Gladstone, Michigan
| Gladstone, Michigan | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Welcome sign with Little Bay de Noc in the background
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 Location of Gladstone, Michigan |
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| Coordinates: 45°50′45″N 87°1′49″W / 45.84583°N 87.03028°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Delta |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.92 sq mi (20.51 km2) |
| • Land | 5.00 sq mi (12.95 km2) |
| • Water | 2.92 sq mi (7.56 km2) |
| Elevation | 604 ft (184 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 4,973 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 4,929 |
| • Density | 994.6/sq mi (384.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 49837 |
| Area code(s) | 906 |
| FIPS code | 26-32300 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1620021 |
Gladstone is a city in Delta County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also known locally as "Happy Rock", a play on words of Gladstone. First settled in 1877, Gladstone's original name was Minnewasca. The population was 4,973 at the 2010 census.
U.S. Highways 2 and 41 run concurrently through the city, connecting with Escanaba, nine miles (14 km) to the south. US 41 runs north to Marquette and US 2 runs east to Manistique. M-35 runs northwest 52 miles (84 km) to Gwinn and merges with US 2/US 41 south to Escanaba.
Throughout the early 19th century, the area where Gladstone exists was largely uninhabited other than Ojibwe hunters in the area or the occasional Euro-American trapper or fisherman. Gladstone was first settled in 1859 when the Hamilton Corporation of Fayette, MI began using it as a shipping point for selling and transporting of their iron ore. [Gladstone Centennial Book Community (1987). Gladstone Centennial History. Gladstone Centennial Book Community. Pp 12–47. ASIN B0010K5HFW]
The town was originally named Minnewasca by the Soo Line Railroad, the Ojibwa name meaning "white water." When the name was filed with the county and Secretary of State in Lansing, Senator W. D. Washburn, who had an interest in building the railroad, persuaded officials to change the name to Gladstone in honor of British premier, William Evert Gladstone.
Earliest development was on Saunders Point, so named for Capt. Nate Saunders who headquartered there when fishing at various points along the bay, was the location for the initial build-up of Gladstone. Today, Saunder’s Point still exists as a small peninsula east of Gladstone’s city park system, located in Little Bay De Noc.
Expanding beyond its iron ore roots into a shipping point for lumber, coal, and copper during the American civil war, throughout the 1860s and 1870s, Gladstone grew into a busy port.
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