Gladwin 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 ...

located in 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 25,386. 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 Gladwin.

History

Prehistory

Gladwin County is a headwaters area. Most of the water that flows out of the county via the Tittabawassee River comes from Gladwin County, only a very small portion flows in from Clare or Roscommon counties. Native Americans crossed this area, and even spent summers here where the fishing was good and summer berries plentiful. Research is underway to determine the importance of an ancient trail that was noted by the crew of the 1839 re-survey of Township 17 north Range 2 west, which later became Beaverton Township. The eastern terminus of the "Muskegon River Trail" was plotted at the confluence of the three branches of the Tobacco (Assa-mo-quoi-Sepe) River in the northwest corner of Section 12. It is possible that an early cross-country route from Saginaw Bay to Lake Michigan proceeded up the Saginaw, Tittabawassee, and Tobacco Rivers to a point west across Ross Lake from the Beaverton City Cemetery. At that point, the canoes would be portaged along the trail to the Muskegon River, then floated down to Lake Michigan. Many native artifacts have been found along that route that attest to seasonal occupation, but so far no signs have been found to indicate a permanent settlement.

European arrival

The earliest documented visitors to the area were surveyors who platted the lands under provision of the 1787

Northwest Ordinance The Northwest Ordinance (formally An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States, North-West of the River Ohio and also known as the Ordinance of 1787), enacted July 13, 1787, was an organic act of the Congress of the Co ...

. Most of the early work was completed during the 1830s, although some of the survey work was faulty - the surveyors reportedly doubted that the area would ever be settled. The earliest census to mention residents in the area was in 1860. The county is named for Henry Gladwin, British military commandant at Detroit in 1763 during

Pontiac's War Pontiac's War (also known as Pontiac's Conspiracy or Pontiac's Rebellion) was launched in 1763 by a confederation of Native Americans who were dissatisfied with British rule in the Great Lakes region following the French and Indian War (1754– ...

. The county was set off and named in 1831, and its government was organized in 1875.

Sesquicentennial

The year 2011 marked 150 years since the first permanent settler of record, Marvel Secord, took up residence along the Tittabawassee River in what is now Secord Township. He was a trapper and trader who provided supplies to lumbering camps in the area. Another man, William Brayton, may have been an earlier settler; the 1860 census listed 14 residents, including two families with children. Of these, 11 were associated with lumbering camps that had begun to appear that year, and three were listed as "hunters." One of the "day laborers" at a camp had brought his wife to the area. The first issue of the ''Gladwin County Record'' (1878) mentions his of wheat under cultivation. His stepson, Dr. Russell E. Finch arrived in the area in 1875, becoming the county's first physician. William Brayton died in 1895. His claim to being the first permanent settler appears valid, except that just before the 1880 census was taken he and his wife went to Lynn, Massachusetts to care for his dying father. He returned to Gladwin after settling his father's estate in 1882, thus missing being included in the Gladwin County census for 1880.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.7%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in Michigan by total area. Gladwin County is sometimes considered to be a part of

Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula of the United States, U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said t ...

, and at other times is included in Northern Michigan.

Major highways

* runs north–south through the western part of the county. It runs south along the western county line from the county's northwestern corner for then runs east and south to Gladwin, then west and south to Beaverton. It exits the county from the southwestern county corner, running to an intersection with US 10. * enters the northeastern part of county south of the northeastern corner. It runs westerly through the northern part of county, then turns to run south through the center part of county. The highway passes White Star and Billings before exiting the south county line near its midpoint. * runs east–west through center part of county and passes Gladwin and White Star.

County designated highways

Adjacent counties

* Ogemaw County – northeast * Arenac County – east * Bay County – southeast * Midland County – south * Clare County – west * Isabella County – southwest * Roscommon County – northwest

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, of 2000, there were 26,023 people, 10,561 households, and 7,614 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 16,828 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.65%

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 ...

, 0.13%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.56% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.31% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 0.96% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 28.1% were of German, 11.5% American, 11.1% English, 9.4% Irish, 7.3% Polish and 6.4% French ancestry according to Census 2000. 96.3% spoke English, 1.7% German and 1.1% Spanish as their first language. There were 10,561 households, out of which 27.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.50% 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, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.90% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.85. The county population contained 23.20% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 24.20% from 25 to 44, 27.80% from 45 to 64, and 18.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 98.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,019, and the median income for a family was $37,090. Males had a median income of $33,871 versus $21,956 for females. 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 $16,614. About 10.40% of families and 13.80% 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 19.40% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Gladwin County has been reliably Republican from the beginning. Since 1884, the Republican Party nominee has carried the county vote in 86% of the elections (31 of 36 elections). The county government operates the

jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cr ...

, 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 ...

: Mark Toaz *

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 ...

: Michael Shea *

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 ...

: Constance White * County Treasurer: Christy VanTiem * Register of Deeds: Ann Manning-Clayton * Drain Commissioner: Terry Walters * Road Commissioners: Chuck Hinman * County Administrator: * Commissioner Dist. 1 – Mike Visnaw * Commissioner Dist. 2 – Alan Donaldson * Commissioner Dist. 3 – Tami O'Donnell * Commissioner Dist. 4 – Karen Moore * Commissioner Dist. 5 – Rick Grovel (information as of 2024)

Communities

Cities

* Beaverton * Gladwin (county seat)

Civil townships

* Beaverton Township * Bentley Township * Billings Township * Bourret Township * Buckeye Township * Butman Township * Clement Township * Gladwin Township * Grim Township * Grout Township * Hay Township * Sage Township * Secord Township * Sherman Township * Tobacco Township

Unincorporated communities

* Albright Shores * Billings * Butman * Dale * Estey * Hockaday * Lockwood Beach *

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

* Secord * Skeels * Sugar Rapids * White Star * Wildwood Shores * Winegars * Wooden Shoe Village

Ghost town

* Hard Luck

Education

The Clare-Gladwin Regional Education Service District, based in Clare, services the students in the county along with those of Clare County. The intermediate school district offers regional

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

services, early education and after-school programs, and technical career pathways for students of its districts. Gladwin County is served by the following regular

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public Primary school, primary or Secondary school, secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school dis ...

s: * Beaverton Schools * Gladwin Community Schools Gladwin County has the following

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

s: * Lilac Grove Amish School (

Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...

) * Meadow Brook (

) * Skeels Christian School (

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

) * Southwell Amish School (

)

References

External links

Gladwin County government

Gladwin City government

Beaverton City government

Gladwin County Chamber of Commerce

Gladwin County Economic Development Corp.

Gladwinmi.com
(hosted by the ''Gladwin County Record'') *
Gladwin County Historical Society

Gladwin County District Library

Gladwin Community Schools

Beaverton Rural Schools
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