On its age, its old homes and the National Register, McKinley Township is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of McKinley 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 McKinley 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 (±6.9 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 McKinley Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Ely
1879–1908
Pellston
1882–today
Levering
1883–today
Egleston
1898–1898
Van
1898–1933
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
LeveringPellstonVan
Gone or out of use
Ely Post Officepost officePellston StationlocaleVan Post Officepost officeVan Stationlocale
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside McKinley Township
McKinley TownshipSaint Clement Catholic
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
McKinley Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of McKinley Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
McKinley Township is a civil township of Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,294 at the 2020 census. McKinley Township is home to Pellston Regional Airport.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,297 in 2010, 1,294 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
McKinley Township, 1879 to 1958
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of McKinley Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1958Pellston 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 McKinley Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to McKinley Township
Nobody well known was born in McKinley Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
McKinley Township is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns. 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 McKinley Township?
15% of McKinley Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.9 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1990.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.
