4 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 19 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1956 on and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1868.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Onekama Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Onekama Township is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Onekama 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 Onekama Township’s 242 sits above most of its state (97% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 33 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1845.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.5 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). 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 Onekama Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The predecessor of the village of Onekama was the settlement of Portage at Portage Point, first established in 1845, at the western end of Portage Lake, at the outlet of Portage Creek. In 1871, when landowners around the land-locked lake became exasperated with the practices of the Portage Sawmill, they took the solution into their own hands and dug a channel through the narrow isthmus, opening a waterway that lowered the lake by 12 to 14 feet (3.7 to 4.3 m) and brought it to the same level as Lake Michigan. When this action dried out Portage Creek on May 14, 1871, the settlement, which had only the week before been designated as "Onekama" with a post office under that name, moved to the previously submerged land at the northeastern shore of the lake near an earlier settlement called "Brookfield".
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Onekama Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1956Onekama 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 Onekama Township.
On the National Register
4 listings protect 33 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
In 1845, according to Wikidata. Onekama Township’s post office opened in 1868, and the census of 1900 counted 274 people here.
How does Onekama Township rank for history?
Onekama Township is more historic than 90% 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.
What is on the National Register in Onekama Township?
4 listings: 1 building, among them the Portage Point Inn Complex (listed 1985, the first), 2 historic districts, the Sandenburgh-Rogers Summer Resort Complex and the Camp Tosebo, with 19 contributing buildings, and 1 object. 33 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Onekama Township?
19% of Onekama Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.5 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
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