Banat, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Banat is a community in Menominee County, Michigan
and home to Holmes Township
's Township Hall. Banat was named after the Banat
(then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire) by Romanian
immigrants who came to the area in the early 20th century. It was first settled in 1909. At Banat's peak, it had a two-room schoolhouse, church, cemetery, bus garage, township hall, and a tavern and general store with gas station, as well as a railroad station. The original industry was farming, though this was largely abandoned by the mid-twentieth century due to poor soil
and climate
conditions. The permanent population dwindled during the latter half of the twentieth century. The school house was closed and sold in the 1960s and is now a private cottage. The church was closed and demolished in the mid-1980s. The bus garage was sold off along with the school house and was eventually demolished sometime around 2000 to make way for a mini-storage facility. The tavern, general store
and gas station were closed and demolished following the death of the last owner, Mr. Hirsch.
There is still a small permanent population, but many former residences are now used recreationally. Outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing are now the primary activities in the area; there is also a cross country
course that opened in the late 1990s. A rental lodge, which recently opened, and a mini-storage facility, built on the site of the former bus garage, are the only apparent businesses within the traditional borders of Banat. With climate change, and the rising price of crops such as soy and corn, there has been a recent resurgence of crop farming in just the past few years, and there is at least one active cattle farm in the area.
With the decline in farming, environmental protection laws of the 1970s, and wildlife reintroduction
programs, wildlife has made a remarkable comeback in the area. By the 1970s there were no bald eagle
s and very few black bear
. There are now many nesting pair of eagles in the area and a healthy bear population, as well as improvements in many other avian and small mammal populations.
directly west of the current cemetery across Cemetery Road/S-2 Road.
For purposes of dating the abandonment of the cemetery, note that the third image contains objects made of plastic (the white cross) and another artificial material that resembles rayon (the flowers). The two top portions of Mathias' grave marker (image 2) were placed back onto the marker in 1987 by the individual who took the photograph in 2006.
Menominee County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 25,326 people, 10,529 households, and 7,001 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile . There were 13,639 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
and home to Holmes Township
Holmes Township, Michigan
Holmes Township is a civil township of Menominee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 296 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Demographics:As of the census...
's Township Hall. Banat was named after the Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
(then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire) by Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
immigrants who came to the area in the early 20th century. It was first settled in 1909. At Banat's peak, it had a two-room schoolhouse, church, cemetery, bus garage, township hall, and a tavern and general store with gas station, as well as a railroad station. The original industry was farming, though this was largely abandoned by the mid-twentieth century due to poor soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
and climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
conditions. The permanent population dwindled during the latter half of the twentieth century. The school house was closed and sold in the 1960s and is now a private cottage. The church was closed and demolished in the mid-1980s. The bus garage was sold off along with the school house and was eventually demolished sometime around 2000 to make way for a mini-storage facility. The tavern, general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
and gas station were closed and demolished following the death of the last owner, Mr. Hirsch.
There is still a small permanent population, but many former residences are now used recreationally. Outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing are now the primary activities in the area; there is also a cross country
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
course that opened in the late 1990s. A rental lodge, which recently opened, and a mini-storage facility, built on the site of the former bus garage, are the only apparent businesses within the traditional borders of Banat. With climate change, and the rising price of crops such as soy and corn, there has been a recent resurgence of crop farming in just the past few years, and there is at least one active cattle farm in the area.
With the decline in farming, environmental protection laws of the 1970s, and wildlife reintroduction
Reintroduction
Reintroduction is the deliberate release of a species into the wild in zones formerly inhabited by said species but where it has disappeared from for a number of reasons, from captivity or relocated from other areas where the species still survives in...
programs, wildlife has made a remarkable comeback in the area. By the 1970s there were no bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
s and very few black bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
. There are now many nesting pair of eagles in the area and a healthy bear population, as well as improvements in many other avian and small mammal populations.
Places of interest
There is an abandoned cemeteryCemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
directly west of the current cemetery across Cemetery Road/S-2 Road.
For purposes of dating the abandonment of the cemetery, note that the third image contains objects made of plastic (the white cross) and another artificial material that resembles rayon (the flowers). The two top portions of Mathias' grave marker (image 2) were placed back onto the marker in 1987 by the individual who took the photograph in 2006.