Editing Clearwater Township, Michigan

{{Hatnote|"Torch River, Michigan" redirects here. For the river, see [[Torch River (Michigan)]].}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Clearwater Township, Michigan
| settlement_type          = [[Civil township]]
| nickname                 = 
| motto                    = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline            = Clearwater Township (Kalkaska), MI.jpg
| imagesize                = 275
| image_caption            = Clearwater Township Hall
| image_flag               = 
| image_seal               = <!-- Maps -->
| pushpin_map              = Michigan#USA
| pushpin_label_position   = right<!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_label            = Clearwater Township
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location within the state of Michigan
| pushpin_mapsize          = 
| image_map                = Clearwater Township, MI location.png
| mapsize                  = 250
| map_caption              = Location within [[Kalkaska County, Michigan|Kalkaska County]] (red) and the administered community of [[Rapid City, Michigan|Rapid City]] (pink)

<!-- Location -->| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = United States
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[Michigan]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Michigan|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Kalkaska County, Michigan|Kalkaska]]

<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = 
| leader_title             = Supervisor
| leader_name              = Mike Gaylord
| leader_title1            = [[Municipal clerk|Clerk]]
| leader_name1             = Jule Moore
| established_title        = Organized
| established_date         = 1867

<!-- Area -->| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = 
| area_magnitude           = 
| area_total_km2           = 
| area_land_km2            = 
| area_water_km2           = 
| area_total_sq_mi         = 33.79
| area_land_sq_mi          = 31.17
| area_water_sq_mi         = 2.62

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = 
| population_total         = 2497
| population_density_km2   = 
| population_density_sq_mi = 78.4

<!-- General information -->| timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset               = -5
| timezone_DST             = EDT
| utc_offset_DST           = -4
| elevation_footnotes      = 
| elevation_m              = 198
| elevation_ft             = 650
| coordinates              = {{coord|44|49|27|N|85|17|01|W|region:US-MI|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code|ZIP code(s)]]
| postal_code              = 49612 ([[Alden, Michigan|Alden]])<br>49676 ([[Rapid City, Michigan|Rapid City]])<br>49690 ([[Williamsburg, Michigan|Williamsburg]])
| area_code                = [[Area code 231|231]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 26-16340<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 1626094<ref>{{gnis|1626094}}</ref>
| website                  = {{URL|https://www.clearwatertwp.com/|Official website}}
| footnotes                = 
}}
'''Clearwater Township''' is a [[civil township]] of [[Kalkaska County, Michigan|Kalkaska County]] in the U.S. state of [[Michigan]].  As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the township population was 2,497.

==Communities==
*'''Barker Creek''' is an [[unincorporated area|unincorporated community]] on [[M-72 (Michigan highway)|M-72]], about seven miles northwest of [[Kalkaska, Michigan|Kalkaska]] at {{Coord|44|46|49|N|85|18|48|W|}}.<ref>{{gnis|1617432|Barker Creek, Michigan}}</ref>
*'''[[Rapid City, Michigan|Rapid City]]''' is an unincorporated community and [[census-designated place]] at {{Coord|44|50|04|N|85|16|57|W|}} on the [[Rapid River (Kalkaska County, Michigan)|Rapid River]].<ref>{{gnis|635648|Rapid City, Michigan}}</ref>
*'''Torch River''' is an unincorporated community at {{Coord|44|51|04|N|85|19|26|W|}} at the south end of [[Torch Lake (Antrim County, Michigan)|Torch Lake]], where the eponymous [[Torch River (Michigan)|Torch River]] exits the lake and is joined by the Rapid River. A portion of the community is on the west side of the river in [[Milton Township, Antrim County, Michigan|Milton Township]], [[Antrim County, Michigan|Antrim County]].<ref>{{gnis|1614972|Torch River, Michigan}}</ref>

==History==
{{see also|History of Northern Michigan}}
The first permanent white settler in what is now Kalkaska County was William George Copeland, a farmer born in [[Nottinghamshire]], who located there in the fall of 1855, while it was still attached to [[Grand Traverse County, Michigan|Grand Traverse County]]. For the next twelve years, he and his wife were the only permanent white residents of the county. A dam had been built on the Barker Creek about the time Copeland moved there, but a planned mill was never built.  The next permanent resident in the township was William H. Bockes, a native of [[Medina County, Ohio]] and a [[American Civil War|Civil War]] veteran.  In June 1866, he purchased land in the township near Barker Creek. After returning to Ohio to marry his wife in October, they both returned immediately to take up residence. Another early resident in the Barker Creek area was John H.F. Letherby, born in England and moved to Canada at the age of 16. He settled in section 32 near Barker Creek in October 1866.

The township was organized in 1867.{{sfn|Romig|1986|page=43}}

In section 36 in the southeast corner of the township, a few related families originally from [[Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania|Susquehanna County]], [[Pennsylvania]], made their homes. D.P. Beebe, another Civil War veteran, was the first to arrive in the spring of 1867. Norman Ross, his father-in-law came in the summer of 1867 and became the first township supervisor when it was organized. A.C. Beebe, also a Civil War veteran, came in May 1868.

Elisha W. Clement, from [[Brantford, Ontario]] settled in section 14 in December 1867. Albert T. Kellogg, from [[Cortland County, New York]], settled in section 14 in September 1868.

Kalkaska County remained unorganized and attached first to  [[Grand Traverse County, Michigan|Grand Traverse County]] and then [[Antrim County, Michigan|Antrim County]] until an act of the Michigan Legislature of January 27, 1871. [[Rapid River Township, Michigan|Rapid River Township]] was the first township organized in the county, while it was still attached to Antrim County for administrative purposes. The township was organized in 1868 so that residents in the area would be able to vote in the presidential election without having to travel all the way to Antrim County. At that time, Rapid River Township encompassed several townships that were later separately organized. Clearwater Township was originally organized as "Round Lake" by an act of the Michigan Legislature on January 18, 1871, and was renamed Clearwater Township in January 1873. A post office with the name of "Clear Water" had been established in May 1869 and renamed "Clearwater" in December 1873.  There was also a post office at Barker Creek from February 1874 until May 1937. Barker Creek was a station on the [[Chicago and West Michigan Railway]] (now the [[Pere Marquette Railroad]]).

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the township has a total area of {{convert|33.79|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|31.17|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|2.62|sqmi|sqkm|2}} (7.75%) is water.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-24.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019111423/http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-24.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-19 |url-status=live|format=PDF |title=Michigan: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing | date = September 2012|publisher = [[United States Census Bureau]]| work = [[2010 United States Census]]| access-date = September 10, 2020|page=27 Michigan}}</ref>

[[Torch Lake (Antrim County, Michigan)|Torch Lake]] borders the northern edge of the township, and [[Lake Skegemog]] occupies a portion of the western section of the township.  [[Rapid River (Kalkaska County, Michigan)|Rapid River]] flows through the center of the township.

Clearwater Township forms the northwest corner of Kalkaska County, and is adjacent to both [[Antrim County, Michigan|Antrim]] and [[Grand Traverse County, Michigan|Grand Traverse]] counties.

=== Major highway ===

* {{jct|M|72|state=MI}} is an east-west highway in the southwest of the township, entering from the west (Grand Traverse County) and exiting to the south ([[Kalkaska Township, Michigan|Kalkaska Township]]).

==Demographics==
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 2,382 people, 944 households, and 681 families residing in the township.  The population density was {{convert|76.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 1,375 housing units at an average density of {{convert|44.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the township was 97.52% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.04% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.67% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.21% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.13% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.43% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.84% of the population.

There were 944 households, out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the township the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.3 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.3 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $37,008, and the median income for a family was $42,056. Males had a median income of $31,932 versus $20,085 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the township was $16,961.  About 5.5% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
*{{cite book |first1=Walter |last1=Romig |title=Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities |series=Great Lakes Books Series |type=Paperback  |orig-year= 1973 |date=October 1, 1986 |publisher=[[Wayne State University Press]] |isbn = 0-8143-1838-X |location=Detroit, Michigan |id={{ISBN|978-0814318386}} }}

==Further reading==
*[http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=micounty;cc=micounty;q1=Barker%20Creek;rgn=full%20text;idno=BAD0776.0001.001;didno=BAD0776.0001.001;view=image;seq=00000405 ''The Traverse region, historical and descriptive, with illustrations of scenery and portraits and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers.'']. Chicago: H. R. Page & Co., 1884. pp.&nbsp;313+

{{Kalkaska County, Michigan}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Townships in Kalkaska County, Michigan]]
[[Category:Townships in Michigan]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1867]]
[[Category:1867 establishments in Michigan]]
[[Category:Traverse City metropolitan area]]