Ontonagon County ( ) is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula b ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,816, making it Michigan's third-least populous county. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Ontonagon. The county was set off in 1843, and organized in 1848. Its territory had been organized as part of Chippewa and Mackinac counties. With increasing population in the area, more counties were organized. After Ontonagon was organized, it was split to create Gogebic County. It is also the westernmost county in United States that lies within the

Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 U.S. states, states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. * Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five ...

History

In 1843, Michigan's

was divided into Mackinac, Chippewa, Marquette, Schoolcraft,

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

, and Ontonagon Counties. In 1845, a portion of Ontonagon County was partitioned to be part of Houghton County. In 1846, the village of Ontonagon was named as the county seat of Ontonagon County. Ontonagon County is part of Copper Country, a region of the Upper Peninsula with prevalent

copper mining Copper extraction is the multi-stage process of obtaining copper from list of copper ores, its ores. The conversion of copper ores consists of a series of physical, chemical, and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with coun ...

from 1845 until the late 1960s. Prehistoric mining was conducted by local Native American populations. The first attempts by Europeans to mine copper in the area came in 1771 in the Ontonagon River. The Ontonagan Copper Boulder was removed from the west branch of the Ontonagon River and transported in 1842 to Detroit where it was weighed at 3708 pounds, thence to the Smithsonian Institution.History of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan – Ontonagon
Chicago: The Western Historical Company. A. T. Andreas, Proprietor 1883. Transcribed by Debi Hanes. Accessed via genealogytrails.com November 12, 2023. The last copper mine in Copper Country was the White Pine mine, which closed in 1995.

Etymology

The county is named after the Ontonagon River. The name is said to be loosely derived from an

Ojibwe language Ojibwe ( ), also known as Ojibwa ( ), Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an Indigenous languages of the Americas, indigenous la ...

word ''noojitoon ziibi'', meaning "hunting river." A French transliteration, ''Nantounagon,'' identified the river on a 1670 French map. Alternatively, and perhaps more accurately, it is said to be derived from the

Ojibwa The Ojibwe (; syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the northern plains, extending into the subarctic and thro ...

''onagon'', which means "dish" or "bowl." ''See'' List of Michigan county name etymologies.

Geography

According to the

US Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (65%) is water. It is the third-largest county in Michigan by area. Ontonagon County is located in the western

, along the shore of

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

. At a longitude of 89.5°W, it is the westernmost county in the United States contained entirely within the

Geographic features

Porcupine Mountains The Porcupine Mountains, or Porkies, are a group of small mountains spanning the northwestern Upper Peninsula of Michigan The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern ...

* Lake of the Clouds *

* Lake Gogebic is the largest lake in the

. * Corpse Pond * Ontonagon River * Firesteel River * Flintsteel River * Halfway Creek * Townline Creek * Maple Leaf Creek

Adjacent counties

By land * Houghton County (east) * Iron County (southeast; CST border) * Gogebic County (south, southwest; CST border) By water *

Ashland County, Wisconsin Ashland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,027. Its county seat is Ashland. The county was formed on March 27, 1860, from La Pointe County. The county partly overlaps with ...

(west; CST border) *

Cook County, Minnesota Cook County is the easternmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 5,600, making it Minnesota's seventh-least populous county. Its county seat is G ...

(northwest; CST border) * Keweenaw County (northeast)

National protected areas

Keweenaw National Historical Park Keweenaw National Historical Park is a unit of the U.S. National Park Service. Established in 1992, the park celebrates the life and history of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a federal-local ...

(part) *

Ottawa National Forest The Ottawa National Forest is a national forest that covers in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It includes much of Gogebic County, Michigan, Gogebic and Ontonagon County, Michigan, Ontonagon counties, as well as slices of Iro ...

(part)

Transportation

Major highways

* – runs north–south through east-central part of county. Enters south line from Watersmeet, passes Paulding, Bruce Crossing, and Rockland, ending at Ontonagon. * – enters east line of county at south of NE county corner. Runs SW, passing Mass City and Lake Mine, to intersection with M-38 east of Rockland. * – runs east–west thru southern part of county. Enters north of SE county corner. Runs westerly into Gogebic County. * – enters east line of county at a point east of Mass City. Runs west to Lake Mine, then WNW to terminus at Ontonagon. * – runs north–south through center part of county. Enters south line on west side of Lake Gogebic; runs north to Lake Superior shoreline. Runs NE along shoreline to terminus at Ontonagon.

Airport

Ontonagon County Airport (KOGM) serves the county and surrounding communities.

Demographics

The 2010 United States census indicated Ontonagon County had a population of 6,780. In 2010 there were 3,258 households and 1,954 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 5,672 housing units at an average density of . At the 2010 census, 97.3% of the population were

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

, 1.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.1% of some other race and 1.3% of two or more races. 0.9% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). By the publication of the 2020 census, its population declined to 5,816. In 2010, there were 3,258 households, out of which 15.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.61. The county population contained 15.8% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 16.7% from 25 to 44, 37.0% from 45 to 64, and 26.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52.7 years. The population is 51.6% male and 48.4% female. In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $34,786, and the median income for a family was $46,845. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $22,195. About 9.0% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 22.2% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over. At the 2021 census estimates, its median household income grew to $44,605.

Communities

Village

* Ontonagon (county seat)

Civil townships

* Bergland Township * Bohemia Township * Carp Lake Township * Greenland Township * Haight Township * Interior Township * Matchwood Township * McMillan Township * Ontonagon Township * Rockland Township * Stannard Township

Census-designated places

* Bergland * Bruce Crossing * Ewen *

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

* Lake Gogebic * Mass City * Rockland * White Pine

Unincorporated communities

Agate Agate ( ) is a banded variety of chalcedony. Agate stones are characterized by alternating bands of different colored chalcedony and sometimes include macroscopic quartz. They are common in nature and can be found globally in a large number of d ...

* Algonquin * Calderwood * Carp Lake * Craigsmere * Maple Grove * Matchwood * Paulding * Paynesville * Robbins * Trout Creek * Victoria

Ghost town

Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

Indian reservation

* The Ontonagon Indian Reservation, a branch of the Lake Superior Chippewa, has a reservation in the northeastern section of Ontonagon Township on the shores of Lake Superior. The reservation occupies of land but recorded no permanent population at the 2010 census.

Government

Ontonagon County is fairly balanced to Republican-leaning. Since 1876 its voters have selected the Republican Party nominee in 63% (24 of 38) of the national elections through 2024. The last Democrat to carry the county was

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

in 2008, and since then the Republican share of the vote has increased in every election. From 2016 onward, the Republican performance in the county has been the best since 1924. Ontonagon County operates the County jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, 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 de ...

regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has 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 A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in civil law. The prosecution is the legal party responsible ...

: Michael D. Findlay *

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

: Dale Rantala *

County Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keepin ...

/ Register of Deeds: Stacy C. Preiss * County Treasurer: Jeanne M. Pollard * Mine Inspector: Douglas RobertsOntonagon County - Offices
/ref> As of September 2018

References

External links

Ontonagon Chamber Of Commerce

Ontonagon County Website
{{Coord, 46.98, -89.27, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MI_source:UScensus1990 Michigan counties Michigan placenames of Native American origin 1848 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1848