Misplaced Pages

Mackinac County
County
The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46°01′N 85°01′W / 46.01°N 85.01°W / 46.01; -85.01
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	October 26, 1818 organized 1849
Named for	Straits of Mackinac
Seat	St. Ignace
Largest city	St. Ignace
Area
• Total	2,101 sq mi (5,440 km)
• Land	1,022 sq mi (2,650 km)
• Water	1,079 sq mi (2,790 km)  51%
Population
• Total	10,834
• Density	11/sq mi (4/km)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.mackinaccounty.net

Mackinac County (/ˈmækənɔː/ MAK-ə-naw, locally /ˈmækənə/ MAK-ə-nə) is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,834. The county seat is St. Ignace. Formerly known as Michilimackinac County, in 1818 it was one of the first counties of the Michigan Territory, as it had long been a center of French and British colonial fur trading, a Catholic church and Protestant mission, and associated settlement.

The county's name is shortened from "Michilimackinac", which referred to the Straits of Mackinac area as well as the French settlement at the tip of the lower peninsula. Mackinac County is one of two U.S. counties to feature shorelines on two Great Lakes, being Lake Huron and Lake Michigan (the other county being neighboring Chippewa County).

History

Michilimackinac County was created on October 26, 1818, by proclamation of territorial governor Lewis Cass. The county originally encompassed the Lower Peninsula of Michigan north of Macomb County and almost the entire present Upper Peninsula. As later counties were settled and organized, they were divided from this territory.

On April 1, 1840, areas in the Lower Peninsula were laid off to create 30 new counites. By 1841, the County of Michilimackinac was confined to the Upper Peninsula and its nearby islands, bordering Chippewa and Menominee counties.

On March 9, 1843, Michigan further divided the Upper Peninsula into six counties. At this time, the County of Michilimackinac more closely resembled its modern configuration, including only a portion of the Upper Peninsula closest to the Straits of Mackinac, plus several islands.

At the time of founding, the county seat was the community of Michilimackinac Island on Michilimackinac Island, later known as Mackinac Island, Michigan. This has been an important center for fur trading before the 1830s, when European demand declined. The county was organized in 1849 as Mackinac County. In 1882 the county seat was moved from Mackinac Island to St. Ignace, Michigan, which had been founded as a French Jesuit mission village during the colonial years.

Mackinac County is home to the Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians, a Native American state recognized tribe located in St. Ignace.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,101 square miles (5,440 km), of which 1,022 square miles (2,650 km) is land and 1,079 square miles (2,790 km) (51%) is water. Mackinac County lies at the boundary of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

St. Ignace is the northern terminus of the Mackinac Bridge. Mackinac Island is within the county.

Due to its sparse population, the county has no weather stations.

Adjacent counties

By land

• Chippewa County (northeast)
• Luce County (northwest)
• Schoolcraft County (west)

By water

• Presque Isle County (southeast)
• Cheboygan County (south)
• Emmet County (south)
• Charlevoix County (southwest)

National protected area

• Hiawatha National Forest (part)

Communities

Cities

• Mackinac Island
• St. Ignace (county seat)

Civil townships

• Bois Blanc Township
• Brevort Township
• Clark Township
• Garfield Township
• Hendricks Township
• Holmes Township (Defunct)
• Hudson Township
• Marquette Township
• Moran Township
• Newton Township
• Portage Township
• St. Ignace Township

Census-designated place

• Naubinway

Unincorporated communities

• Allenville
• Brevort
• Caffey
• Caffey Corner
• Cedarville
• Charles
• Curtis
• Engadine
• Epoufette
• Evergreen Shores
• Garnet
• Gilchrist
• Gould City
• Gros Cap
• Hessel
• Huntspur
• Kenneth
• Millecoquins
• Moran
• Ozark
• Patrick Landing
• Pickford
• Pointe Aux Pins
• Pontchartrain Shores
• Port Dolomite
• Port Inland
• Rexton
• Rockview
• Simmons

Indian reservations

• Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians
• The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, which is headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie in Chippewa County to the north, occupies two small territories within Mackinac County. One is located in St. Ignace Township about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the city of St. Ignace on the shores of Lake Huron. The other portion is located in rural northwest Clark Township.

Demographics

The 2010 United States census reported that Mackinac County had a population of 11,113, a decrease of 830 (-6.9%) from the 2000 census. In 2010 there were 5,024 households and 3,219 families in the county. The population density was 11 per square mile (4.2/km). There were 11,010 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4.2/km)>). Racially, 76.5% of the population were White, 17.3% Native American, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% of some other race and 5.3% of two or more races; 1.1% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). Culturally, 18.5% were of German, 8.8% English, 8.0% French, French Canadian or Cajun, 7.6% Irish and 5.1% Polish ancestry. By the 2020 census, its population was 10,834.

In 2010, there were 5,024 households, of which 20.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.7. Among them, 18.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 19.3% from 25 to 44, 34.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. The population was 50.5% male and 49.5% female.

The median household income was $39,055 and the median family income was $50,984. The per capita income was $22,195. About 10.5% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.3% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Religiously, Christianity is the predominant religion for the county and region of the Upper Peninsula. Mackinac County is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette.

Education

School districts include:

K-12:

• Engadine Consolidated Schools
• Les Cheneaux Community Schools
• Mackinac Island Public Schools
• Pickford Public Schools
• Rudyard Area Schools
• St. Ignace Area Schools
• Tahquamenon Area Schools

Elementary:

• Bois Blanc Pines School District
• Moran Township School District

Media

Newspapers

• The Mackinac Island Town Crier is the weekly seasonal newspaper of Mackinac Island.
• The St. Ignace News is the weekly newspaper for the Upper Peninsula area of the Mackinac Straits.

Television

The following television stations can be received in St. Ignace:

• Channel 4:WTOM-TV "TV 7&4" (NBC) (Cheboygan) (simulcasted in Channel 7, Harrietta)
• Channel 8:WGTQ "ABC 29&8" (ABC) (Goetzville) (simulcasted in Channel 29, Kalkaska)
• Channel 10:WWUP-TV "9&10 News" (CBS) (Goetzville) (simulcasted in Channel 9, Tustin)

Radio

The following stations can be heard in St. Ignace:

FM

AM

Government

Mackinac County is reliably Republican. Since the 1964 landslide of Lyndon B. Johnson, it has only supported a Democrat twice, and neither time with a majority of the vote. Bill Clinton won the county in his 1992 and 1996 victories; the latter remains the last time a Democratic presidential candidate has won the county.

The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget but has only limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions — police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. — are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.

Elected officials

• Prosecuting Attorney: J. Stuart Spencer
• Sheriff: Edward Wilk
• County Clerk: Hillary Vowell
• County Treasurer: Jennifer Goudreau
• Register of Deeds: Mary Jo Savard
• County Surveyor: Jeffrey M. Davis

(information as of April 2015)

Historical markers

There are 34 official state historical markers in the county:

• Across the Peninsula
• American Fur Company Store
• Battlefield of 1814
• Biddle House
• Bois Blanc Island
• British Cannon
• British Landing
• Early Missionary Bark Chapel
• Epoufette
• Fort de Buade
• Fort Holmes
• Grand Hotel
• Gros Cap Island & St. Helena Island
• Historic Fort Mackinac
• Indian Dormitory
• Island House (Mackinac Island)
• Lake Michigan
• Lake View Hotel
• Little Stone Church
• Mackinac Conference
• Mackinac Island
• Mackinac Straits
• Market Street
• Mission Church
• Mission House
• Northernmost Point of Lake Michigan
• Old Agency House
• Round Island Lighthouse
• Sainte Anne Church
• St. Ignace
• St. Ignace Mission
• Skull Cave
• Trinity Church (Mackinac Island)
• Wawashkamo Golf Club

Transportation

Airports

The Mackinac County Airport (83D) in St. Ignace and Mackinac Island Airport (MCD) on Mackinac Island are located within Mackinac County. The nearest airports with scheduled commercial passenger service are Chippewa County International Airport (CIU) in Sault Ste. Marie and Pellston Regional Airport (PLN).

Major highways

• I-75
• BL I-75
• US 2
• M-48
• M-117
• M-123
• M-129
• M-134
• M-185
• H-33
• H-40
• H-42
• H-57
• H-63

M-185 does not allow motor vehicles with the exception of emergency vehicles and service vehicles.

Ferry

Numerous companies operate ferries to Bois Blanc Island and Mackinac Island. Ferries to and from Mackinac Island sail from St. Ignace and Mackinaw City, while the Bois Blanc Island ferry sails from Cheboygan.

Rail

• Canadian National Railway

Attractions

• British Landing
• Fort Mackinac
• Garlyn Zoo
• Straits State Park
• Deer Ranch
• Castle Rock (Michigan)

See also

• List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Mackinac County, Michigan
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Mackinac County, Michigan

References

1. ^ "Bibliography on Mackinac County". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
2. "Mackinac Early History". Archived from the original on July 21, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
3. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
5. George Dawson (1840). Acts of the Legislature of the State of Michigan Passed at the Annual Session of 1840. Detroit. pp. 196–200.
6. H. S. Tanner (1841). Tanner's Universal Atlas. Philadelphia: Carey & Hart (published 1844). p. 25.
7. Ellis & Briggs (1843). Local Acts of the Legislature of the State of Michigan Passed at the Annual Session of 1843. Detroit. p. 201.
8. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
9. United States Census Bureau. "Michigan County Subdivision Outline Map" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
10. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
11. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
12. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
13. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
14. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
15. "US Census website". Retrieved July 6, 2013.
16. "American FactFinder"
17. Floline Media LLC. "Diocese of Marquette :: home". dioceseofmarquette.org. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
18. David M. Cheney. "Marquette (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". catholic-hierarchy.org.
19. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Mackinac County, MI" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022. - Text list
20. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
21. "Departments | Mackinac County". October 25, 2013.
22. Michigan Bar Journal. State Bar of Michigan. April 2015. p. 107.
23. "Michigan Historical Markers". michmarkers.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
24. "Wawashkamo Golf Club Mackinac Island".
25. "Pellston Regional Airport Serving Northern Michigan Emmet County". pellstonairport.com.

Bibliography

• "Bibliography on Mackinac County". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
• Wood, Edwin Orin (1918). Historic Mackinac : the historical, picturesque and legendary features of the Mackinac country : illustrated from sketches, drawings, maps and photographs, with an original map of Mackinac Island, made especially for this work: in two volumes. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
• Wood, Edwin Orin (1918). Historic Mackinac : the historical, picturesque and legendary features of the Mackinac country : illustrated from sketches, drawings, maps and photographs, with an original map of Mackinac Island, made especially for this work: in two volumes. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan. Retrieved April 20, 2014.

External links

• Mackinac County government
• Mackinac County Profile, Sam M Cohodas Regional Economist, Tawni Hunt Ferrarini, Ph.D.
• A History of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Fuller, George N.
• St. Ignace visitor's bureau

v t e Places adjacent to Mackinac County, Michigan
Luce County Chippewa County Chippewa County Schoolcraft County Mackinac County Chippewa County Lake Michigan; Charlevoix County Emmet County / Cheboygan County Lake Huron; Presque Isle County

v t e Municipalities and communities of Mackinac County, Michigan, United States
County seat: St. Ignace
Cities	Mackinac Island St. Ignace
Civil townships	Bois Blanc Brevort Clark Garfield Hendricks Holmes (defunct) Hudson Marquette Moran Newton Portage St. Ignace
CDP	Naubinway
Other communities	Allenville Brevort Caffey Caffey Corner Cedarville Charles Corinne Curtis Engadine Epoufette Evergreen Shores Garnet Gilchrist Gould City Gros Cap Hessel Huntspur Kenneth Millecoquins Moran Ozark Patrick Landing Pickford‡ Pointe Aux Pins Pontchartrain Shores Port Dolomite Port Inland‡ Rexton Rockview Simmons
Indian reservations	Mackinac Indian Reservation‡ Sault Ste. Marie Reservation‡
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Michigan portal United States portal

v t e State of Michigan
Lansing (capital)
Topics	Climate change Congressional delegation Cuisine Fauna Geography Government Highways History Index Islands Law Lighthouses Municipalities Museums National Historic Landmarks National Register of Historic Places listings People State Historic Sites State parks Symbols Tallest buildings Timeline Tourist attractions
Society	Abortion Cannabis Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Elections Homelessness LGBT rights Gun laws Politics
Regions	Upper Peninsula Copper Country Gogebic Range Keweenaw Peninsula Lower Peninsula Central Michigan Metro Detroit Michiana Northern Michigan Southeast Michigan The Thumb West Michigan
Largest municipalities	Ann Arbor Battle Creek Bloomfield Township Canton Chesterfield Township Clinton Township Commerce Township Dearborn Dearborn Heights Detroit East Lansing Farmington Hills Flint Georgetown Township Grand Blanc Township Grand Rapids Holland Township Independence Township Kalamazoo Kentwood Lansing Lincoln Park Livonia Macomb Township Meridian Township Midland Muskegon Novi Orion Township Pittsfield Township Pontiac Portage Redford Rochester Hills Roseville Royal Oak Saginaw Saginaw Township St. Clair Shores Shelby Township Southfield Sterling Heights Taylor Troy Warren Waterford Township West Bloomfield Westland Wyoming Ypsilanti Township
Counties	Alcona Alger Allegan Alpena Antrim Arenac Baraga Barry Bay Benzie Berrien Branch Calhoun Cass Charlevoix Cheboygan Chippewa Clare Clinton Crawford Delta Dickinson Eaton Emmet Genesee Gladwin Gogebic Grand Traverse Gratiot Hillsdale Houghton Huron Ingham Ionia Iosco Iron Isabella Jackson Kalamazoo Kalkaska Kent Keweenaw Lake Lapeer Leelanau Lenawee Livingston Luce Mackinac Macomb Manistee Marquette Mason Mecosta Menominee Midland Missaukee Monroe Montcalm Montmorency Muskegon Newaygo Oakland Oceana Ogemaw Ontonagon Osceola Oscoda Otsego Ottawa Presque Isle Roscommon Saginaw Sanilac Schoolcraft Shiawassee St. Clair St. Joseph Tuscola Van Buren Washtenaw Wayne Wexford
Michigan portal

46°01′N 85°01′W / 46.01°N 85.01°W / 46.01; -85.01

• Michigan counties
• Mackinac County, Michigan
• Michigan placenames of Native American origin
• 1849 establishments in Michigan
• Populated places established in 1849