Chassell, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Chassell is an unincorporated community in Chassell Township
of Houghton County
in the Upper Peninsula
of the U.S. state
of Michigan
. It is located on Pike Bay at the south end of Portage Lake 47°01′42"N 88°31′30"W and is the largest community in the township.
Chassell is known for the Copper County Strawberry Festival which is always the weekend after the 4th of July
. http://www.einerlei.com/community/strawFest/home.html
. In 1867, John Chassell (1814–1883) of New York, purchased farmland from the St. Mary's Canal and Land Company where the community is now located. In 1865, Chassell was influential in raising the $160,000 capital with which the First National Bank of Houghton was founded. Chassell served as the first Cashier of the bank. He was also a founding member of a major contributor to the Houghton County Historical Society and Mining Institute.
Chassell sold his land in 1881 to Orrin W. Robinson
, manager of the Sturgeon River Lumber Company and later Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
. Robinson lived in Chassell's home until later building a new one on the same lot. The company was established in 1872 and owned large tracts of land in the area and with mill operations in Hancock
. The owners of that company also organized the Sturgeon River Boom Company in 1875, which dug a canal to bring logs from the Sturgeon to Pike Bay. To accommodate expansion, the mills and principal operations were moved from Hancock to Chassell in 1887-88. By that time, the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
had extended a line to the area with a stop at Chassell. The first post office was established there in February 1888.
On April 14, 1888, Chassell Township
was organized. The name was taken from the community, which had been named in honor of John Chassell by Robinson. The area had at first been known simply as Pike's Bay and later as Robinson. However, there was at that time another post office with the name Robinson in Ottawa County, Michigan
and postal regulations did not allow two offices with the same name in the same state.
Chassell Township, Michigan
Chassell Township is a civil township of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,822 at the 2000 census.The township was organized on April 14, 1888, and named John Chassell, a prominent businessman and farmer whose farmland became the site of the community of...
of Houghton County
Houghton County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 36,016 people, 13,793 households, and 8,137 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile . There were 17,748 housing...
in the Upper Peninsula
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is located on Pike Bay at the south end of Portage Lake 47°01′42"N 88°31′30"W and is the largest community in the township.
Chassell is known for the Copper County Strawberry Festival which is always the weekend after the 4th of July
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
. http://www.einerlei.com/community/strawFest/home.html
History
In 1855, the land that included what was to become Chassell was acquired from the state of Michigan by the St. Mary's Canal and Land Company. In 1863, Francis Jacker built one of the first buildings in the area, a log cabin close to the mouth of the Sturgeon RiverSturgeon River (Michigan)
Sturgeon River may refer to any of the following streams in the U.S. state of Michigan:* Sturgeon River — The Sturgeon River rises as outflow of Sixteenmile Lake in Alger County at and flows primarily southward into the Big Bay de Noc at .** The West Branch Sturgeon River rises at and flows...
. In 1867, John Chassell (1814–1883) of New York, purchased farmland from the St. Mary's Canal and Land Company where the community is now located. In 1865, Chassell was influential in raising the $160,000 capital with which the First National Bank of Houghton was founded. Chassell served as the first Cashier of the bank. He was also a founding member of a major contributor to the Houghton County Historical Society and Mining Institute.
Chassell sold his land in 1881 to Orrin W. Robinson
Orrin W. Robinson
Orrin Williams Robinson was a politician and businessman from the U.S. state of Michigan. He ran a successful logging operation in the Upper Peninsula and was elected to serve in both houses of the Michigan Legislature and two terms as the 31st Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, from 1899 to...
, manager of the Sturgeon River Lumber Company and later Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
The Lieutenant Governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state of Michigan, behind the governor, and one of four great offices of state...
. Robinson lived in Chassell's home until later building a new one on the same lot. The company was established in 1872 and owned large tracts of land in the area and with mill operations in Hancock
Hancock, Michigan
Hancock is a city in Houghton County; the northernmost in the U.S. state of Michigan, located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, or, depending on terminology, Copper Island. The population was 4,634 at the 2010 census...
. The owners of that company also organized the Sturgeon River Boom Company in 1875, which dug a canal to bring logs from the Sturgeon to Pike Bay. To accommodate expansion, the mills and principal operations were moved from Hancock to Chassell in 1887-88. By that time, the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, westward through Marquette, Michigan to Superior, Wisconsin,...
had extended a line to the area with a stop at Chassell. The first post office was established there in February 1888.
On April 14, 1888, Chassell Township
Chassell Township, Michigan
Chassell Township is a civil township of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,822 at the 2000 census.The township was organized on April 14, 1888, and named John Chassell, a prominent businessman and farmer whose farmland became the site of the community of...
was organized. The name was taken from the community, which had been named in honor of John Chassell by Robinson. The area had at first been known simply as Pike's Bay and later as Robinson. However, there was at that time another post office with the name Robinson in Ottawa County, Michigan
Ottawa County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 238,314 people, 81,662 households, and 61,328 families residing in the county. The population density was 421 people per square mile . There were 86,856 housing units at an average density of 154 per square mile...
and postal regulations did not allow two offices with the same name in the same state.