Naubinway is located in the most northern community on the Lake Michigan Shoreline. The population of the city, according to the 2000 census, was 731 people. The city is the largest commercial fishing port on the Great Lakes. The first main industry in Naubinway was lumber. In 1873, William Boucha founded the city. The city was a natural port for the lumber ships of the lumber boom of the last century. After a turn of the century the lumber boom died off, and that is when fishing became the main industry. The fishing port is still active and one of the main attractions is the fleet of vessels that leave the dock every morning. The vessels venture out on to Lake Michigan in search of the next big catch. Naubinway is an Indian name which means “Place of Echoes”. Naubinway is a city for everyone. There is a little of everything so everyone can enjoy their vacation and have fun.
Beaches are a highlight to the area. There are miles and miles of some of the best beaches along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. With the beaches, you never have to fight with the crowd, if there is one, to get a spot on the sand. There is plenty of room for all to come. Besides all the wonderful beaches, there are mile of woodland roads through pristine areas. Naubinway is located at the edge of the Hiawatha National Forest that visitors can walk through the woods with the wildlife.
If you enjoy picking berries and getting as many as your heart desirers, make sure you come to the city in mid-August through September. There is a blue berry patch that you are able to get your own blueberries and enjoy them with your family and friends or all to yourself.
The Hiawatha Sportsman’s Clun was organized in 1927 by a group of men who were interested in establishing on an area of land, vacation center which would appeal to every one of all walks of life. When these men went out to look for the location of the club, they would visit the property, traveled on few rough trails and believed there was a great future for a limited number of people to enjoy.
These men wanted a club which would be different from any other club before. They wanted it to be built as a community where nature could be utilized to its fullest. In April, 1930, there wereapproximately 500 memberships sold. The construction on the first 25 cabins was about to begin. The year 1943, the club experienced their worst forest fire. There were 40 men fighting this fire for several days, and after two rain falls that fire was finally put out. The fire burn over 300 hundred acres of the forest. To this day the Club is still active. Members enjoy doing the outside sports, fishing, hunting and even golf. The golf course is a nine-hole course that is open to the public.
The course was originally built in 1932 but has been reworked extensively in recent years. Snow fall brings out all the fun winter sports, especially snowmobiling. When snowmobiling in Naubinway you are able to enjoy the outdoors while seeing beautiful scenery within the forests. Every year there is the annual Antique Snowmobile Show. The Snowmobile Show happens in downtown Naubinway. The Show takes place on a Friday and Saturday. The show for the year 2010 takes place February 19-20. The featured sled for this year is the “small sled” but all sleds are welcome. Some events that will take place on Friday are breakfast at 9am; 1pm bring the ride for all rear engine sleds and any other sleds to the Pipeline Bridge for a bonfire. Some on the events for Saturday are 9am brings registration at Top of the Lakes Snowmobile Museum; 10am to 3pm is a display of the sled. There are many food booths so no one in the family will go hungry.
Make sure you visit the Garlyn Zoo, and have a fun family vacation. The entrance of the zoo sits on the highway but the zoo its self is back a few hundred feet from the road. While you are driving in, make sure you are looking around because there is a large chance you will see some deer, coyote, bobcats, and wolves. Some animals that you can see at the zoo are alligators, the American black bear, coati-mundi, camels, reindeer, sika deer, river otter wolves and many, many more. The zoo opens in March, weather permitting, from 10am to 5pm, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If you are planning to go to the zoo in March, its best to call first to make sure they are open.
The summer hours are seven days a week, starting April 1st to September 30th, 10am to 6pm. In fall the zoo hours are seven days a week 10am to 5pm in the month of October. In November the zoo is open on the weekends only, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Since the zoo is only open for a short period of a whole year, they are always in need of things. The money that is brought in during the time the zoo is open is for the care and food for all twelve months. The owners put together a wish list of things that they could always use if you are no longer in need of it. Some items that are always needed are aquariums, heating pads, dog kennels, food dishes and many more items.
Garfield Township
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 137.4 square miles (356 km2), of which, 134.1 square miles (347 km2) of it is land and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2) of it (2.36%) is water.
At a roadside park, approximately three miles east of Naubinway at 46°05′50″N 85°23′51″W / 46.09722°N 85.3975°W / 46.09722; -85.3975, a historical marker was erected in 1965 to commemorate the northernmost point of Lake Michigan, which is located approximately one mile west of the park. This point is significant because it marked the original western boundary of Michigan Territory as established by the U.S. Congress in 1805. The boundary ran through the center of Lake Michigan to the northernmost extremity, and from thence due north to the northern boundary of the United States. In 1818, the boundary was extended west to the Mississippi River to encompass all the territory of the original Northwest Territory that had not yet been admitted as a state of the Union.
History
The early years
Although the first white man may have passed through the Naubinway and Engadine area, perhaps as early as 1640, the area’s recorded history did not begin until some 200 years later. The first permanent settlers to the area, the William Boucher Family, came from Mackinac Island to trade furs with the Ojibway Indians. They built their first house on the “Point” (near the location of the new Naubinway Marina) and remained until approximately 1857.
It was not until March 10, 1873, that William Boucher received a deed from the Federal Government to 27.30 acres (110,500 m2) of land in Naubinway. His deed was signed by President Ulysses S Grant, and under the provisions of the Public Land Act of 1820, he could have paid as little as $1.25 per acre. In the sale Boucher obtained the title to “The lot numbered Four of Section twenty-eight in Township forty-tree of Range Nine west…subject to sale at Marquette, MI.”
Commercial fishing
There is a tendency to believe that commercial fishing arrived on the scene in the nick of time to save the people in Naubinway from an economic plight brought about when the lumber industry collapsed. In fact, both industries existed simultaneously, for as far back as the late 1880s 34 fishing tugs operated out of Naubinway.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,251 people, 550 households, and 382 families residing in the township. The population density was 9.3 per square mile (3.6/km²). There were 1,029 housing units at an average density of 7.7 per square mile (3.0/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 82.09% White, 0.08% African American, 12.47% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.48% from other races, and 4.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population.
There were 550 households out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the township the population was spread out with 19.5% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 23.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $34,712, and the median income for a family was $37,917. Males had a median income of $29,821 versus $26,146 for females. The per capita income for the township was $17,315. About 7.1% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.