Gwinn, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Gwinn is an unincorporated community in Marquette County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. The community is in Forsyth Township
at 46°16′52"N 87°26′27"W on M-35
near the forks of the east and middle branches of the Escanaba River
. Gwinn is a census-designated place
(CDP) for statistical purposes, and the CDP includes the nearby communities of Austin to the west and New Swanzy to the east. The population of the CDP was 1,965 at the 2000 census. The Gwinn ZIP code
is 49841 and serves a much larger area, including most of Forsyth Township, as well as portions of Turin Township
to the east, Wells
and Ewing
townships to the south, Tilden Township
to the west, Richmond
, Sands
, West Branch
, and Chocolay townships to the north.
to design a residential community to support the mining operations. Mather named the community after his mother Elizabeth Lucy Gwinn. Streets were laid out and ground was broken for the first houses in 1907. Construction was primarily carried out between then and 1915. Manning emphasized Gwinn’s connection to the surrounding environment by preserving many of the existing trees and planting new ones. Eventually, over 8 percent of the cost of the town's construction was allocated to outdoor improvements.
The community became known as a "Model Town", a trace of which remains in the name for the local high school sports teams: the "Modeltowners". It received a Post Office in 1908. Although it began as a company town, the direct involvement of Cleveland-Cliffs in the affairs of the Gwinn gradually decreased, and by the Great Depression
the company had no hand in the operation of the town. Cleveland-Cliffs began divesting itself of real estate in the town, and by 1946 had sold the last of the houses it owned. The nearby Austin Mine was also operated by Cleveland-Cliffs, which developed the Austin community in 1911 to provide residences for miners and their families. Similarly, New Swanzy took its name from the Swanzy Iron Company, formed in 1883. The original Swanzy, located further to the northeast in Forsyth Township, was the site of the Escanaba River Land & Iron Company. Swanzy was a station on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad and had a post office from October 1889 until December 1905.
On June 24, 2002, Gwinn was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
as the "Gwinn Model Town Historic District, Forsyth Township, Marquette County, Michigan". The historic district encompasses the sections of Gwinn that were platted during the time Cleveland Cliffs was involved in the town's affairs. Although the original Manning Plan for the town was never fully implemented, the section of town that was platted remains faithful to the Manning plan.
, the CDP has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.2 km²), all land.
of 2000, there were 1,965 people, 851 households, and 584 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 386.5 per square mile (149.3/km²). There were 1,035 housing units at an average density of 203.6 per square mile (78.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.86% White, 0.92% African American, 1.48% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 0.36% from other races
, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.
There were 851 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples
living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,772, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $35,962 versus $18,929 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $16,511. About 12.0% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.4% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.
Marquette County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Hiawatha National Forest * Huron National Wildlife Refuge* Ottawa National Forest -University:Northern Michigan University is a four-year university, established in 1899, located in Marquette, Michigan, on Michigan's Upper Peninsula...
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"....
. The community is in Forsyth Township
Forsyth Township, Michigan
Forsyth Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,824 at the 2000 census. Forsyth Township is one of the few townships in the Upper Peninsula that has its own police department. Forsyth Township is larger than the City of Detroit in land...
at 46°16′52"N 87°26′27"W on M-35
M-35 (Michigan highway)
M-35 is a state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. Running for in a general north–south direction, it connects the cities of Menominee, Escanaba and Negaunee. The southern section of M-35 in Menominee and Delta counties carries two additional designations...
near the forks of the east and middle branches of the Escanaba River
Escanaba River
The Escanaba River is a river in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan.In his poem The Song of Hiawatha, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow describes how Hiawatha "crossed the rushing Esconaba". It is a wide river that cuts into limestone beds...
. Gwinn is a census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) for statistical purposes, and the CDP includes the nearby communities of Austin to the west and New Swanzy to the east. The population of the CDP was 1,965 at the 2000 census. The Gwinn ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 49841 and serves a much larger area, including most of Forsyth Township, as well as portions of Turin Township
Turin Township, Michigan
Turin Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 131.- Communities :* McFarland is an unincorporated community on M-35 near the boundary with Delta County at...
to the east, Wells
Wells Township, Michigan
Wells Township may refer to places in the U.S. state of Michigan:*Wells Township, Delta County, Michigan*Wells Township, Marquette County, Michigan*Wells Township, Tuscola County, MichiganWells may refer to...
and Ewing
Ewing Township, Michigan
Ewing Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 159.-Geography:...
townships to the south, Tilden Township
Tilden Township, Michigan
Tilden Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,003 at the 2000 census.-Communities:*National Mine is an unincorporated community in the township, located just south of the city of Ishpeming....
to the west, Richmond
Richmond Township, Marquette County, Michigan
Richmond Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 974 at the 2000 census. Palmer and the Empire iron mine are located in the township.-Geography:...
, Sands
Sands Township, Michigan
Sands Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,127 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, West Branch
West Branch Township, Marquette County, Michigan
West Branch Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,648 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, and Chocolay townships to the north.
History
The area was acquired by the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company (CCI) in 1902, who opened the Gwinn Mine in 1905. In 1906, the president of CCI, William Gwinn Mather, commissioned the well-known Boston landscape designer, Warren H. ManningWarren H. Manning
Warren Henry Manning was an influential American landscape designer and promoter of the informal and naturalistic “wild garden” approach to garden design...
to design a residential community to support the mining operations. Mather named the community after his mother Elizabeth Lucy Gwinn. Streets were laid out and ground was broken for the first houses in 1907. Construction was primarily carried out between then and 1915. Manning emphasized Gwinn’s connection to the surrounding environment by preserving many of the existing trees and planting new ones. Eventually, over 8 percent of the cost of the town's construction was allocated to outdoor improvements.
The community became known as a "Model Town", a trace of which remains in the name for the local high school sports teams: the "Modeltowners". It received a Post Office in 1908. Although it began as a company town, the direct involvement of Cleveland-Cliffs in the affairs of the Gwinn gradually decreased, and by the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
the company had no hand in the operation of the town. Cleveland-Cliffs began divesting itself of real estate in the town, and by 1946 had sold the last of the houses it owned. The nearby Austin Mine was also operated by Cleveland-Cliffs, which developed the Austin community in 1911 to provide residences for miners and their families. Similarly, New Swanzy took its name from the Swanzy Iron Company, formed in 1883. The original Swanzy, located further to the northeast in Forsyth Township, was the site of the Escanaba River Land & Iron Company. Swanzy was a station on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad and had a post office from October 1889 until December 1905.
On June 24, 2002, Gwinn was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as the "Gwinn Model Town Historic District, Forsyth Township, Marquette County, Michigan". The historic district encompasses the sections of Gwinn that were platted during the time Cleveland Cliffs was involved in the town's affairs. Although the original Manning Plan for the town was never fully implemented, the section of town that was platted remains faithful to the Manning plan.
Renovation
Recently Gwinn has experienced a boom of renovation and restoration taking place in the downtown area. Using federal funds the city has been beautified. Additional community funding has paid for the Community Clubhouse to have a complete exterior masonry restoration.Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.2 km²), all land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,965 people, 851 households, and 584 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 386.5 per square mile (149.3/km²). There were 1,035 housing units at an average density of 203.6 per square mile (78.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.86% White, 0.92% African American, 1.48% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 0.36% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.
There were 851 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,772, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $35,962 versus $18,929 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $16,511. About 12.0% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.4% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.