Ironton, Michigan


Ironton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 140.

Geography

Ironton is located in the western part of Eveline Township on the south side of Lake Charlevoix and the west side of the lake's South Arm. The Ironton Ferry crosses the South Arm, providing direct access to the eastern half of Eveline Township. Highway M-66 passes through Ironton, leading northwest to Charlevoix, the county seat, and south to East Jordan.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Ironton CDP has a total area of, all of it land.

History

Robert Cherry, of the Pine Lake Iron Company of Chicago, built a pig iron plant here. The plant began operations in 1881, turning iron ore brought in by barges from the Upper Peninsula into pig iron. Ironton was platted in 1884, but the plant failed in 1893. A post office was in operation from January 1881 until December 1965.
The community of Ironton was listed as a newly-organized census-designated place for the 2010 census, meaning it now has officially defined boundaries and population statistics for the first time.