Nunica, Michigan

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Coordinates: 43°04′47″N 86°04′02″W / 43.07972°N 86.06722°W / 43.07972; -86.06722
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Nunica, Michigan
UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code616
GNIS feature ID633785[2]

Nunica is an

Polkton Township to the east.[4]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
2020351—
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

History

The Nunica vicinity has been inhabited by the Ottawa Native Americans for centuries. The name means "clay earth".

The first European explorers in the Ottawa County region were the French-Canadian explorers

Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquette who passed through the region in the mid 17th century. European settlement in the area proceeded slowly until the mid-19th century, when zinc was discovered in nearby Crockery Creek in 1858.[6] In 1872, the town of Nunica was officially incorporated,[clarification needed] the name taken from the Ottawa word for zinc. The 1880 census showed approximately 1,000 settlers in the region.[6]

Nunica experienced rapid growth in population in the early 20th century as settlers came to the region to mine zinc and farm. The settlement process was aided by the Grand Haven–Detroit branch of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad on which Nunica was an important stop. The 1920 census shows Nunica at the peak of its population, with 8,000 citizens.

By 1924 the zinc ore in the region had been completely exhausted. Coupled with a particularly severe influenza outbreak in 1927 that claimed the lives of nearly 800 people from the town, the population of Nunica declined. The 1930 census shows the population of Nunica as 5,000.

In 1935 nearly one-third of Nunica was destroyed by fire, in what became known locally as the great Nunica fire. It is speculated that the fire began when the Nunica train station was struck by lightning.[7] In either case, the train station that had served as the main source of livelihood for the town was completely destroyed, along with such forgotten landmarks as the Nunica Conservatory for Music and other Fine Arts and the Nunica casino. None of these landmarks were ever rebuilt. In addition, nearly 150 acres (0.61 km2) of farmland were completely destroyed.[6]

Since the train station was never rebuilt, Nunica never recovered from the devastating fire and the population went into freefall. By 1950 there were only 1,000 citizens in the greater Nunica area. In 1957 the town was unincorporated. The current population of Nunica is estimated at 400.[6]

A new highway has been built near the Nunica area just off

two-lane freeway so it can relieve traffic congestion at the U.S. Highway 31 drawbridge in Grand Haven
. This highway was completed on October 30, 2015.

Highways

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Nunica, Michigan
  3. ISBN 0-8143-1838-X.[page needed
    ]
  4. ^ 49448 5-Digit ZCTA, 494 3-Digit ZCTA - Reference Map - American FactFinder[permanent dead link], U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 census
  5. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d Barnes, 1997
  7. ^ Barnes, 1997, p. 35.

Works cited

  • Barnes, Elizabeth. (1997). Boom and Bust: A Brief Oral History of Nunica, Grand Rapids: Kent Publishing House.
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