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History · Copemish

Copemish dates to 1889, and 21% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1957 on and the census since 1900.

1889founded
0on the National Register
21%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Copemish began

When was Copemish founded?

1889

Copemish dates its founding to 1889 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 429 in 19002020 census: 195137 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1890.The full story ↓

What stands out about Copemish’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 Copemish are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Copemish’s homes were built before 1949.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Copemish’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Copemish’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

How Copemish came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Copemish.

Read it all →

Copemish was platted in 1889. It was incorporated as a village in 1891. It had previously been used as a site to hold councils by the Ojibwe people.

From the 1940s into the early 1970s, it was the center of a thriving pickling community with multiple large-label pickle producers in the area. Since then, farming has become more localized, and the region's economy centers on Crystal Mountain, a luxury resort 4 miles (6 km) to the northwest.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Copemish, decade by decade

Today2 recent
St. Raphael-Copemish2021St. Raphael-CopemishMIMap-doton-Copernish2005MIMap-doton-Copernish
On the map

Copemish on the map, 1957 to 1987

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

Copemish on the 1957 USGS mapCopemish on the 1987 USGS map1957Copemish 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 Copemish.

People over time

Copemish, census by census

01002003004005001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 490

Between 194 and 490 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Copemish

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

See all →
James D. HittleAmerican military officer · b. 1915
Dora Hall StockmanAmerican writer and lecturer · b. 1872

Questions about Copemish’s history

What year was Copemish founded?

In 1889, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Copemish’s post office opened in 1890, and the census of 1900 counted 429 people here.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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 (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.