Gay, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Gay is an unincorporated community in Keweenaw County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. It is 12 miles from Lake Linden
on Copper Island
at the western end of the Upper Peninsula
. Local government is provided by Sherman Township
. As of 2000, its population is 60.
The Mohawk Mining Company built a stamp mill
in Gay in 1898. The residual stamp sand
dumped into Lake Superior increased the town's area greatly. Today, only the large smokestack and the ruins from the stamp mill still remain.
Gay is locally celebrated for its annual 4th of July parade. The "Gay Parade" as is it is referred to locally, attracts several times the towns population.
The town was named after its founder, Joseph E. Gay.
Keweenaw County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,301 people, 998 households, and 604 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile . There were 2,327 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is 12 miles from Lake Linden
Lake Linden, Michigan
Lake Linden is a village in Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,081 at the 2000 census. The village is mostly within Schoolcraft Township, though a tiny portion lies in Torch Lake Township.-History:...
on Copper Island
Copper Island
Copper Island is a local name given to the northern part of the Keweenaw Peninsula , separated from the rest of the Keweenaw Peninsula by Portage Lake and the Keweenaw Waterway.- Geography :The area was "isolated" by dredging in 1859 and construction in the...
at the western end of the Upper Peninsula
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
. Local government is provided by Sherman Township
Sherman Township, Keweenaw County, Michigan
Sherman Township is a civil township of Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 60.- Communities :* Gay is an unincorporated community in the township, post office Lake Linden....
. As of 2000, its population is 60.
The Mohawk Mining Company built a stamp mill
Stamp mill
A stamp mill is a type of mill machine that crushes material by pounding rather than grinding, either for further processing or for extraction of metallic ores. Breaking material down is a type of unit operation....
in Gay in 1898. The residual stamp sand
Stamp sand
Stamp sand is a coarse sand left over from the processing of ore in a stamp mill. In the United States, the most well-known deposits of stamp sand are in the Copper Country of northern Michigan, where it is black or dark grey, and may contain hazardous concentrations of trace metals.In the 19th...
dumped into Lake Superior increased the town's area greatly. Today, only the large smokestack and the ruins from the stamp mill still remain.
Gay is locally celebrated for its annual 4th of July parade. The "Gay Parade" as is it is referred to locally, attracts several times the towns population.
The town was named after its founder, Joseph E. Gay.