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Gladwin County, Michigan

32 topographic sheets cover 23 settlements here.

Research this county

Michigan within the United States
Gladwin County within Michigan

What the record shows

  • 222 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 23 populated places in this county; 23 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

295 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 295 of them, burning about 1,199 acres. 6 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 burning101
Missing data/not specified/undetermined69
Equipment and vehicle use58
Recreation and ceremony21
Arson/incendiarism13
Misuse of fire by a minor8
Power generation/transmission/distribution7
Other causes6
Natural6
Smoking3
Railroad operations and maintenance3

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
14 May 2003Missing data/not specified/undetermined178 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesSTERLING
9 April 1994Arson/incendiarism72 acresMichigan Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
22 April 1995Recreation and ceremony59 acresMichigan Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
12 April 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined49 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesGLADWIN 03
2 April 1994Debris and open burning40 acresMichigan Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
23 April 1994Misuse of fire by a minor39 acresMichigan Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
28 April 2020Debris and open burning30 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesGLADWIN 02
11 April 1996Debris and open burning25 acresMichigan Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

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

Storms, 1955 to 2026

60 of 141 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 141 reports for this county, causing 1 death, 6 injuries and about $18,603,030 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind80
Hail41
Tornado10
Flood5
Flash Flood4
Lightning1

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 1996LightningGladwin1 killed, 6 hurtno account filed
May 2020FloodGladwin Fortier Arpt$11,000,000Widespread areal flooding developed on the 18th, and persisted for several days. Most creeks and rivers in Gladwin County rose out of their banks. Several hundred miles of roads across the county were closed at various times. The Tobacco River at Beaverton rose to a record crest of 14.32 feet on the morning of the 19th. Somewhat more than 100 residents were evacuated from their homes, including people living below the Chappel Dam on the Cedar River. The M-30 bridge across the Tobacco River where it enters Wixom Lake was destroyed.
May 2020Flash FloodDale$6,500,000Multiple dams on the Tittabawassee River system were in danger during and after the heavy rain event. Significant releases of water from Secord and Smallwood Dams caused periods of rapid, flash flooding downstream of those dams on parts of the 18th and 19th. Tremendous erosion of the river banks occurred, and some roads and properties were damaged. Those releases did manage to save those two dams. However, downstream, Edenville Dam was unable to be saved. That dam failed catastrophically on the evening of the 19th, releasing the contents of Wixom Lake to downstream portions of the Tittabawassee River.|Note that Edenville Dam was located just north of the Gladwin/Midland County line. The Tittabawassee River enters Midland County immediately after leaving the dam. Thus, the vast majority of the downstream flooding caused by the failure of Edenville Dam will be found in Midland County and other downstream counties. Also note that the indirect damages of the Edenville Dam failure in Gladwin County are considerable, but difficult to quantify. To just touch on one topic, there were hundreds of lakefront properties on Wixom Lake, behind the dam. That lake no longer exists, and those properties have seen loss of property value, and residents and vacationers see a lesser quality of life.
June 2017FloodBeaverton Arpt$120,000High water continued through the day on the 23rd, with the tributaries of Wixom Lake (Edenville Dam Pond) seeing the greatest rise. Water entered a few homes located near creeks and streams in the area.
June 2024Tornado (EF1)Butman$100,000An EF-1 tornado touched down in northern Gladwin County, starting near Lake Lancer and ending near the East Branch of the Tittabawassee River. There was some minor home damage around Lake Lancer, with mainly tree damage as it moved east.
June 2001Tornado (F1)Gladwin$90,000Tornado damaged several buildings and numerous trees.
April 2014FloodGladwin$80,000The Cedar River rose out of its banks, flooding a few businesses in the city of Gladwin.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindHighwood$80,000Sporadic trees and power lines downed a mile south of Albright Shores. Some damage to a barn and to the roof of a home.
August 2018Thunderstorm WindBeaverton$55,000Many large trees were downed, some of them onto homes. Power was out in much of the area.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindLyle$55,000A swath of wind damage moved across the Beaverton and Sugar Springs area. Dozens of trees were downed, and some minor damage to homes occurred.
July 1995Thunderstorm WindSkeels to$50,000Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down numerous trees and power line between Skeels and Gladwin in the northwest and central portion of the county.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindGladwin$35,000Numerous trees and power lines were downed. One home was damaged by a falling tree.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindGladwin$30,000Several trees were downed. A couple of homes were damaged by falling trees.
June 2017Flash FloodDale$25,000Rainfall of 3.20 was measured in Gladwin; heavier rains fell in the southern portion of Gladwin County. A number of roads were flooded, and several were washed out.
July 2008Flash FloodOberlin$25,000Radar estimated that two to four inches of rain fell in Butman Township between 1 and 3 PM EDT. The resulting runoff caused localized flash flooding. Water covered Sugar River Road, west of Leatonville Road. Substantial roadbed erosion occurred along Hockaday Road, Ritchie Road just west of Hockaday, and at the intersection of Butman and Cemetary Roads.
July 1979Tornado (F0)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 1976Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
September 1974Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 1955Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
March 2006FloodCountywide$20,000no account filed
June 2008Thunderstorm WindGladwin$14,000Considerable wind damage in the Gladwin area, with numerous trees and power lines downed.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindGladwin$14,000A number of trees were downed, and an old barn was heavily damaged.
August 2022Thunderstorm WindBeaverton$12,500Report of wires downed and a tree on a house in Beaverton via emergency manager.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindSkeels$12,000Multiple reports of thunderstorm wind damage and power outages in neighborhoods near Grass Lake in northwestern Gladwin county. Trained spotter in this area reported personal weather station wind measurement to 51mph at 10 ft above ground level.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindGladwin Fortier Arpt$12,000Scattered trees and power lines were downed in northern Gladwin County.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindGladwin$12,000Numerous trees and power lines downed, in particular on the north end of Gladwin.
September 2011Thunderstorm WindGladwin$12,000Numerous trees and power lines were downed in the Gladwin area.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindSkeels$11,000Adams Road closed north of M-18 due to downed power lines from the thunderstorm winds. Time estimated by radar.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindGladwin Arpt$10,000Numerous trees and power lines were downed.
October 2006Thunderstorm WindGladwin$10,000Numerous trees and power lines downed.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindBeaverton$9,000Multiple trees and large limbs were downed in Beaverton and other nearby portions of southern Gladwin County.
November 2013Thunderstorm WindWheatley$9,000Several trees and power lines were downed over roads in western Gladwin County.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindGladwin$8,500Several trees and power lines were downed in the Gladwin area. M-61 was temporarily closed at the west end of town due to fallen tree limbs. A street light was toppled in the city limits.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindHighwood$8,000Trees and power lines were downed.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindGladwin$8,000Trees, large limbs, and power lines were downed.
July 2007Thunderstorm WindGladwin$8,000Numerous trees and power lines were downed between Gladwin and Beaverton.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindGladwin$7,000Sporadic tree damage and powerlines down throughout the county. Time based on radar.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindHighwood$7,000Numerous trees were downed near Albright Shores.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindBuckeye$5,000County dispatch reported trees down across Gladwin county with Buckeye township and Billings township the hardest hit. Time estimated from radar.
April 2022Thunderstorm WindHighwood$4,000Trees blown down over powerlines near Billings Twp. Time estimated via radar.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindGladwin Fortier Arpt$4,000Social media report of trees down in northeastern Gladwin county.
September 2021Thunderstorm WindBuckeye$4,000Trees downed on power lines.
September 2021Thunderstorm WindBard$4,000Trees downed on power lines.
April 2020FloodGladwin$4,000The Cedar River rose out of its banks, producing minor flooding in Gladwin City Park.
August 2020Flash FloodGladwin Fortier Arpt$4,000M-30 near Indian Lake Drive was partially submerged and closed by high water.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindSkeels$3,000Report of a tree down on a power line at N Bard Rd and Eaton Rd. EM stated that the power line was arcing. Time estimated by radar.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindGladwin Fortier Arpt$3,000Tree and utility line damage reported by Gladwin county EM.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindGladwin$3,000Three large trees were blown down.
May 1975Tornado (F2)not stated$2,500no account filed
June 2021Thunderstorm WindDale$2,000Several trees down on Middle Rd. Reported by bait shop employee.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindGladwin$2,000Tree downed on M-18 north of Gladwin. Time estimated from radar.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindGladwin Arpt$2,000A few trees were downed south and east of Gladwin.
August 2008Thunderstorm WindBeaverton$2,000Two large trees blown down between Dale and Gurnsey Roads.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindWinegars$2,000Trees downed near intersection of Grim Road and South Center Fireline Road.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindBeaverton$1,000Powerline downed on M-18 near Beaverton.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindHighwood$1,000Large tree limbs were downed.
July 1994Thunderstorm WindGladwin$500Gladwin County Central Dispatch reported numerous trees blown down near Sugar Springs in Butman Township and in the Tittabawassee River State Forest in Clement Township.
August 1993Thunderstorm WindCadillac$500Several trees reported down on Bard Road 8 miles northwest of the community of Gladwin.
August 1993Thunderstorm WindCadillac$500Three trees blown down across Beaverton Road near the Clare-Gladwin County line 6 miles west of the community of Beaverton.
March 1976Tornado (F3)not stated$30no account filed

Mines and quarries

4 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 4 workings inside this county. 1 still produces and 3 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Clay3
Sand and Gravel, Construction1

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

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
State of Michigan PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Korkoske Clay PitClayPast Producer
Unnamed Clay ProspectClayProspect
Unnamed Clay ProspectClayProspect

Every populated place in the county

23

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.

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.