Clark Township, Michigan
Civil township
Location within Mackinac County
Clark Township Location within the state of Michigan Show map of Michigan Clark Township Location within the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 45°59′57″N 84°20′41″W / 45.99917°N 84.34472°W / 45.99917; -84.34472
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Mackinac
Established	1905
Government
• Supervisor	Mark Clymer
• Clerk	Susan Rutledge
Area [1]
• Total	101.60 sq mi (263.14 km2)
• Land	78.97 sq mi (204.53 km2)
• Water	22.63 sq mi (58.61 km2)
Elevation	673 ft (205 m)
Population  (2020)[2]
• Total	1,917
• Density	26.0/sq mi (10.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	49719 (Cedarville) 49745 (Hessel)
Area code	906
FIPS code	26-097-16060[3]
GNIS feature ID	1626088[4]
Website	www.clarktwp.org

Clark Township is a civil township of Mackinac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,917,^[2] down from 2,256 in 2010.^[5]

History

Clark Township was established in February 1905 by the consolidation of Sherwood Township and Cedar Township.^[6] Cedar Township was established in March 1887.^[7]

Geography

Clark Township is the easternmost township in Mackinac County. It is bordered to the west and northwest by Marquette Township, to the northeast by Chippewa County, and to the south by Lake Huron.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 101.60 square miles (263.14 km²), of which 78.97 square miles (204.53 km²) are land and 22.63 square miles (58.61 km²) (22.27%) are water.^[5] The southern part of the township is home to numerous bays and inlets of Lake Huron, as well the Les Cheneaux Islands.

Communities

• Cedarville is an unincorporated community at the junction of M-129 and M-134 at 45°59′53″N 84°21′47″W / 45.99806°N 84.36306°W / 45.99806; -84.36306^[8] north of the Les Cheneaux Islands, about 2 miles (3 km) east of Hessel, and about 35 miles (56 km) due south of Sault Ste. Marie. It began as a lumber settlement on the Lake Huron shore in 1884. A post office was established in July 1888.^[9] The ZIP code of 49719 serves most of Clark Township. The Les Cheneaux Historical Association ^[10] runs the Historical Museum and the Maritime Museum, both in Cedarville.
• Coryell Islands in this township had a post office from 1908 until 1958.^[11]
• Hessel is an unincorporated community on M-134 north of Marquette Island, the largest of the Les Cheneaux Islands at 46°00′15″N 84°25′33″W / 46.00417°N 84.42583°W / 46.00417; -84.42583.^[12] It was founded in 1885 by two Swedes and a Norwegian, John and Carl Hessel and John A. Johnson, and a post office was established in September 1888.^[9] The ZIP code of 49745 serves Hessel and the western part of Clark Township.^[13] Hessel is the home of the Antique Wooden Boat Show and Festival of the Arts,^[14] which is held annually at the public docks on the second weekend of August. Les Cheneaux Culinary School is also there.^[15]
• Patrick Landing is a named place in the township approximately one mile southwest of Cedarville on the Les Cheneaux Channel at 45°59′05″N 84°22′38″W / 45.98472°N 84.37722°W / 45.98472; -84.37722.^[16]
• Port Dolomite is a commercial port in the eastern end of the township at 45°59′05″N 84°16′30″W / 45.98472°N 84.27500°W / 45.98472; -84.27500.^[17] In 2004, it was the 93rd largest port in the United States ranked by tonnage.

Education

• The K-12 educational needs of Clark Township residents are served by Les Cheneaux Community Schools.
• Cedarville is home to Great Lakes Boat Building School, a post-secondary school focused on vocational training in the boat building and maritime trades.

Interests

• Cedar Cove is an assisted living establishment which houses a great place of information about the community and the area.
• The community dock is a place where many gather in the evening in good weather to see the sunset.