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Situated in Hulbert Township, in west Chippewa County, the northeastern portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Hulbert is unincorporated, but the only named community in the township.

As an unincorporated community, there are no defined boundaries for the community, but it is concentrated along South Hubert Road, south of the former railroad tracks and about a mile and a half north of M-28. The only route through the community is Hulbert Road but, as there are no other named communities within the township, any topics relating to the township could probably be listed here.

The only incorporated municipality within twenty-five miles of Hulbert is Newberry, a village twenty-three miles to the west. The cities of Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace are roughly forty-five miles away. There are two other unincorporated communities within ten miles, however; they are Eckerman and Soo Junction.

Much of the township is within the Lake Superior State Forest, and the largest body of water is Hubert Lake, a spring-fed body of water in the eastern part of the township, south of M-28, extending into Chippewa Township.

While scouting out lumbering opportunities in the winter of 1872, Francis R. Hulbert came across a promising parcel of land. White pine, birch, and maple trees lined the isolated lake that he named Be-ne-gah-mah. The white pines, in particular, were of interest to Hulbert, and he recognized the high banks surrounding the lake as being ideal for homesites.

After a race, on snowshoes, to the land office in Marquette, he was able to acquire the land. However, he never built the homesites he had envisioned, nor was he able to cut any of the trees on his property. Most of his land was lost during the financial panic of 1893 and, after his death in 1896, the Hulbert family lost the title to the land, which was acquired by A.M. Chesbrough, another lumbering entrepreneur, in 1897.

As it turned out, Francis R. Hulbert's son, Richard C. Hulbert, became friends with Chesbrough, and partners in a timber brokerage and lumbering business.

In time, Chesbrough gave Richard a half interest in the land, and he purchased the remaining half, as well as the title to the lake, returning the land to the Hulbert family. Today, the lake is owned by the Hulbert Lakes Club Association.

Actually, the first permanent settlers were the families of Andrew J. DeWitt and Lee DeWitt. As others came to work in the lumbering business, a post office was established on January 23, 1892, with Elmer M. Holley as the first postmaster. He was succeeded by Andrew J. DeWitt in 1906.

With the decline of the lumber industry in the early 1900s, Hulbert was close to becoming a ghost town, and the post office was closed on March 31, 1908. The community received a reprieve in 1919, when James Shepherd Parrish built a woodenware plant there. The post office was reopened on March 28, 1919, but with the name of Taquaminon, with Eda B. Dillingham as postmaster. On July 30, 1920, the post office was renamed, Hulbert.

The Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railroad established a station in Hulbert.

Although a named town, Hulbert was never incorporated as a village. Today, it is a very small town, as is true of many Upper Peninsula communities. Census figures are not available for the community of Hulbert, but the township's population was only 168 in 2010.

The focus of this guide is on the community of Hulbert, Michigan, although topics related to the township may also be listed here. These may include websites representing the township government, as well as local businesses, industries, schools, churches, organizations, attractions, and events.

 

 

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