Charlevoix County ( ) is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 26,054. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Charlevoix.

History

1840s: surveyed and organized as Keskkauko County

Between 1840 and 1841, surveyors

William Austin Burt William Austin Burt (June 13, 1792 – August 18, 1858) was an American scientist, inventor, legislator, millwright, justice of the peace, school inspector, postmaster, judge, builder, businessman, surveyor and soldier. He first was a builder o ...

, John Mullett and Charles W. Cathcart, surveyed much of

Northern Michigan Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan (known colloquially to residents of more southerly parts of the state and summer residents from cities such as Detroit as " Up North"), is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. A popul ...

. Cathcart oversaw the internal lines survey for 34N 08W, the region which would later be known as Charlevoix. Mullett and Cathcart laid out many of the townships in the new county including Charlevoix Township. The county was originally organized in 1840 as Kesk-kauko in honor of a great chief of the Saginaw tribe, and name was changed from Resh-kanko to Charlevoix County in 1843.* The county was named in 1843 for

Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, S.J. ( la, Petrus Franciscus-Xaverius de Charlevoix; 24 or 29 October 1682 – 1 February 1761) was a French Jesuit priest, traveller, and historian, often considered the first historian of New France. He ha ...

, a Jesuit missionary of the French colonial era.

1853: Strangites gain power and re-organize Keskkauko into Emmet County

In 1847, a group of "Strangite" Mormons settled on Beaver Island and established a "kingdom" led by "King" James Jesse Strang. There were bitter disputes between Strang's followers and other white settlers. Strang, seeking to strengthen his position, gained election to the Michigan State House of Representatives. In January 1853, he pushed through legislation titled, "An act to organize the County of Emmet", which enlarged Emmet County by attaching the nearby Lake Michigan islands to Emmet county, as well as a portion of Cheboygan County and Keskkauko/Resh-kanko/ Charlevoix. Charlevoix was thus organized in 1853 as a township under Emmet County and consisted all of the nine townships in the southern half of Emmet County.

Popular dissatisfaction with Mormon power

Due to Strang's influence, Mormons came to dominate Emmet county government, causing an exodus of many non-Mormon settlers to neighboring areas. In 1855, the non-Mormon resistance succeeded in getting the Michigan Legislature to reorganize Emmet County. The islands, including Beaver Island and

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

and South Manitou Islands, were transferred into the separate Manitou County, which effectively eliminated Mormons from Emmet County government. After an assassination attempt on June 20, 1856, Strang died three weeks later.

Charlevoix Township splits off to become Charlevoix County in 1869

Emmet County continued to experience tensions as citizens clashed over whether to put the county seat at Little Traverse (Harbor Springs) versus Mackinaw City. In a contested election in 1867, residents voted to move the county seat to Charlevoix, which was upheld by a Circuit Court decision in 1868. However, in 1869, Charlevoix County was split from Emmet County, resulting in Charlevoix being the official county seat for Emmet county as well as for the newly formed Charlevoix County.

County seat wars – Charlevoix vs East Jordan vs Boyne City

In 1873, the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad was completed through the eastern side of Charlevoix county up to Petoskey, and the east side of Pine Lake became more and more populated. For example, Resort Township and

Springvale Township, Michigan Springvale Township is a civil township of Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,146 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and ...

were formed in 1880 as a part of Charlevoix County. As new townships became established, Boyne City colluded with East Jordan to gain a requisite 2/3 majority of township supervisors to vote to move the county seat to East Jordan. In October 1884, 11 of the existing 16 township supervisors designated East Jordan to be the county seat. In October 1886, Boyne City convinced 2/3 of township supervisors to move the county seat to Boyne City. Finally, in a January 1897 land deal with Emmet County and the state legislature, Charlevoix County took on three townships on Beaver Island while giving up Resort, Bear Lake, and Springvale townships to Emmet County. The resulting balance of township supervisor votes gave the City of Charlevoix enough votes to obtain the county seat after a 13-year hiatus.

Other history

The

Ironton Ferry Ironton Ferry is a four-car cable ferry that crosses a narrow point on the South Arm of Lake Charlevoix in the U.S. state of Michigan in the unincorporated community of Ironton. The ferry connects Ironton, located about from Charlevoix, to ...

began operation in 1876, and Ironton soon became a location for iron manufacture. There are ten Michigan state historical markers in the county, and the area was once home to a thriving culture of

Odawa The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ), said to mean "traders", are an Indigenous American ethnic group who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, commonly known as the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. They h ...

fishers, hunters, and fur trappers.: * Big Rock Point Nuclear Power Plant *

Boyne City Boyne City () is a city in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,816 at the 2020 census. The city is located at the southeastern end of Lake Charlevoix where Boyne River drains into the lake. History The area ...

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelica ...

* Charlevoix Depot * Greensky Hill Mission * Horace S. Harsha House * Horton Bay * John Porter and Eva Porter Estate * Mormon Kingdom *

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into se ...

Print Shop * Norwood Township Hall

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (70%) is water. It is the fourth-smallest county in Michigan by land area. Lake Charlevoix, with surface area and of shoreline, is a very prominent feature of the county.

Gull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century ...

, Hat, Pismire, and

Shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from cultur ...

Islands, which are part of the Beaver Island archipelago, form the

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

division of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and two of them are part of the Michigan Islands Wilderness Area. The county is considered to be part of

Adjacent counties

* Emmet County (north) *

Cheboygan County Cheboygan County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 25,579. The county seat is Cheboygan. The county boundaries were set off in 1840, with land partitioned from Mackinac County. The Cheb ...

(northeast) * Otsego County (southeast) * Antrim County (south) * Leelanau County (southwest) * Schoolcraft County (northwest)

National protected area

* Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Transportation

State highways

* * * * *

County-designated highways

* * * * * *

Airports

* Beaver Island is served by two airlines: **

Welke Airport Welke Airport is a privately-owned, public use airport located on Beaver Island in Charlevoix County, Michigan, United States. Scheduled passenger service to Charlevoix Municipal Airport in Charlevoix, Michigan, is provided by Island Airways. ...

Beaver Island Airport Beaver Island Airport is a public use airport located on Beaver Island in Charlevoix County, Michigan, United States. It is owned by St. James Township and Peaine Township. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Nationa ...

Ferry service

* Beaver Island Boat Company maintains a regular auto ferry from Charlevoix: * The

at Ironton, Michigan crosses the south arm of Lake Charlevoix. It is a designated Michigan Historical Site and has been in operation since 1876.

Bus service

Indian Trails Indian Trails, Inc. is an inter-city bus company based in Owosso, Michigan, with offices in Romulus (in Metro Detroit) and Kalamazoo. History Indian Trails was founded in 1910 in Owosso as the Phillips-Taylor Livery Service, whose main busi ...

provides intercity bus service with stops in the city of Charlevoix and

Boyne Falls Boyne Falls is a village in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 358 at the 2020 census. The village is located within Boyne Valley Township. History Boyne Falls was first settled with the coming of the Grand Ra ...

. * County-wide

dial-a-ride Demand-responsive transport (DRT), also known as demand-responsive transit, demand-responsive service,
US National Trans ...

bus service is provided by the Charlevoix County Transit System.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 26,090 people, 10,400 households, and 7,311 families residing in the county. The population density was 63 people per square mile (24/km²). There were 15,370 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.31%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.17%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.54% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.09%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.41% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 1.04% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. 21.8% were of German, 12.0% English, 11.0% American, 10.6% Irish and 8.4% Polish ancestry. 97.3% spoke English and 1.1% Spanish as their first language. There were 10,400 households, out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were married couples living together, 8.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.80% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.96. In the county, 25.90% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $39,788, and the median income for a family was $46,260. Males had a median income of $32,457 versus $22,447 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,130. About 5.40% of families and 8.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.00% of those under age 18 and 5.90% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The county government operates the

jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, English language in England, standard English, Australian English, Australian, and Huron Historic Gaol, historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention cen ...

, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains

vital records Vital records are records of life events kept under governmental authority, including birth certificates, marriage licenses (or marriage certificates), separation agreements, divorce certificates or divorce party and death certificates. In some ...

, administers

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

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. Charlevoix is part of the 114th district.

Communities

Cities

* Charlevoix (county seat) * East Jordan

Village

Civil townships

* Bay Township * Boyne Valley Township * Chandler Township * Charlevoix Township * Evangeline Township * Eveline Township * Hayes Township * Hudson Township * Marion Township * Melrose Township * Norwood Township * Peaine Township * South Arm Township * St. James Township * Wilson Township

Census-designated places

* Advance *

Bay Shore Bay Shore is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Islip, New York, United States. It is situated on the South Shore of Long Island, adjoining the Great South Bay. The population of the CDP was 29,244 at the time of the 20 ...

* Horton Bay * Ironton * Norwood * St. James * Walloon Lake

Indian reservations

Charlevoix County contains portions of two Indian reservations, both of which are branches of the federally-recognized

tribe. The

Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians ( oj, Gichi-wiikwedong Odaawaag miina ojibweg) is a federally recognized Native American tribe located in northwest Michigan on the Leelanau Peninsula. Sam McClellan is the current tribal ...

occupies a small reservation in southwest Evaline Township. The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians has four scattered reservations throughout the county—three small sections in Hayes Township and one isolated section in St. James Township on Beaver Island.

References

External links

Charlevoix County web site

Charlevoix Area Chamber of commerce, with links, calendar of events
* {{Coord, 45.47, -85.46, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MI_source:UScensus1990 Michigan counties Populated places established in 1869 1869 establishments in Michigan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)