Clawson

History

This area was occupied by the historic Potowatomi people, who were among the indigenous peoples in the Detroit territory. They traded furs for goods for years with the French Canadians and English colonists. The city's name is a misspelling of the surname of John C. Lawson, an early European-American settler. It was founded by European Americans in 1829 and was originally known as Pumachug and The Corners. The name was inspired by the sound made by the Cider Mill and Saw Mill on each corner of the main intersection. The sound was described as "pum-a-chug, pum-a-chug." The city was incorporated as Clawson in 1920 as a village; in 1940 it was incorporated as a city.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  34,243
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  32,325
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  32,023
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  30,654
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  28,219
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  23,020
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  21,203
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  20,731

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2026-05-04
  8 km N of Maybee, Michigan
• M 3 — 2026-04-26
  7 km SSE of Amherstburg, Canada
• M 2.5 — 2022-05-23
  2 km NNW of Corunna, Canada
• M 3.2 — 2020-08-21
  2 km SSE of Detroit Beach, Michigan
• M 3.4 — 2018-04-20
  Michigan
• M 2.6 — 2017-05-14
  18 km ENE of Leamington, Canada