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History · Chatham

Chatham dates to 1896, and 21% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1958 on and the census since 1970.

1896founded
0on the National Register
21%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Chatham began, and where its name came from

When was Chatham founded?

1896

Chatham dates its founding to 1896 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1970.

First census: 246 in 19702020 census: 193130 years

How did Chatham get its name?

Chatham was named after Chatham, Ontario, Canada, the town where the lumber company Sutherland Innis was headquartered.

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1897. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Chatham’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 Chatham are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 315 in 1980; 193 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Chatham’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Chatham’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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People over time

Chatham, census by census

0100200300198020002020Peak: 315

Peaked at 315 in 1980; 193 people lived here in 2020.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Chatham’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Chatham came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Chatham.

Read it all →

The first settler came to Chatham in 1896, when the Munising Railway Company (later Lake Superior and Ishpeming) established a line through the town. The railroad company, along with the lumber company Sutherland Innis, platted a village where the railroad intersected the township road.

Logging was the major economic activity in the area throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with Sutherland Innis, Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, Northwestern Cooperage and Lumber Company (Buckeye Company) and T.G. Sullivan having camps scattered throughout the area.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Chatham, 1896 to 1980

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1896
    FoundingChatham is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1958On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 315
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Chatham on the map, 1958 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Chatham. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Chatham on the 1958 USGS mapChatham on the 1985 USGS map1958Au Train sheet · 1:62,500

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Chatham

Nobody well known was born in Chatham itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Sallie W. ChisholmAmerican oceanographer, marine biologist · b. 1947
J
John LautnerAmerican architect · b. 1911
W
Weldon OlsonAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1932
Alfred V. KidderAmerican archaeologist · b. 1885
M
Mary SteinAmerican actress · b. 1968
Roy A. YoungAmerican businessman · b. 1882

Questions about Chatham’s history

What year was Chatham founded?

In 1896, according to Wikidata. Chatham’s post office opened in 1897, and the census of 1970 counted 246 people here.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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 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.