The story
Read it all →How Big Bay came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Big Bay.
Big Bay was established in 1875 by people involved in the lumber industry.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Big Bay
Big Bay’s post office opened in 1902, and 21% of its homes were built before 1940
1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1954 on, and the census since 2000.
1902first post office
1on the National Register
21%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Quick answers
How Big Bay began
When was Big Bay founded?
1902
The Big Bay post office opened in 1902, the earliest record of the town by name.
First census: 265 in 20002020 census: 257124 years
Founding year: the first Big Bay post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
What stands out about Big Bay’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Big Bay’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Big Bay’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.By decade
Big Bay, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
1970s1 item
19761980s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your albumToday1 recent
2018On the map
Big Bay on the map, 1954 to 1985
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Big Bay. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1954Big Bay sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Big Bay.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewBig Bay Michigan aerial view, 1976
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Big Bay’s page.
Retake this view · +15On the National Register
1 listing protects 6 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
6
each building in a district counts
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Big Bay, census by census
Between 257 and 319 people in every census since 2000.
3 censuses, 2000–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Big Bay’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Big Bay
Nobody well known was born in Big Bay itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Big Bay’s history
What year was Big Bay founded?
The Big Bay post office opened in 1902, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
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 (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.