The rocky reef is located about 1.4 miles (2.3 km) south of the island and creates very shallow waters of only 4 feet (1.2 m) deep.[37][38]

Demographics[edit]

At the 2020 census, the population of the CDP of Naubinway was 147.[2]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
2020147—
U.S. Decennial Census[39]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Michigan". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "P1. Race – Naubinway CDP, Michigan: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Naubinway, Michigan
  4. ^ a b Google (July 4, 2021). "49762 ZIP Code map" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  5. ^ a b UnitedStatesZipCodes.org (2021). "ZIP Code 49762: Naubinway". Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Michigan Economic Development Corporation (2021). "St. Ignace Visitors Bureau: Naubinway". Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d Top of the Lakes Community Association (2021). "Area History". Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  8. ^ a b U.P. Engineers & Architects, Inc. (2006). "Mackinac County Fact Book: Mackinac County, Michigan" (PDF). Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  9. ^ Mayotte (Giizhibaa’aanakwad), Patrick (2007). "Gidakiiminaan (Our Earth): An Anishinaabe atlas of the 1836 (Upper Michigan), 1937, and 1842 treaty ceded territories" (PDF). Gidakiiminaan Atlas (map page 22). Retrieved July 15, 2023 – via GLIFWC (Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission).
  10. ^ Chiriboga, Esteban (2007). "GIDAKIIMINAAN (Our Earth): Ojibwe Geographic Place Names in the 1837 Ceded Territories of Minnesota and Wisconsin, the 1842 Ceded Territories of Wisconsin and Michigan and the 1836 Ceded Territory of the Michigan Upper Peninsula" (PDF). Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC). Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  11. ^ Nichols, John D (2012–2021). "inaabi (vai)". The Ojibwe People’s Dictionary. Retrieved July 14, 2023 – via Department of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota.
  12. ^ Mayotte (Giizhibaa’aanakwad), Patrick (2007). "Gidakiiminaan (Our Earth): An Anishinaabe atlas of the 1836 (Upper Michigan), 1937, and 1842 treaty ceded territories" (PDF). Gidakiiminaan Atlas, page 42. Retrieved July 15, 2023 – via GLIFWC (Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission).
  13. ^ "Naubinway (English, Etymology)". Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Exploring The North (2021). "Upper Peninsula Lighthouses Open to the Public on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior". Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  15. ^ Romig, Walter (October 1, 1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities (Paperback). Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. p. 389. ISBN 978-0-8143-1838-6.
  16. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Naubinway Post Office
  17. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Naubinway Cemetery
  18. ^ United States Lake Survey (1911). Michigan, Southern Peninsula: Michigan, Northern Peninsula. Michigan: Rand McNally & Company. p. 39.
  19. ^ MichiganRailroads.com (2021). "Mackinac County Stations - Other". Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  20. ^ Michigan Department of Transportation (March 2017). "Michigan's Railroad System: Railroads Operating in Michigan" (PDF). Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  21. ^ Michigan State Highway Department & Rand McNally (June 1, 1942). Official Michigan Highway Map (Map) (Summer ed.). [c. 1:850,000]. Lansing: Michigan State Highway Department. §§ C1, D10. OCLC 12701143.
  22. ^ The Historical Marker Database (February 1, 2021). "The Northernmost Point of Lake Michigan". Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  23. ^ Donnelly, Francis (May 17, 2017). "As U.P. loses people, towns make tough choices". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  24. ^ U.S. Census Bureau (2020). "State of Michigan Census Designated Places". Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  25. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Naubinway Census Designated Place
  26. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lower Millecoquins River
  27. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: East Mile Creek
  28. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: West Mile Creek
  29. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Millecoquins Point
  30. ^ Michigan Great Lakes Water Trails (2021). "Naubinway Harbor". Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  31. ^ Michigan Department of Natural Resources (2021). "Naubinway - Garfield Township Marina". Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  32. ^ Michigan Department of Natural Resources (2021). "Michigan Recreational Boating Information System (MRBIS): Boating Access Site Detail (Naubinway Marina)". Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  33. ^ Michigan Geographic Framework (November 15, 2013). "Mackinac County School Districts" (PDF). Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  34. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Naubinway Island
  35. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Naubinway Island Light
  36. ^ Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society (2021). "Naubinway Island (Lake Michigan) Light". Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  37. ^ United States Lake Survey (1968). The U.S. Lake Survey Story. New York Public Library. p. 518.
  38. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Naubinway Reef
  39. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.

External links[edit]

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