Place:Cross Village (township), Emmet, Michigan, United States

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Cross Village Township is a civil township of Emmet County, Michigan in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the United States 2000 Censusthe township population was 294.

Communities

• Cross Village is an unincorporated community in the township on a rise overlooking Lake Michigan at 45°38′32″N, 85°02′15″W

. M-119 (Michigan highway has its northern terminus here, with Petoskey, Michigan about 34 miles to the south along the Lake Michigan shore.

History

Cross Village, like many of the area small towns, was once a thriving center for lumber. Because of its location on the lakeshore it was also a fishing community. Cross Village is one of the oldest settlements in Michigan and today is known for its ties to the Ottawa (tribe).

Early records say that Father Jacques Marquette, the famous French Jesuit who endeared himself to the Native Indian population of Northern Michigan, planted a huge white cross on the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan before his death in 1675. As late as 1787, as many as twenty tribes populated the region and met here around tribal council fires. To the Native Indians who populated the numerous historic missions in the area, Cross Village became known as the "Land of the Cross." To the French, this region was known as L'Arbre Croche; to the Ottawas, it was called "Wau-gaw-naw-ke-ze"; and to the White man at the time, it was simply known as "Land of the Crooked Tree."

Bishop Frederic Baraga is another individual with historical ties to Cross Village. Baraga left a comfortable, aristogratic existence behind when he left Slovenia. He arrived in Michigan in 1830 to serve the Native population and isolated small communities of this region. He spoke and developed written Native languages and is credited for spreading the Gospel among the local Ottawas and Ojibwe. In 1853, Baraga was elevated to Bishop, becoming the first Bishop in Upper Michigan.

Father Francis Xavier Pierz, Bishop Baraga's friend and fellow Slovenian, was also assigned to Cross Village for many years. Father Pierz, however, was bothered by the increasingly settled nature of the region and departed for the newly organized Minnesota Territory in 1852.

In an 1855 Emmet County was reorganized and four new townships were created by the State. One of them was "La Croix," which was officially changed its name to Cross Village in 1875.

Today, a replica of Father Marquette's cross stands at the edge of the bluff and is visible off the shore, far into Lake Michigan. Every year a small garden at the base of the cross is lovingly tended by the small town's garden club.

Cross Village also contains the famous Legs Inn or Smolak's. The dream of Polish immigrant Stanley Smolak, Legs Inn is part restaurant and part art gallery. Smolak decorated the building with driftwood sculptures, polished wooden furniture, Lake Michigan stones and totem poles. The name comes from the row of inverted stove legs that line the top of the building. Legs Inn was designated a state historic landmark in 1990. Smolak's serves wonderful Polish food during the daytime with gorgeous views of the Lake Michigan. In the evenings it turns into a happening hot spot with local musical entertainment and dancing.

The "Tunnel of Trees," a breathtaking scenic drive down the winding Lake Michigan shoreline runs between Cross Village and Harbor Springs to the south. The drive is famed for its fall color scenery.

Cross Village is also home to Blissfest and the annual pow wow. Blissfest is a summer folk music festival that draws participants from across the nation, it takes place on the Festival Farm on Division Rd.

The Cross Village area is also a protected nesting ground for the endangered piping plover.

The area has lovely sandy beaches and clear water for swimming.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 26.5 km² (10.2 square mile). 26.0 km² (10.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (2.05%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 294 people, 132 households, and 86 families residing in the township. The population density was 11.3/km² (29.3/mi²). There were 280 housing units at an average density of 10.8/km² (27.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 84.69% White, 8.84% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 0.68% Pacific Islander 0.34% from other races, and 4.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.02% of the population.

There were 132 households out of which 15.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.67.

In the township the population was spread out with 15.6% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 116.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.0 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $46,364, and the median income for a family was $60,417. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income for the township was $32,535. About 14.3% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 57.1% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty five or over.