Schoolcraft County

Not much is known of the early history of the area that is now Schoolcraft County, but archeological findings have determined that people lived in the area as far back as 500 B.C.

Father Francis Baraga established a mission in the region in 1634, for the purpose of converting the Indians who were living in the region at the time.

Schoolcraft County is located in the mideastern portion of the Upper Peninsula, along the northern shoreline of Lake Michigan. The county was named after Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, the first Indian Agent for the State of Michigan in the 1830s, and a major explorer and platter of the Upper Peninsula's undeveloped land at that time, who was deeply involved with all aspects of Upper Peninsula Indian history and folklore.

Schoolcraft County was established in 1843, and officially organized in 1871, with Manistique named the county seat.

Manistique was founded in 1871 by Schoolcraft, who named it after the Ojibawa name for the Monistique River, but when registered with the state, an error in spelling was made, so they let it stand. (Monistique means vermillion).

Once a major timber source at the turn of the century, dominated by Chicago lumber barons, Schoolcraft County has had to resort to tourism in order to survive. It has become a popular tourist area today, with people visiting the Siphon Bridge in Manistique, the County Seat, Indian Lake, Seney Wildlife Reservation, Palms Book State Park and Kitch-Iti-Kipi, Michigan's largest natural spring which produces crystal clear water. There are also many lakes and streams for fishing and canoeing, not to mention the pristine beaches along the Lake Michigan coastline.