Calumet Township, officially the Charter Township of Calumet, is a charter township of Houghton County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,263 at the 2020 census. Even with a decreasing population, the township remains the largest township by population in Houghton County.

History

Native Americans have mined native copper in Calumet Township beginning thousands of years ago. Calumet Township was created on 27 November 1866 at the Houghton County Clerk's Office; however, the Township did not hold its first meeting until Monday, 17 December 1866 at what was then the headquarters of the Calumet Mining Company. The Wolverine Mine opened in 1882. Large-scale production began in 1890. The mine closed in 1925. The old Wolverine Mine is famous among mineral collectors for copper, silver, epidote, and quartz specimens.

Communities

Within the Charter Township are the communities of:

Attractions

Landmarks

Parks and recreation

Calumet Township boasts numerous recreation areas. Parks, playgrounds, fishing areas, and beaches are scattered all over the township. Among these are:

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 86.2 km2, of which 85.9 km2 are land and 0.3 km2, or 0.38%, are water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,997 people, 2,892 households, and 1,697 families residing in the township. The population density was 210.4 PD/sqmi. There were 3,573 housing units at an average density of 107.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 98.37% White, 0.11% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population. 40.7% were of Finnish, 10.1% German, 8.1% Italian, 6.8% French and 6.2% English ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 2,892 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.3% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 3.14. In the township the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males. The median income for a household in the township was $24,928, and the median income for a family was $34,236. Males had a median income of $26,985 versus $21,420 for females. The per capita income for the township was $14,711. About 11.9% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.