Important Dates
| Prior to 1955 | Blueberry fields and the home to the Marquette County Airport |
| 1955 | U.S. Air Force signs 99-year lease to build base |
| 1956 | K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base opened |
| 1960 | K.I. Sawyer Elementary opened |
| 1970 | Peak population at K.I. Sawyer (8,224) |
| 1995 | Base officially closed on September 1st |
| 1996 | First resident moves back to Sawyer (only resident for some time) |
| 1996 | Sawyer Lumber opens |
| 1997 | County inherits redevelopment effort from state — required County to acquire all remaining assets of land, buildings, and utilities; selected housing units rented — beginning return of population |
| 1998 | Shopette reopens |
| 1999 | Fitness Center (“W”) reopens
Sawyer International Airport opens |
| 2004 | Air Force completes transfer of property at Sawyer |
| 2009 | Sawyer Community Alliance formed
“W” closes |
| 2010 | Census completed – population 2,624 (2000 census was 1,443)
KI Sawyer Community Watch organized |
| 2011 | Red Fox Inn complex closes |
| 2011 | Community garden opens |
| 2012 | Banshee Park opens
1st Little Trout Lake community event (fish planting) |
| 2012 | 1,160 active utility meters |
| 2013 | 2nd “Fishing with Friends” event Building removal project complete on Panther, leaving 15 acres cleared |
| 2014 | KI Sawyer Community Center opens
3rd “Fishing with Friends” event |
Some of the first Sawyer businesses
- American Eagle Airlines
- Boreal Aviation
- Holli Lumber (now Potlatch)
- Shopette
- Superior Extrusion
Community Groups
- K.I. Sawyer Community Association (KISCA)
No longer active
- Sawyer Operations Authority (SOA)Established a governmental partnership that includes Marquette County, Forsyth Township, and West Branch TownshipDormant in 2009, reactivated in October, 2017 per votes of West Branch and Forsyth townships
- Sawyer Community Alliance
Active since February, 2009