Elk Rapids

History

The first settler in the Elk Rapids area was Abram S. Wadsworth, from Connecticut. Wadsworth platted the area in 1852, calling it Stevens. A post office opened in 1854. In 1858, Wadsworth renamed the area to Elk Rapids, after finding a pair of elk antlers near the mouth of the later-named Elk River. In 1863, Antrim County was organized, and Elk Rapids was made the county seat. However, the seat was moved to the more centrally located Bellaire in 1879. In 1892, Elk Rapids became a station on a spur of the Chicago and West Michigan Railway. The town was incorporated as a village in 1900.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The village of Elk Rapids is located on an isthmus. To the east of the village is Elk Lake, the 15th-largest inland lake in Michigan and the lowest member of the Elk River Chain of Lakes. To the west of the village is the East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay, a large bay of Lake Michigan. The Elk River bisects the village, flowing northwesterly from Elk Lake to Grand Traverse Bay. Elk Rapids lies about north of the Grand Traverse County line.

Race & ethnicity