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Delta County, Michigan

82 topographic sheets cover 57 settlements here, and 15 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

15 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Michigan within the United States
Delta County within Michigan

What the record shows

  • 534 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 15 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 6 buildings, 5 structures and 4 districts.
  • 3 of the 15 listings were added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 57 populated places in this county; 57 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

15

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Bay de Noquet Lumber Company Waste Burnerstructure201111000177
Camp Delta-Delta Resortdistrict2017100000935
Carnegie Public Librarybuilding197777000712
County Road I-39- Rapid River Bridgestructure199999001511
Delta Hotelbuilding199898000350
Escanaba Central Historic Districtdistrict201414000123
Fayettedistrict197070000269
Fayette (Boundary Increase)district199696001480
Minneapolis Shoal Light Stationstructure200606001025
Nahma and Northern Railway Locomotive #5structure200706001327
Peninsula Point Lighthousebuilding197575000941
Poverty Island Light Stationstructure200505000984
Richter Brewerybuilding200909000202
Sand Lighthousebuilding199797001474
St. Martin Island Light Stationbuilding198484001387

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

332 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 332 of them, burning about 1,363 acres. 22 started naturally and 13 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning106
Missing data/not specified/undetermined87
Equipment and vehicle use30
Natural22
Railroad operations and maintenance19
Misuse of fire by a minor16
Recreation and ceremony15
Arson/incendiarism13
Power generation/transmission/distribution9
Smoking6
Other causes5
Fireworks4

The five largest, by the area the report gives. One of them was set deliberately.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
30 June 2016Natural127 acresMichigan AgencyPOVERTY ISLAND
4 August 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined90 acresHiawatha National ForestSTONINGTON
17 April 1994Misuse of fire by a minor84 acresMichigan Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
30 April 2003Debris and open burning45 acresMichigan Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
2 August 1998Arson/incendiarism45 acresHiawatha National ForestSLASH PILE
31 May 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined41 acresMichigan Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
20 April 2002Fireworks41 acresMichigan Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
6 May 1992Debris and open burning40 acresHiawatha National Forestnot named

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1957 to 2026

60 of 271 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 271 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 5 injuries and about $4,994,700 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind126
Hail89
Heavy Rain23
Tornado11
Funnel Cloud7
Flood6
Flash Flood6
Lightning3

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 1992Tornado (F2)not stated2 hurt, $2,500,000no account filed
May 1998Thunderstorm WindCornell2 hurt, $400,000no account filed
July 1972Tornado (F2)not stated1 hurt, $250,000no account filed
April 2026FloodFord River$550,000County emergency management reported Delta County Airport closed on the 13th due to water over the runways. Power was cut to the VOR facility and water was at least 3 feet deep. At least 4 roads in the city of Escanaba were closed on the 13th. In Rapid River, water over the road closed the US-41 and US-2 intersection. A culvert washout closed County Road 503 in Bay De Noc Township from the 16th to the 17th. Water over the road on County Road 497/GG in Nahma caused the road to be closed from the 17th to the 27th. Drone footage along the Ford River provided by the emergency manager highlighted multiple structures threated, surrounded, or inundated by high water. County emergency manager estimates private property damages around 300 Thousand $USD and the public damages at approximately 250 Thousand $USD.
October 1997Thunderstorm WindRock$300,000no account filed
August 2020Tornado (EF1)Pine Ridge$150,000An unusual low-topped supercell with no lightning produced a brief spin-up of an EF-1 tornado west of Escanaba. The rotating wall cloud and lowering funnel were observed by travelers on Highway US-2 as the tornado initially touched down near Pete's Pick and Pull Auto Parts snapping and knocking down several trees and utility poles. A couple of trees fell on one residence in this vicinity. The tornado then crossed US-2 moving northeastward as it caused extensive damage to to several storage units at Pine Ridge Storage. The tornado continued northeastward into a wooded area where hundreds of trees were snapped and uprooted. As the thunderstorm collapsed the damage evolved into downburst wind damage at the end of its path. The tornado only lasted two minutes.
May 2025LightningEscanaba$100,000Escanaba Public Safety investigator confirmed a lightning strike started a fire causing severe damage at the Bonifas Arts Center and Theater. The theater suffered heavy fire and water damage, with an estimated 6 to 9 months of closure. The arts center was closed for approximately two months.
July 2021LightningEscanaba$100,000The Delta County Sherriff's Department reported two structures fires and a tree fire in Escanaba as a result of lightning strikes. It took over three and a half hours for firefighters to extinguish the first fire which occurred in the attic of a house at 514 South 12th Street. A man and his dog were rescued from one of the apartments at this residence. Fire fighter fatigue was reported to be a major difficulty at this fire due to the heat and humidity, and one firefighter sustained a minor injury while fighting the blaze. Escanaba Public Safety was assisted on the scene by Delta County Central Dispatch, the Escanaba Township and Ford River Township fire departments, Gladstone Public Safety Volunteer Fire Fighters, MSP 84, the Delta County Sheriff's Department, Rampart EMS, DTE, Escanaba City Electric and the Red Cross. ||While responding to the fire on South 12th Street, firefighters had to extinguish a tree fire and a second structure fire at an abandoned residence on 1612 North 20th Street.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindRock$100,000There was a delayed report via social media of damaging thunderstorm winds in the town of Rock. Two barns, two large greenhouses and a transformer were destroyed, and several vehicles were also damaged. Hundreds of large trees were downed with diameters estimated to range between eight inches to a foot. Several power lines were down causing power outages in the Rock area. The time of the report was estimated from radar.
April 2014FloodChandler$85,000A brief warm spell following a record cold winter resulted in an unusually significant ice break up on Delta County streams and tributaries on the 11th. The unusually thick ice chunks resulted in several ice jams along the Tecoosh, Rapid, and Escanaba Rivers with the most significant along the Escanaba River north of Dam #3.||Water backing up behind an ice jam along the Tecoosh River near the town of Rapid River threatened a house but the Road Commission used heavy equipment to break up the dam and alleviate the pool of water behind it.||Another ice jam formed at the US2 bridge over Rapid River resulting in some backwater flooding and 2 lanes of US2 being closed for a time. An auto repair shop and cottage experienced minor flooding. Damage estimates were around $10K.||The most significant ice jam occurred along the Escanaba River between Boney Falls Dam and Dam #3. Water backed up rapidly behind the jam and surrounded a few houses and summer camps. Damage estimates due to flooded vehicles, trailers, out buildings, and basement flooding were around $75K.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindEscanaba$75,000Strong winds uprooted several trees in and northwest of Escanaba, damaging roofs and windows.
April 2023FloodMasonville$30,000Michigan DOT reported snowmelt flood water over US Highway 41 between 27.75 and US Highway 2 near Rapid River on the 13th. Flooding was also reported along the Sturgeon River near Nahma Junction from the 15th through the 23rd.
August 2020LightningFlat Rock$30,000A barn near Hyde in Delta County was struck by lightning during a thunderstorm and set on fire. The fire caused extensive damage to the second story.
June 1998Tornado (F1)Escanaba$25,000A tornado touched down at the intersection of County Road 414 and 533 northwest of Escanaba. The storm damaged the siding and roof of a house under construction. Fiberglass insulation was blown in a random manner and a cover to a hot tub was blown against the side of a tree. Approximately one half mile east, was a storage shed that had collasped and a pole barn with a door blown in. The parent storm travelled northeast with evidence of another tornado touchdown near M-35 near Brampton, 12 miles north of Escanaba.
July 1987Tornado (F3)not stated$25,000no account filed
July 1974Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
August 1968Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
July 2013Thunderstorm WindEscanaba$20,000Escanaba Public Safety reported widespread trees and power lines downed in Delta County, including the towns of Escanaba, Gladstone and Rapid River.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindIsland View$20,000An EF1-rated microburst snapped off or uprooted numerous large trees in the OB Fuller County Park and Campground in Delta County on the evening of the 17th. The fallen trees also caused damage to a motorcycle and camping trailer.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindGladstone$15,000There was a social media report of roll-out boat dock flipped and twisted. A boat was also damaged as it was lifted onto the underside of the twisted dock. The time of the report was estimated from radar.
August 2015HailKipling$15,000Ping pong sized hail caused damage to vehicles near Gladstone. Time of the report was estimated from radar.
May 2021Thunderstorm WindNorth Escanaba$10,000Part of a roof blew off a building in Escanaba and debris was blocking a road. The time of the report was estimated from radar.
July 2021Thunderstorm Wind(Esc)Dlta Co Arpt Es$10,000Pictures from social media showed multiple trees down in the Escanaba area from thunderstorm winds. Time of the report was estimated from radar and other sources.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindIsland View$10,000Numerous large trees were reported down. Some trees were as large as 24 inches in diameter. Downed trees also caused some slight structural damage.
July 2008Tornado (EF0)Masonville$10,000An NWS storm survey found a 50-yard wide by 150-yard long EF0-rated tornado track near the intersection of Bayshore Drive and 26th Road. The tornado uprooted large trees, drove a sheet of plywood through a motorhome and tore off a portion of a trailer roof.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindKipling$8,000There were reports of downed trees and power lines around the Gladstone and Rapid River areas. Time of the report was estimated from radar.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindChandler$7,000Photo received via local news media of a large tree uprooted at a farm near Cornell. That resident also reported several other trees down and fences were blown over on their farm.|The time of the report was estimated from radar.
May 2021Thunderstorm WindEscanaba$6,000The Delta County Sheriff reported a tree down on a truck in Escanaba. Time of the report was estimated from radar.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindFord River$5,000The town supervisor reported several trees and wires down across Ford River Township which led to power outages.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindHyde$5,000Report from social media included description of damage and posted image. Observer stated that he came home and found large storage shed/carport thrown and wrapped around trees. The frame of the shed was destroyed and it was anchored down. Not much damage elsewhere aside from some downed tree limbs. Time of the report was estimated from radar.
August 2022Thunderstorm WindRapid River$5,000Multiple power outages were reported in southern Delta County with the main outage area from Gladstone eastward along US-41 and US-2 to Nahma Junction. There were multiple lightning flashes reported in that area.
September 2012Thunderstorm WindPerkins$5,000A metal hay barn was blown over while numerous trees were knocked down in the vicinity.
June 2010Flash FloodCornell$5,000Over four inches of rain fell in a two-hour period causing flash flooding in the Cornell area. The flooding washed out portions of County Road I.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindCornell$4,000There was a delayed report of downed power lines near Cornell.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindEscanaba$4,000Trees down across the city...amount and sizes unknown. Widespread power outages.
May 2021Thunderstorm WindEscanaba$3,000The UPPCO map showed widespread power outages across the western half of Delta County due to strong thunderstorm winds. More than 2000 customers were without power, most concentrated in Escanaba. The time of the report was estimated from radar.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindGladstone$3,000A media partner shared a report of huge trees down in a park, and trees laying across a road in Gladstone. Time of the report was estimated from radar.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindCampbell$3,000There was a delayed report of several trees down from six to twelve inches in diameter five miles northeast of Perkins. Power is out with trees on power lines.
July 2011Thunderstorm Wind(Esc)Dlta Co Arpt Es$3,000Trees reported down over road near M-35 in Ford Township.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindMoss Lake$3,000Trees reported down across Forest Highway 13.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindGarden$3,000Trees down on power lines.
October 1997Tornado (F1)Garden Corners$3,000Brief tornado touchdown left pine trees 15-20 inches in diameter uprooted. A camp suffered structural damage to small building.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindFlat Rock$2,000A tree and power lines were reported down near Hyde. Time of the report was estimated by radar.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindGladstone$2,000A media partner reported trees down at the Michigan State Police parking lot in Gladstone. Time of the report was estimated from radar.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindMoss Lake$2,000The Delta County Sheriff reported trees down along Forest Highway 13 between County Roads 442 and 400 near Chicago Lake.
September 2012Thunderstorm WindBeaver$2,000A trailer weighing more than 300 pounds was moved 100 feet by the strong thunderstorm winds. Trees 36 inches in diameter were also snapped by the storm winds. Several outbuildings were damaged and power was knocked out. Nickel sized hail was also reported.
June 2007HailGarden$2,000Hail lasted approximately one minute. Numerous one-foot diameter trees were also blown down.
July 1996Thunderstorm WindCornell$2,000no account filed
June 2025Thunderstorm WindSac Bay$1,000Public report of downed trees between Sac Bay and Fayette. Most of Garden Peninsula lost power for around 2 hours.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindFlat Rock$1,000Pictures of a large tree snapped in Flat Rock.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindEscanaba$1,000Facebook photos were relayed by a local meteorologist of large tree limbs down in the Escanaba area.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindGladstone$1,000Pictures relayed by local broadcast media of several medium to large tree branches down in Gladstone.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindCornell$1,000Public report from social media of a downed tree in a driveway approximately three miles north of Cornell.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindGarden$1,000There was a social media report of a tree down and large swing blown down just west of Garden.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindGladstone$1,000There was a public report of a poplar tree snapped halfway up the tree on the bluff in Gladstone. Another tree was snapped near the base of the trunk.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindLarch$1,000Escanaba Public Safety Dispatch reported a damaged tree down on a power line near the Michigan DNR station in Escanaba.
May 2021Thunderstorm WindTesch$1,000Tree down blocking a road a mile southeast of Tesch. Time of the report was estimated from radar.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindEscanaba$1,000Law enforcement reported multiple small trees down in north Escanaba. Time of report was estimated from radar.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindRapid River$1,000The Delta County Road Commission reported a few minor trees down partially blocking a lane near the intersection of Highway US-2 and Highway US-41 in Rapid River. The time of the delayed report was estimated from radar.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindStonington$1,000The Delta County Road Commission reported a few minor trees down blocking a lane on County Road 511 in Stonington. The time of the delayed report was estimated from radar.

Mines and quarries

21 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 21 workings inside this county. 14 still produce and 7 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Sand and Gravel, Construction12
Stone, Crushed/Broken5
Fire Clay (Refractory)2
Limestone, General2

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Algonquin Delta Clay PitFire Clay (Refractory)Past Producer
Read 150-BLimestone, GeneralProducerSedimentary
Soo Hill Clay Pit ShaleFire Clay (Refractory)Past Producer
Trenton LimestoneLimestone, GeneralPast Producer
Bichler QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Brannstrom QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Dolomite QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Fox Valley Construction Co QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Weldum QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Bichler Gravel & Concrete Co PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
City of Escanaba PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
County PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Delta Co PitsSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Gladstone PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Goedert Sand PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Holmberg PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Jaeger PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Pacquin PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Payne & Dolan PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Pit No. 207 Delta Company Rd Comm.Sand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Steve Marvic Sand & Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every populated place in the county

57

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

The vanished settlements of Delta County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.