Much of the township is the Copper Country State Forest. The northwest portion is drained by the Michigamme River. A small portion of the northeast is drained by tributaries of the Escanaba River. The central portion is drained by the Ford River, and the south by the Sturgeon River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 162.8 square miles (422 km2), of which, 160.3 square miles (415 km2) of it is land and 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2) of it (1.55%) is water.
Floodwood is on M-95 about five miles (8 km) north of Channing and two miles (3 km) south of the Marquette County boundary. It began as a lumber settlement on the Milwaukee and Northern Railroad. A post office was in operation there from 1887 until 1905.[4][6]
Randville is on M-95 about 14 miles (23 km) north of Iron Mountain. It is just south of the junction with M-69at45°59′30″N88°03′25″W / 45.99167°N 88.05694°W / 45.99167; -88.05694. The mining settlement formed because of the nearby Groveland Mine. It was a station on the Milwaukee and Northern Railroad in 1880 and a post office was in operation there from 1891 until 1932.[4][7]
Sagola is on M-95 at the junction where M-69 branches off to the west. Crystal Falls is 13 miles (21 km) west on M-69. M-69 runs concurrently with M-95 south of town about six miles (10 km) to just north of Randville. Sagola is at 46°05′25″N88°04′39″W / 46.09028°N 88.07750°W / 46.09028; -88.07750. It was formed, when in about 1885, five Chicago men formed the Sagola Lumber Company to harvest pine timber in the area. The name was derived from the local Indian word for "welcome". A post office was first established there in 1889, and continues today to serve ZIP code 49881.[4][8]
