Bois Blanc Township, Michigan

Bois Blanc Township is a civil township of Mackinac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 95. The township occupies Bois Blanc Island, as well as some smaller outlying islands within Lake Huron. The nearby Round Island is administered by the city of Mackinac Island.

Bois Blanc Township, Michigan
Civil township
Nickname(s):  Boblo[1]
Location within Mackinac County
Bois Blanc Township Location within the state of Michigan
Coordinates: 45°45′30″N 84°27′54″W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Mackinac
Established	1895
Government
• Supervisor	Brent Sharpe
• Clerk	Diane Akright
Area
• Total	48.72 sq mi (126.2 km^2)
• Land	35.11 sq mi (90.9 km^2)
• Water	13.61 sq mi (35.2 km^2)
Elevation	607 ft (185 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	95
• Density	2.71/sq mi (1.05/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)	49775 (Pointe Aux Pins)
Area code(s)	231
FIPS code	26-09500[2]
GNIS feature ID	1625960[3]
Website	Official website

The township is served by Bois Blanc Pines School District, which is the smallest school district in terms of enrollment in the state of Michigan and among the nation. The district had an enrollment of three students for the 2019–20 school year.[4]

Communities

• Pointe Aux Pins is an unincorporated community on the southern coast of Bois Blanc Island at 45°43′57″N 84°28′40″W.[5] The plat of this resort community was recorded in 1888 by the Bois Blank Island Land Company of Jackson. It was given it first post office in May 1889. The office closed in October 1889 but reopened in May 1890. The community was named for its location in a pine forest area.[6] A summer post office operated from 1911–1914, 1920–1922, and 1924.[7] A permanent U.S Post Office is now operating in Pointe Aux Pins using the 49775 ZIP Code, which serves all of Bois Blanc Township.[8]

History

"Bois Blanc" is French for "white wood".[9] The name is commonly thought to be a reference to either: (a) the paper birch, or more likely (b) the basswood, called "bois blanc" in other contexts.[10] 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.[11] 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 Light lighthouse (1867) survives on the northern shore of the island; it is no longer in service as a lighthouse and is not open to the public.

Transportation

There sparsely populated township contains no paved roads. A maintained county road extends from the island's northeast corner to the far western tip. There are numerous unmaintained roads and trails. Commercial access to the island is provided by ferry connections with Cheboygan through a dock at Pointe aux Pins. The township is also served by a paved airstrip, Bois Blanc Island Airport, in the interior of the island with facilities for private planes.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 48.72 square miles (126.18 km²), of which 35.11 square miles (90.93 km²) is land and 13.61 square miles (35.25 km²) (27.94%) is water.

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. Bois Blanc Township is one of only seven municipalities in the state of Michigan to consist entirely of islands, including Grosse Ile Township, Drummond Township, St. James Township, Mackinac Island, Peaine Township, and Sugar Island Township.

The township should not be confused with the Canadian Bois Blanc Island, which is part of Essex County, Ontario much further south in the Detroit River. That island is also nicknamed "Boblo."

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1970	25		—
1980	62		148.0%
1990	59		−4.8%
2000	71		20.3%
2010	95		33.8%
[12][13]

As of the census[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 per square mile (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

1. Bois Blanc Township (2019). "Bois Blanc Township". Retrieved April 18, 2019.
2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bois Blanc Township, Michigan
4. State of Michigan (2019). "Bois Blanc Pines School: Overview". Retrieved April 19, 2020.
5. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Point Aux Pins, Michigan
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: Pointe Aux Pins Post Office (historical)
8. "The United States Postal Service (U.S. Postal Service)". USPS. Retrieved 2012-08-07.
9. "Linguee". Linguee French-English Dictionary. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
10. McAfee, Chris. "A Brief History of Bois Blanc Island". Bois Blanc Island Community Foundation. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
11. "Bois Blanc Island". The Michigan Historical Marker Web Site. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
12. Bois Blanc Township (20 October 2009). "Bois Blanc Township Master Plan" (PDF). Retrieved April 24, 2020.
13. "Michigan: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing" (PDF). 2010 United States Census. United States Census Bureau. September 2012. p. Michigan 31. Retrieved April 22, 2020.