Aura, Michigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aura, Michigan
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 Aura, Michigan
Location in Michigan
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| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Baraga |
| Township | Arvon |
| Elevation | 827 ft (252 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
49946
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| Area code(s) | 906 |
| GNIS feature ID | 620346 |
Aura is a small unincorporated community in Michigan, USA. This means it's a group of homes and businesses that isn't officially a town or city with its own local government. It's located in Arvon Township of Baraga County. Aura is about 12 miles (19 km) northeast of L'Anse and 4 miles (6 km) east of Pequaming.
History
In the 1870s, the land on the Abbaye Peninsula mostly belonged to the Chippewa Native Americans. In 1877, a company called Hebard and Thurberg Lumber Company leased this land. They built a large sawmill the next year. This mill used steam power to cut wood. They also set up sixteen lumber camps.
The main Chippewa village in the area was called Pe-qua-qua-wa-ming. Today, this village is known as Pequaming. The sawmill was very busy. It could produce up to 25 million board feet of lumber each year. It also employed as many as 650 men. Later, the land and sawmill were bought by Henry Ford, who was famous for making cars.
Finnish Settlers Arrive
Around 1913-1914, there was a big mining strike in the Copper Country region of Michigan. Many miners lost their jobs. Charles Hebard, who owned the lumber company, started selling parts of the Abbaye Peninsula. He offered good deals on land. For example, 40 acres (160,000 m²) cost only $300, with a small down payment.
Many jobless Finnish miners decided to move there. They wanted to start farming the land. The first settlers arrived in June 1914. They were Tobias Hiltunen and his family. They bought an old lumber camp that had buildings they could live in. More Finnish families came later that summer.
How Aura Got Its Name
The new settlers named their community Aura. This word means "Plow" in the Finnish language. They chose this name because someone had found an old plow on the land. It seemed like the plow had been left behind by the loggers.
Post Office
A post office was opened in Aura on December 19, 1921. The first postmaster was Hilda Mytty. The post office stopped operating on February 1, 1974. It continued as a Community Post Office (CPO) until February 20, 1982.
Geography
Aura is located on the Abbaye Peninsula. This peninsula is a piece of land surrounded by water on three sides. It sits between Keweenaw Bay and Huron Bay. This small farming community covers about fifteen square miles. It is found in both Arvon and L'Anse townships.
Historically, the soil in Aura was very good for farming. It was a rich clay loam. Farmers grew crops like potatoes, hay, wheat, oats, and other grains. However, over the years, active farming in the area has become less common.
