West Branch, Michigan
| West Branch, Michigan | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Downtown West Branch.
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| Nickname(s): "The City with a Smile" | |
 Location of West Branch, Michigan |
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| Coordinates: 44°16′32″N 84°14′7″W / 44.27556°N 84.23528°WCoordinates: 44°16′32″N 84°14′7″W / 44.27556°N 84.23528°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Ogemaw |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.48 sq mi (3.8 km2) |
| • Land | 1.48 sq mi (3.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 955 ft (291 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2,139 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 2,116 |
| • Density | 1,400/sq mi (560/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 48661 |
| Area code(s) | 989 |
| FIPS code | 26-85580 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1627248 |
| Website | westbranch.com |
West Branch is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,139. It is the county seat of Ogemaw County.
According to the Ogemaw County Genealogical and Historical Society, West Branch was previously known as Logan's Mills in 1863. It later became West Branch when lumberjacks named it after the "west branch" of the Rifle River. The founders of West Branch were Charles Taber and Mr. Goodar During the early settlement of West Branch laws and enforcement of laws were not set. But, the town never had a high crime problem then. Theft was unheard of to the settlers. Woodsmen would try to run the town for a while, but it never really lasted that long. With very low crime rates, running the town was a difficult thing to do. West Branch was a rich town in these times you could say. Workers were paid well and there was no lack of money for the new settlers. In 1883 there was a major fire that burnt down quite a few businesses on Houghton Avenue. Within a year, the businesses were rebuilt better than they were before. This fire was one of four to five devastating fires that had blazed through West Branch in the early years. This is a town that always bounced back after disasters. Powers, P. F. (n.d.). History of ogemaw county history of northern michigan and
West Branch has many historical buildings and one of the oldest is the West Branch Public Library. The library was established on September 2, 1905. It has had many different locations and hardships throughout its long history. It first started off on the third floor of the West Branch Hotel and then after a fire took out the block it moved to the top floor of the Tolfree Livingston Block. Another fire hit it in January 1923 and then on November 1, 1926 it was stricken with another hardship when the Ogemaw County Bank failed. It was able to recover by getting funds from the city council. From June 1923 to 1952 the library had increased its hours from two to 30 hours. Finally in September 1949 the city council approved to move the library to the community building which would later be torn down and the land would be used for the library and the city hall. On June 1, 1973 it had reached 40 hours a week and then in 1974 was considered a Class III library serving 5,000-12,999 people. It has grown exponentially and by the time 2005 comes around it has a computerized circulation system accompanied with an automated card catalog.
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