Iron River and Crystal Falls Townships, which bordered the state of Wisconsin, was severed off Ely Township, Marquette County, prior to the establishment of Iron County in 1885. Characterized by the vast forested regions, Iron County consists of 749,440 acres and includes over 400 small lakes and five major rivers. Glacial deposits overlaid large iron ore bodies. Logging and mining led to the location of communities either near streams or the iron ore bodies and the need for workers influenced the stream of European immigrants who came to find work and who usually settled into their own nationality groups in communities and mining locations. Thirty-nine groups have been identified. Among the major ones were Italian, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Polish, French, Scotsmen, Germans, Croatians, and English. Early decades show numerous organizations which reflect ethnic origins--examples are the Finnish National Temperance Society, the Runeberg Society, the Sons of Italy, the Polish Alliance, #1461 and the Croatian Lodge #69 to mention a few. While Native Americans roved the county, there were no permanent settlements.