Kalkaska County, Michigan

Kalkaska County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, its population was 17,939.<ref name=QF>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Kalkaska.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kalkaska County is part of the Traverse City metropolitan area. Although it is located on Michigan's Lower Peninsula, Kalkaska County is considered part of Northern Michigan.

History

File:1842 Leelenaw Omeena Negissee Wabbassee Okkuddo Shawwano counties Michigan.jpg

A detail from A New Map of Michigan with its Canals, Roads & Distances (1842) by Henry Schenck Tanner, showing Kalkaska County as "Wabbassee" (a misspelling of Wabassee, the county's name from 1840 to 1843.<ref name=Newberry/>) Several nearby counties are also shown with names that would later be changed.

Template:See also Kalkaska County, originally named Wabassee County, was separated from Michilimackinac County in 1840,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> renamed in 1843.<ref name=Newberry>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=clarke/> In 1851, Kalkaska County was attached to Grand Traverse County for legal purposes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The first settler in Kalkaska County was William Copeland, from England, who purchased land in the northwest corner of the county in 1855. Kalkaska County was organized in its own right on January 27, 1871. Crawford County was then temporarily attached to Kalkaska County for legal purposes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Etymology

The county's name is a pseudo-Native American word coined by Henry Schoolcraft, a Michigan geographer and ethnologist.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The name is thought to be a Chippewa word meaning flat or burned-over country. An alternative theory is that this is a neologism or neonym created by Henry Schoolcraft, originally spelled Calcasca. Some theorists suggest this is word play. Schoolcraft's family name had been Calcraft, and the Ks may have been added to make the name appear more like a Native American word.<ref>Michigan History, County Names.</ref>

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (1.9%) are covered by water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kalkaska sand, the state soil of Michigan, was named after the county because of the large amounts deposited in the area from glaciers in the Ice Age.

Kalkaska County has over 80 lakes and Template:Convert of streams and rivers. Much of the county is marshland. County elevation ranges from Template:Convert to about Template:Convert. This makes it one of the more uneven counties in the Lower Peninsula.

The Pere Marquette State Forest covers much of the county. 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>Michigan regional geology. Template:Webarchive</ref>

Lakes

• Torch Lake
• Starvation Lake
• Lake Skegemog
• Bear Lake
• Manistee Lake
• Grass Lake
• Rainbow Lake
• Blue Lake
• Cub Lake
• Twin Lake
• Little Twin Lake
• Pickerel Lake
• Squaw Lake
• Indian Lake
• Perch Lake
• Crawford Lake
• Lost Lake
• Johnson Rd Lake
• Log Lake
• Selkirk Lake
• Kettle Lake
• Lake Placid
• Sand Lake
• Twenty Eight Lakes
• East Lake
• Long Lake
• Lake Five
• Wheeler Lake
• Fife Lake

Rivers

• Boardman River
• Little Rapid River
• Manistee River
• Rapid River
• Torch River

Major highways

• Template:Jct – runs NE through the western part of the county. Enters at Template:Convert north of SW corner; exits into Antrim County near midpoint of north county line.
• Template:Jct – runs north–south through west-central part of county. Passes Kalkaska.
• Template:Jct – runs east and ESE through middle portion of county. Passes Kalkaska.

Adjacent counties

• Antrim County – north
• Otsego County – northeast
• Crawford County – east
• Roscommon County – southeast
• Missaukee County – south
• Wexford County – southwest
• Grand Traverse County – west

Communities

File:Kalkaska County, MI census map.png

U.S. Census data map showing local municipal boundaries within Kalkaska County

Village

• Kalkaska (county seat)

Civil townships

• Bear Lake Township
• Blue Lake Township
• Boardman Township
• Clearwater Township
• Coldsprings Township
• Excelsior Township
• Garfield Township
• Kalkaska Township
• Oliver Township
• Orange Township
• Rapid River Township
• Springfield Township

Former townships

• Glade Township
• Wilson Township

Census-designated places

• Bear Lake
• Manistee Lake
• Rapid City
• South Boardman

Unincorporated communities

• Barker Creek
• Crofton
• Darragh
• Houseman
• Leetsville
• Lodi
• Sigma
• Spencer
• Torch RiverTemplate:Div col end

Demographics

At the 2010 United States census<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> there were 16,571 people, 6,428 households, and 4,634 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 10,822 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. By the 2020 census, its population was 17,939.

In 2010, the racial makeup of the county was 98.44% White, 0.21% Black or African American, 0.78% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, 0.86% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.6% were of German, 12.4% English, 10.4% Irish, 10.0% American, 6.3% Polish and 5.1% French ancestry. 98.8% spoke English as their first language.

Government

Kalkaska County voters have been reliably Republican from the start. They have selected the Republican Party nominee in 86% of national elections (31 of 36). 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.

Events

The National Trout Festival is an annual festival since 1936, held in April. It notes the heritage and sportsmanship of Kalkaska.<ref>National Trout festival, and picture of 'the trout.'</ref>

Education

The Northwest Educational Services, based in Traverse City, services the students in the county along with those of Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, and Leelanau. The intermediate school district offers regional special education services, early education and English learner programs, and technical career pathways for students of its districts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Kalkaska County is served by the following regular public school districts:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• Excelsior Township School District #1
• Forest Area Community Schools
• Kalkaska Public Schools

See also

• List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Kalkaska County, Michigan
• Westwood Cemetery (Michigan)

Further reading

• Kalkaska Genealogical Society: Big Trout, Black Gold: History of Kalkaska County MI

External links

• Template:Official website