On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Kawkawlin Township is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns, #407 of 701 in Michigan. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Kawkawlin Township’s overall grade.
Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Kawkawlin Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (32% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.1 points).
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Kawkawlin Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Brissette BeachLinwood BeachThree Churches CornerWhite Birch Village Mobile Home Park
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Kawkawlin Township
Apostolic ChristianHeavenly RestKawkawlin Calvary
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Kawkawlin Township on the map, 1916 to 1973
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Kawkawlin Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1916Bay City 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 Kawkawlin Township.
The Kawkawlin Post Office opened on March 6, 1868 in Kawkawlin and has been in operation ever since.
On January 16, 1897, A post office, Colfax Post Office, opened in the township at Mackinaw Road and Salzburg Road. On May 15, 1900, the Colfax Post Office was closed down for the first time. The Post Office name Colfax was reopened on May 29, 1900 and lasting until May 15, 1901.
Kawkawlin Township is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns, #407 of 701 in Michigan. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Kawkawlin Township?
18% of Kawkawlin Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.1 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1973.
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).
From Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
