Benton Township is a civil township of Cheboygan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 3,133.
History
Benton Township was first organized on March 25, 1871. At that time, it was a small area surrounding Duncan Bay, including the village of Cheboygan. In 1887, Benton expanded to a larger portion of the original Duncan Township.
Geography
Benton Township occupies the northeast corner of Cheboygan County, and is bordered to the north by the South Channel of the Straits of Mackinac opening out into Lake Huron. Presque Isle County is to the east, and Mackinac County is to the north. The city of Cheboygan borders the township on the northwest. The southwest corner of the township is in Mullett Lake, the outlet of which, the Cheboygan River, forms the western border of the township up to the city of Cheboygan. The Black River enters the township from the south and flows northwest to the Cheboygan River at the township's western border.
U.S. Highway 23 follows the northern edge of the township at varying distances from Lake Huron, leading west into Cheboygan and southeast to Rogers City. M-33 runs north–south across the southwest portion of the township, near Mullett Lake.
Unincorporated communities in the township include Cordwood Point along the Lake Huron shoreline, Mullett Lake Woods and Orchard Beach along Mullett Lake, and Alverno near the southern border of the township. Cheboygan State Park is in the northwest corner of the township along the South Channel and Duncan Bay.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 5.97%, is water.
Demographics
As of the census