Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1868.
History grade
What drives Schoolcraft Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Schoolcraft Township is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Schoolcraft 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 Schoolcraft Township’s 439 sits above most of its state (98% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 95 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1866.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.9 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Schoolcraft Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
The story so far
Schoolcraft Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Schoolcraft Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Schoolcraft Township is a civil township of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township had a population of 1,992. The township was organized in 1866.
Schoolcraft Township was established in 1866. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,839 to 1,992 (+8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Schoolcraft Township, 1866 to 1954
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 Schoolcraft Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1954Rice Lake sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Schoolcraft Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Schoolcraft Township
Nobody well known was born in Schoolcraft Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
In 1866, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Schoolcraft Township’s post office opened in 1868.
How does Schoolcraft Township rank for history?
Schoolcraft Township is more historic than 87% 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 Schoolcraft Township?
4 listings: 2 buildings and 2 historic districts, the Big Traverse Bay Historic District and the Lake Linden Historic District, with 93 contributing buildings. 95 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Schoolcraft Township?
39% of Schoolcraft Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1957.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.
