Gay, Michigan

Gay is an unincorporated community in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan.[1] It is 12 miles from Lake Linden on Copper Island at the western end of the Upper Peninsula. As an unincorporated community, Gay has no legally recognized boundaries or population statistics of its own. Local government is provided by Sherman Township.

Gay, Michigan
Unincorporated community
Community of Gay along Main Street
Gay
Location within the state of Michigan
Coordinates: 47°13′39″N 88°09′49″W[1]
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountyKeweenaw
TownshipSherman
Elevation646 ft (197 m)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)
49950 (Mohawk)
Area code(s)906
GNIS feature ID626692[1]

The Mohawk Mining Company built a stamp mill in Gay in 1898.[2] The residual stamp sand dumped into Lake Superior increased the town's area greatly. Today, only the large smokestack and the ruins from the stamp mill remain.

Gay is locally celebrated for its annual 4th of July parade. The "Gay Parade" as it is referred to locally, attracts several times the town's population.

The town was named after Joseph E. Gay, one of the founders of the Mohawk and Wolverine Mining Companies.[2] It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.[3]

  • School
  • A bar in Gay, Michigan

References
  1. "Gay, Michigan". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. Ghost Towns of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from the copper mining of the 1800s
  3. Parker, Quentin (2010). Welcome to Horneytown, North Carolina, Population: 15: An insider's guide to 201 of the world's weirdest and wildest places. Adams Media. pp. ix. ISBN 9781440507397.
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