Columbus Township is a civil township of St. Clair County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,112 at the 2020 Census.
Communities
- Belle River is an unincorporated community on Gratiot Road, just southwest of where it crosses the Belle River in section 32 in the southeast of the township. It is about 17 miles southwest of Port Huron at .
- Columbus is an unincorporated community between sections 10 and 11 in the northeast of the township, on Rattle Run Road between Rattle Run and Memphis. It is about 13 miles southwest of Port Huron at . The ZIP code is 48063.
- Snyderville is an unincorporated community on Gratiot Road, less than two miles northeast of Belle River in section 27 of the township. It is about 15 miles southwest of Port Huron at .
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (0.38%) is water. The Belle River passes through the township and has two tributaries: Gillett Drain and Dawson Drain.
History
The creation of the Fort Gratiot Turnpike, now known as Gratiot Road, in 1832 led to the settlement of Columbus Township. Columbus Township was organized as a township on March 11, 1837. The Township was named for explorer Christopher Columbus, and Theodore Bethey served as the Township's first supervisor. In 1839 the Grand Trunk Western Railroad opened a small train station. In 1859, a 12-year-old Thomas Edison was given his first job, as a newsboy on the Grand Trunk Western Railroad line between Port Huron and Detroit. In 1992, the moved the 1900-era Grand Trunk Railroad Depot located in Hickey to the nearby community of Richmond.
In 1845 the population was 315. In 1880, the township's population increased to 1,327, and by 2000 the population had grown to 4,615.
Demographics
As of the census The township's other park is a small roadside park on Gratiot Avenue located alongside the Belle River.