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History · K. I. Sawyer

K. I. Sawyer dates to 1944

Most of K. I. Sawyer was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1964. Below: maps from 1932 on and the census since 1970.

1944founded
0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
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Photo: United States Air Force · Public domain
Quick answers

How K. I. Sawyer began

When was K. I. Sawyer founded?

1944

K. I. Sawyer dates its founding to 1944 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1970.

First census: 6,679 in 19702020 census: 3,06482 years
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓

What stands out about K. I. Sawyer’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 K. I. Sawyer are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1980 and 2000, then more than doubled.Old housesHalf of K. I. Sawyer’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start K. I. Sawyer’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how K. I. Sawyer’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

K. I. Sawyer, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,0001980200020207,345 in 1980Low: 1,443

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1980 and 2000, then more than doubled.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

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

The story

How K. I. Sawyer came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of K. I. Sawyer.

Read it all →

The origins of K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base begin in the mid-1930s when Kenneth Ingalls Sawyer (1884–1944), a civil engineer and Marquette County road commissioner, desired to build an airport which would aid the development of the Marquette area. The one factor which most likely influenced the establishment and final location of the airport was the growing mining industry in the local area. As the demand for iron ore increased, the need for travel increased. By 1937, air service became a necessity, and a county airport was built in Negaunee Township.

ChaptersK. I. Sawyer AirportK. I. Sawyer Air Force BaseClosureLegacyPrevious namesMajor commands to which assignedMajor units assigned

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

K. I. Sawyer, 1932 to 1980

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1932On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1944
    FoundingK. I. Sawyer is established
  4. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 7,345
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.

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On the map

K. I. Sawyer on the map, 1932 to 1985

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

K. I. Sawyer on the 1932 USGS mapK. I. Sawyer on the 1952 USGS mapK. I. Sawyer on the 1985 USGS map1932Harvey SE sheet · 1:31,680

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

Famous people

Famous people close to K. I. Sawyer

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

See all →
Glenn Theodore SeaborgAmerican chemist · b. 1912
Kelly JohnsonAmerican aerospace engineer · b. 1910
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

Questions about K. I. Sawyer’s history

What year was K. I. Sawyer founded?

In 1944, according to Wikidata. the census of 1970 counted 6,679 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 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.