Custer

History

Prior to European settlers arriving in the area, Native Americans lived near what is now Custer, with a location just south of the city being the site of a battle between the Mascouten and Odawa on the Pere Marquette River. At the site, known as the Not-A-Pe-Ka-Gon Site, thousands of Mascouten were killed by the Odawa and their heads were placed on sticks, giving the river its original name, "Notipekago" or "Notipekagon", meaning "heads on sticks" in English. The United States created an Indian reservation where Custer is located in 1855. Custer was platted in 1878 and incorporated as a village in 1895. The village was named for George Armstrong Custer. A community of Lithuanians began to settle in the village around 1912 and following World War I, the community grew further. In 1925, Joseph T. Sanders founded Sanders Meats in Custer, delivering meat products to customers in his Ford Model T. Sanders Meats passed through four generations of the Sanders family, eventually expanding to provide products to businesses and restaurants ranging up to away. St. Mary's Catholic Church was established in 1933. In 1966, St. Mary's opened its new church, which was designed by architect Jonas Mulokas and shared architectural elements with the award-winning design of the Transfiguration Catholic Church in Queens, New York.

Geography

Custer is in central Mason County, east of Scottville and east of Ludington, the county seat. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  3,412
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,992
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  2,871
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,755
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,529
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,348
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,256
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,153

Largest nearby schools

• Mason County Central HS
  High · SCOTTVILLE · 407 students · 22.6:1 ratio
• Mason County Central MS
  Middle · SCOTTVILLE · 297 students · 19.8:1 ratio
• Scottville Elementary School
  Elementary · SCOTTVILLE · 254 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• Mason County Central Upper Elementary
  Elementary · SCOTTVILLE · 249 students · 16.6:1 ratio
• Mason County Eastern Elem Sch
  Elementary · CUSTER · 211 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• Mason County Eastern Junior HighHigh School
  High · CUSTER · 171 students · 19:1 ratio
• Gateway To Success Academy
  High · SCOTTVILLE · 107 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Developmental ClassroomsWSESD
  Other · LUDINGTON · 94 students · 9.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2024-08-02
  38 km ESE of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin