Editing Mastodon Township, Michigan

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Mastodon Township, Michigan
| settlement_type    = [[Civil township]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = 
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| pushpin_map        = Michigan
| pushpin_label      = Mastodon Township
| pushpin_label_position = top<!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within the state of Michigan
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| image_map          = Mastodon Township, MI.png
| mapsize            = 250
| map_caption        = Location within [[Iron County, Michigan|Iron County]] (red) and the administered village of [[Alpha, Michigan|Alpha]] (pink)
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = <!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Michigan]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Michigan|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Iron County, Michigan|Iron]]

<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 350.5
| area_land_km2      = 327.9
| area_water_km2     = 22.7
| area_total_sq_mi   = 135.3
| area_land_sq_mi    = 126.6
| area_water_sq_mi   = 8.7

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = 2020
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 576
| population_density_km2 = 2.0
| population_density_sq_mi = 5.3

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset         = -6
| timezone_DST       = CDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -5
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 416
| elevation_ft       = 1365
| coordinates        = {{coord|46|2|2|N|88|19|4|W|region:US-MI|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = 
| postal_code        = 
| area_code          = 
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 26-52300<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1626708<ref>{{gnis|1626708}}</ref>
| website            = 
| footnotes          = 
}}
'''Mastodon Township''' is a [[civil township]] of [[Iron County, Michigan|Iron County]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Michigan]].  As of the [[United States 2000 Census|2000 census]], the township population was 668, and by 2020 its population was 576.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Mastodon_township,_Iron_County,_Michigan?g=060XX00US2607152300 |access-date=2023-08-04 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

Mastodon was so named from the fact [[mastodon]] bones were discovered when sinking a mine shaft.<ref>{{cite book|author=Chicago and North Western Railway Company|title=A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OspBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA100|year=1908|page=100}}</ref>

Mastodon may have also been named for the size of the large, iron ore body which was struck at the mine site; as "Mastodon" at that time, being a relatively new discovery, was also being used as a slang adjective, meaning large/huge.{{cn|date=November 2023}}

==Geography==
The [[Brule River]] forms the southern boundary of the township, with the [[Florence (town), Wisconsin|Town of Florence]] in [[Florence County, Wisconsin|Florence County]], [[Wisconsin]] on the other side of the river.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the township has a total area of {{convert|135.3|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|126.6|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|8.8|sqmi|km2}} (6.47%) is water.

=== Communities ===
*The village of [[Alpha, Michigan|Alpha]] is within the township.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Iron County, Michigan}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Townships in Iron County, Michigan]]
[[Category:Townships in Michigan]]