Zilwaukee Township, Michigan
township in Saginaw County, Michigan
Zilwaukee Township is a civil township of Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 62 at the 2020 census, which ranks the township the fourth-least populated municipality in the state of Michigan after Pointe Aux Barques Township, Grand Island Township, and West Branch Township.
The city of Zilwaukee is southwest of the township, but the two are administered separately. The township is home to the Crow Island State Game Area, which covers a large portion of the township's area.
History
Zilwaukee Township was organized on January 20, 1854 and included territory comprising Kochville Township and the northern third of present day Buena Vista Township. In 1864, the Oneida Salt & Lumber Co. built a mill on the Crow Reserve, territory in the township which had been deeded to Ojibwe Chief Kawkawisou in 1819. This land would eventually become the nucleus for the Crow Island State Game Area.
Zilwaukee Township first lost territory when Kochville Township was organized in 1856, losing most of its territory west of the Saginaw River. In 1881 the township again lost territory when Sections in its northern end west of the river were transferred to neighboring Bay County.
The public source identifies “Zilwaukee Township, Michigan” as township in Saginaw County, Michigan. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Zilwaukee, Township and Michigan.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Zilwaukee Township, Michigan”, the useful work is to connect “township in Saginaw County, Michigan” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7995755. Authority coordinates are 43.503, -83.897. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1854, 1864 and 1819.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Zilwaukee Township, Michigan”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Zilwaukee Township, Michigan primary sources, Zilwaukee Township, Michigan archive and Zilwaukee research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Zilwaukee Township, Michigan”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Zilwaukee Township, Michigan” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.