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History · Backus Township

Half of Backus Township’s homes were built after 1979

Most of Backus Township was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: maps from 1963 on.

0on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Backus Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Backus Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Backus Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Backus Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Backus Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Backus Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Backus Township is a civil township of Roscommon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 294 at the 2020 census.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 330 to 294 (-11%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Backus Township, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Denton Creek (Roscommon County, Michigan)2020Denton Creek (Roscommon County, Michigan)Backus Township Hall, Michigan2019Backus Township Hall, MichiganBackusTownshipRoscommonMI2009BackusTownshipRoscommonMI
On the map

Backus Township on the map in 1963

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Backus Township.

Backus Township on the 1963 USGS map1963Backus Lake sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Backus Township.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Higgins TownshipIts storyDDenton TownshipIts storyC−Richfield TownshipIts storyDNester Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Backus Township’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3) and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.