Montmorency County, Michigan

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File:1842 Okkuddo Cheonoquet Anamickee Shawwano Oscoda Negwegon counties Michigan.jpg

1842 map, showing Montmorency County as Cheonoquet, the county's name from 1840 to 1843.<ref name="Newberry" />

Montmorency County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,153,<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> making it the second-least populous county in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, behind its southern neighbor, Oscoda County. The county seat is Atlanta.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Montmorency County is part of Northern Michigan, and is part of the Lake Huron watershed. The Thunder Bay River, which drains much of the county, flows to Lake Huron's Thunder Bay at Alpena.

History

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The county was created by the Michigan Legislature in 1840 as Cheonoquet County,<ref name="Newberry">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> after a well-known Chippewa (also known as Ojibwa) Chief, whose name meant Big Cloud.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Cheonoquet took part in Indian treaties in 1807, 1815, 1825 and 1837.<ref name=MCG>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=MC>Template:Usurped</ref> Renamed Montmorency County on March 8, 1843,<ref name=Newberry/> it was originally spelled Montmorenci, and historians conjecture this reflects the area's French-Canadian influence: the French Duke of Montmorency purchased a lieutenant governorship in Canada and the first archbishop of Canada—Montmorency-Laval—both could be influences on the county's name. (There was no "Count Morenci" aiding the American Revolution). The county was organized in 1881.<ref name=Clarke/> The reason for the change in spelling is subject to some dispute.<ref name=MC/> See List of Michigan county name etymologies. The name Montmorency probably means Mountain Moor. Montmorency is a boggy land or moor that is at the top of a broad mount or highland. When the county was organized in 1881, some land area was taken from Cheboygan and Alpena counties. Three townships were divided: Briley, Montmorency and Rust. By 1901 Albert, Hillman Township and Wheatfield were added. Brush Creek, now known as Hillman, was the first county seat. In 1891 the county seat was moved to Atlanta.<ref name=MCG/>

File:Outline Map of Montmorency County, Michigan (1903).jpg

Montmorency County map published in 1903 Plat book of Alpena, Presque Isle and Montmorency Counties

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (2.8%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Although it lies on Michigan's Lower Peninsula, Montmorency County is considered to be part of Northern Michigan.

Most of the county is covered by state forest land. There is an abundance of lakes, such as Long Lake. Glaciers shaped the area, creating a unique regional ecosystem. A large portion of the area is the Grayling outwash plain, a broad outwash plain including sandy ice-disintegration ridges, jack pine barrens, some white pine-red pine forest, and northern hardwood forest. Large lakes were created by glacial action.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent counties

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Presque Isle County - northeast
Alpena County - east
Alcona County - southeast
Oscoda County - south
Crawford County - southwest
Otsego County - west
Cheboygan County - northwest

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Major highways

There are no traffic lights in Montmorency County, although a few blinking lights exist at highway junctions.

Communities

Village

Hillman

Census-designated places

Townships

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Other unincorporated communities

Demographics

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As of the 2000 United States census,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> there were 10,315 people, 4,455 households, and 3,047 families residing in the county. In 2020, its population declined to 9,153.

Economy

Dairy products and dry beans are an important part of the county's agricultural production. Service industry and retail trade relating to tourism make up most of the economic base in this rural area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Boating, fishing, and other outdoor activities are offered in abundance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Government

Voters in Montmorency County favored Democratic Party nominees at the start, but since 1896 have usually voted for the Republican Party. Republican Party nominees have garnered the Montmorency County vote 76% of the time (26 of 34 elections). Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health 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

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Prosecuting Attorney: Vicki Klindinger
Sheriff: Chad Brown
County Clerk: Cheryl A. Neilsen
County Treasurer: Jean Klein
Register of Deeds: Teresa Walker
Drain Commissioner: Jim Zavislak
Road Commissioners: Joseph R. LaFleche; Theodore Orm; Linda Hicks

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Recreation

Atlanta is the "Elk Capital of Michigan".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Every year during opening day of Elk hunting season the largest bagged are displayed at the "buck pole" on the town's central square. During the off season, driving around in the wilderness surrounding Atlanta looking for these graceful creatures becomes a pastime of locals, cottagers, and tourists.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rainbow trout, brook trout, steelhead, perch, bass and other pan fish abound. The county is a hotbed of fly fishing and angling on the edge of some world-class streams and rivers.
White tail deer hunting is a popular local activity and the firearms deer season opening (November 15) being noted as a holiday to some residents, with schools being closed on opening day.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Most of the land in Montmorency County is controlled by state or federal government, making the county a popular hunting area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Snow shoeing, cross-country skiing and snow mobile riding are popular outdoor activities. The Sno*Drift rallying race is held on snowy surfaces in February.
Morel mushroom hunting is a local pastime and attracts many tourists.
There are many recurring events throughout the area,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> such as the annual sled dog races held near the end of January on Clear Lake State Park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

ORV/ATV and snowmobile trails are some of the state's best. Many areas are designated as "trail mazes" on some maps.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Montmorency County is one of the few counties that allow ATVs on public county roads, thus creating access for fuel, food and various hotels to Hillman, Atlanta, and Lewiston.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The main trail system incorporates a scenic Elk tour and various levels of ATV trails.

Media

The newspaper of record for Montmorency County is the Montmorency County Tribune.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Endangered species

Montmorency County is home to Michigan's most endangered species and one of the most endangered species in the world: the Hungerford's crawling water beetle. The species lives in only five locations in the world, two of which are in Montmorency County, both inside the Mackinaw State Forest. The first site is along the East Branch of the Black River where two adult beetles were found in surveys in 1989 and two more again in 1996. In July 1999, six additional adult beetles were identified in the county living in Van Hetton Creek. This latter find was significant as it represented a new location beyond those originally identified when the Hungerford's crawling water beetle was categorized as endangered on March 7, 1994, under the provisions of the US Endangered Species Act. The Van Hetton Creek sighting therefore provides the possibility that more of these very rare beetles might be found elsewhere in Montmorency County.