Mass City, Michigan

Mass City (also known as Mass[1]) is an unincorporated community in Ontonagon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Mass City is located in Greenland Township along M-26, 13.5 miles (21.7 km) southeast of the village of Ontonagon.[2] Mass City has its own post office with the 49948 ZIP Code .[3]

Mass City, Michigan
Unincorporated community
Looking south along M-26
Mass City Location within the state of Michigan
Coordinates: 46°45′50″N 89°05′11″W[1]
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Ontonagon
Township	Greenland
Settled	1848
Elevation [1]	1,056 ft (322 m)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)	49948
Area code(s)	906
GNIS feature ID	631722[1]

History

Mass City was first settled in 1848 by Noel Johnson, an escaped slave from Missouri who discovered copper in the area; Johnson later sold the copper deposits to the Mass Mining Company. Mass City was formally organized in 1855 and named for the mass copper mined in the area. The original site of Mass City was abandoned in 1899, when Abram and Nellie Mathews platted the current site. A post office opened in Mass City on June 15, 1899; Christ P. Anderson was the first postmaster.[4]

Geography

The small town is located within Ontonagon County, the Greenland Township in the foothills of the Porcupine Mountains. It is home to an abundance of natural forestry and wildlife able to be explored via the Courtney Lake/Old Grade Ski Trail which runs through parts of the Ottawa National Forest.

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mass City, Michigan
2. Ontonagon County (pdf) (Map). Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
3. ZIP Code Lookup, United States Post Office
4. Romig, Walter (1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. p. 357. ISBN 0-8143-1838-X.