Forsyth Township in Gwinn in Marquette County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Gwinn Model Town

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 3, 2024

1. Gwinn Model Town Marker

Inscription. William Gwinn Mather, president of the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company, oversaw the development of Gwinn in 1906. He was inspired by benevolence, a need to attract dependable workers, and the desire to avoid labor strife. Mather hired Boston landscape designer Warren H. Manning to plan Gwinn as a company town that provided housing and community services for residents. Manning included boulevards, plantings, and extensive green space in his design, tenets of City Beautiful and Garden City movements, which were town planning trends of the day. Gwinn became a model for other company towns in the region, The mines closed in 1946 and company-owned properties were sold. Mather’s and Manning’s “Model Town” of Gwinn is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Erected 2010 by Michigan Historical Commission - Michigan Historical Center. Registered State Site. (Marker Number 710.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1906.

Location. 46° 16.73′ N,

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87° 26.296′ W. Marker is in Gwinn, Michigan, in Marquette County. It is in Forsyth Township. It is at the intersection of North Pine Street (Michigan Route 35) and West Flint Street, on the left when traveling south on North Pine Street. Marker is in Peter Nordeen Park across the street from the police station. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 95 N Pine St, Gwinn MI 49841, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and on Lake Superior’s South Shore Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Great North Woods,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France

and also the Northwest Territory.

Also see . . . Wikipedia entry. Excerpt:

The community became known as a “Model Town,” a trace of which remains in the name for the local high school sports teams: the “Modeltowners.” It received a post office in 1908. Although it began as a company town, the
Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 3, 2024

2. Gwinn Model Town Marker
Across the street is Town Hall
direct involvement of Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company in the affairs of the Gwinn gradually decreased, and by the Great Depression the company had no hand in the operation of the town. Cleveland-Cliffs began divesting itself of real estate in the town, and by 1946 had sold the last of the houses it owned.

(Submitted on August 11, 2024.)

Peter Nordeen Park and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 3, 2024

3. Peter Nordeen Park and Marker

The brown sign on the left reads

Revenue derived from oil, gas and mineral production from state-owned lands provides funding for this public recreation site.
Funding is made possible through a grant provided to the citizens of the State of Michigan by the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Pine Street Looking North, Gwinn, Michigan image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 3, 2024

4. Pine Street Looking North, Gwinn, Michigan

The view is from the intersection of West Flint Street.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 11, 2024, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 502 times since then and 116 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 11, 2024, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.