Situated in the northeast quadrant of Newton Township, southwest Mackinac County, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Gould City is neither a city nor a village, but an unincorporated community.
However, Gould City is the population center of the township, which has a population of about three hundred and fifty. The only other named population area in the township is Corinne, which is a couple of miles southwest of Gould City.
Corinne was a lumber settlement that grew up along the railroad. A post office was established there on July 22, 1889, with John S. Craig as postmaster but, to avoid confusion with Corunna, the post office was named Viola. The post office operated until April 15, 1942. There is still a settlement there, in the area of Corinne Road and Martha Street.
Another Newton Township community that was established along the railroad was Bryan. Founded in 1905 or 1906, Bryan served as the railroad headquarters of the Escanaba Lumber Company, owned and operated by Jack K. Stack, who named it for William P. Bryan, a logging foreman who laid out the village. A post office was established at Bryan on June 19, 1906, with Cassius W. McEwen as postmaster. On November 17, 1914, the post office was renamed Pike Lake. The post office closed on August 31, 1920. By this time, the lumber industry had played out. By 1930, the buildings in Bryan (Pike Lake) were either wrecked or moved, and the entire townsite is now covered with brush.
The nearest incorporated locality to Gould City is the village of Newberry, about twenty-seven miles to the north-northeast. The cities of Manistique and St. Ignace are thirty-five and fifty-five miles away, respectively. Curtis and Millecoquins are unincorporated communities about ten miles away, while Naubinway and Engadine are about twelve miles from Gould City.
Samuel Stites, a lumberman, moved to the area of Gould City in 1886 and opened a store in 1888. The Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad built a station there, and Stites named the resulting community for a fellow lumberman. On September 26, 1888, a post office was established, with Adolph Highstone as the first postmaster. Currently, the Gould City post office serves the southern portion of the township.
By the time that World War I began, Gould City had a hotel, a store, and a population of more than three hundred. As the lumber industry went into a decline, Gould City and Newton Township declined, although the community still has a few businesses, many of which are only open during the summer months. The Newton Township Hall is located in Gould City, and the Newton Township Historical Society operates a museum one day a week during the summer season.
As Gould City is an unincorporated community, it lacks defined boundaries, but its main population area is south of US-2 along South Gould City Road, and north of Clark Road. Appropriate topics for this category may include websites for businesses, organizations, attractions, or events situated within this area, or outside of it if the postal address is Gould City.
Recommended Resources
Compiled and maintained by the Genealogy Trails History Group, the page features historic photographs depicting scenes from Gould City in the early 1900s, with brief descriptions, and attributions. Including are scenes of its downtown area (1907), railroad depot (1910), Bruss Resort (the 1940s), the Central Hotel (1907), the Fireside Inn at Camp Owosso (the 1940s), Green Gables Resort (the 1940s), the circa 1947 cantilevered deck truss bridge, and a cottage at Hitz Resort.
http://genealogytrails.com/mich/mackinac/citygould.html
Headquartered in Gould City, its largest community, Newton Township is bordered by Lake Michigan to the south. The official township website features a directory of township officials and boards, and posts meeting notices, agendas, and minutes, hall rental rates, cemetery lot rates, and a map of the township. The members of the Newton Township Historical Society are introduced, printable applications may be downloaded, and items for sale are listed.
https://newtontownshipgouldcity.com/
Featuring communities along the US-2 Top of the Lake Scenic Byway, running from St. Ignace to Thompson, following the north shore of Lake Michigan, its page on the community of Gould City, Michigan presents a brief profile and. History of the community offers suggestions for attractions and events within the township and neighboring communities, and some photographs of scenes around the village. Interactive maps and profiles of other communities along the Byway may also be viewed.
http://us2byway.com/gould-city/
