Moffatt Township is a civil township of Arenac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,166 at the 2020 census.

Communities

  • Alger is an unincorporated community at , situated on exit 202 off I-75 at the junction with M-33. The ZIP code is 48610. Alger was established in 1883 as a railway junction.
  • Forest Lake is a small community around the reservoir named Forest Lake on the east-central part of the township. The lake is formed by a dam on Wells Creek. Water from Forest Lake is released into the Rifle River.

History

Moffatt Township was organized in 1874, at the time part of Bay County. The community of Alger was named after Russell A. Alger almost a decade later. In 1882 to 1883, the area of Alger was created from the formation of a railroad junction along the Michigan Central Railroad. This junction came from the now defunct Bay City and Alpena Railroad out of Prescott, Michigan. It was constructed under the direction of Russell Alger, who later became the 20th governor of Michigan, and then the U.S. Secretary of War. The railroads were thriving mainly due to Michigan's lumbering boom at the time, and Alger grew to be a popular settlement with many mills, restaurants, and saloons. Two small towns named Culver and Wells existed nearby. Culver was located about a mile north, and Wells was about a mile south of downtown Alger.

In 1896 the railroad from Prescott ceased operations, and into the early 1900s (decade), as the timber reached depletion, the logging railroads disappeared along with businesses. Today, Wells and Culver no longer exist, and Alger has slowly downsized to a small community of approximately 1,000 people.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.83%, is water.

Demographics

As of the census

Organization camps

Cole Canoe Base is a nearby camp for the Boy Scouts of America. It is located on East Greenwood Road, a few miles from the Skidway Lake and Prescott area.

References

Notes

Sources

  • Moffatt Township official website