Bois Blanc Township, Michigan

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Bois Blanc Township, Michigan
settlement_type = Township
nickname =
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pushpin_label_position =left
pushpin_map_caption =Location within the state of Michigan
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Michigan
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Mackinac

government_footnotes =
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unit_pref = Imperial
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area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 126.9
area_land_km2 = 91.3
area_water_km2 = 35.6
area_total_sq_mi = 49.0
area_land_sq_mi = 35.3
area_water_sq_mi = 13.7

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 71
population_density_km2 = 0.8
population_density_sq_mi = 2.0

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 185
elevation_ft = 607
latd = 45 |latm = 45 |lats = 30 |latNS = N
longd = 84 |longm = 27 |longs = 54 |longEW = W

postal_code_type =
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blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 26-09500GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1625960 [gnis|1625960]
website =
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Bois Blanc Township is a civil township of Mackinac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, Bois Blanc Township population was 71. The township is coterminous with Bois Blanc Island. The nearby, smaller and uninhabited Round Island is within the civil jurisdiction of the city of Mackinac Island. Bois Blanc Island's ZIP code is 49775.

Communities and transport

Pointe Aux Pins is an unincorporated community with a ferry dock within the township on the south side of Bois Blanc Island at coord|45|43|57|N|84|28|40|W|. [gnis|635199|Point Aux Pins, Michigan] The plat of this resort community was recorded in 1888 by the Bois Blank Island Land Company, of Jackson. It was given a post office in May 1889. The office closed in October 1889, but reopened in May 1890. It was named for its location in a pine forest area.cite book | last = Romig | first = Walter | year = 1986 | title = Michigan Place Names | origyear= 1973 | publisher = Wayne State University Press | location = Detroit, Michigan | id = ISBN 0-8143-1838-X] A summer post office operated from 1911-1914,1920-1922 and 1924. [gnis|1926621|Pointe Aux Pins Post Office (historical)]

Ferry connections with Cheboygan, on the Lower Peninsula mainland, dock at Pointe aux Pins. Bois Blanc is also served by a paved airstrip in the interior of the island with facilities for private planes.

History

"Bois Blanc" is French for "white wood". The name is commonly thought to be a reference to either: (a) the silver birch, or more likely (b) the basswood, called "bois blanc" in other contexts. The basswood's white underbark was extensively used by Native Americans and French-speaking fur traders for cordage, including the sewing up of canoes and the manufacture of webbing for snowshoes.

Bois Blanc was ceded by the local Anishinaabe (Chippewa) to the U.S. federal government with the Treaty of Greenville in 1795. After extensive use as a source of kilned lime and firewood for Mackinac Island and other local frontier settlements, Bois Blanc was settled in the late 1800s as a summer resort community. The "Bois Blanc Island Light" lighthouse (1867) survives on the northern shore of the island; it is not open to the public.

Geography

The township consists of Bois Blanc Island in Lake Huron. Bois Blanc Island is southeast of Mackinac Island and due north of Cheboygan. Round Island, is a smaller uninhabited island between Bois Blanc and Mackinac Islands and is part of the Hiawatha National Forest.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 49.0 square miles (126.9 km²), of which, 35.3 square miles (91.3 km²) of it is land and 13.7 square miles (35.6 km²) of it (28.04%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 71 people, 42 households, and 17 families residing in the township. The population density was 2.0 per square mile (0.8/km²). There were 420 housing units at an average density of 11.9/sq mi (4.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 100.00% White. However, about 2,000 people visit the island. Only about 71 people stay year-round.

There were 42 households out of which 7.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.7% were married couples living together, 2.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 59.5% were non-families. 47.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.69 and the average family size was 2.41.

In the township the population was spread out with 7.0% under the age of 18, 2.8% from 18 to 24, 11.3% from 25 to 44, 56.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 57 years. For every 100 females there were 102.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.3 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $40,833, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $0 for females. The per capita income for the township was $27,131. There were no families and 3.8% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 14.3% of those over 64.

References