Chassell

History

In 1855, the land that included what was to become Chassell was acquired from the state of Michigan by the St. Mary's Canal and Land Company. In 1863, Francis Jacker built one of the first buildings in the area, a log cabin close to the mouth of the Sturgeon River. In 1867, John Chassell (1814–1883) of New York, purchased farmland from the St. Mary's Canal and Land Company where the community is now located. In 1865, Chassell was influential in raising the $160,000 capital with which the First National Bank of Houghton was founded. Chassell served as the first Cashier of the bank. He was also a founding member of a major contributor to the Houghton County Historical Society and Mining Institute. Chassell sold his land in 1881 to Orrin W. Robinson, manager of the Sturgeon River Lumber Company and later Lieutenant Governor of Michigan. Robinson lived in Chassell's home until later building a new one on the same lot. The company was established in 1872 and owned large tracts of land in the area and with mill operations in Hancock. The owners of that company also organized the Sturgeon River Boom Company in 1875, which dug a canal to bring logs from the Sturgeon to Pike Bay. To accommodate expansion, the mills and principal operations were moved from Hancock to Chassell in 1887-88. By that time, the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway had extended a line to the area with a stop at Chassell. The first post office was established there in February 1888. On April 14, 1888, Chassell Township was organized. The name was taken from the community, which had been named in honor of John Chassell by Robinson. The area had at first been known simply as Pike's Bay and later as Robinson. However, there was at that time another post office with the name Robinson in Ottawa…

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Chassell CDP has a total area of , all of which is land. Chassell lies on Pike Bay, a bay of Portage Lake, near the mouth of the Sturgeon River. The community lies about south of the city of Houghton.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,861
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  2,793
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,712
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  2,589
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,096
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,948
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,865
• Ring-billed Gull

  Larus delawarensis Ord, 1815 · Aves
  1,822

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2021-06-02
  11 km S of West Ishpeming, Michigan