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Presque Isle County, Michigan facts for kids

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Presque Isle County
U.S. county
Presque Isle County Courthouse in Onaway
Presque Isle County Courthouse in Onaway
Official seal of Presque Isle County
Seal
Map of Michigan highlighting Presque Isle County
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Map of the United States highlighting Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Michigan
Founded 1840 (created)
1871 (organized)
1875 (reorganized)
Seat Rogers City
Largest city Rogers City
Area
 • Total 2,573 sq mi (6,660 km2)
 • Land 659 sq mi (1,710 km2)
 • Water 1,914 sq mi (4,960 km2)  74%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 12,982
 • Density 20/sq mi (8/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 1st

Presque Isle County is a county in the northern part of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. In 2020, about 12,982 people lived here. The main town and county seat is Rogers City. The county was officially created in 1840, but its government started in 1871 and was reorganized in 1875.

The name "Presque Isle" comes from a French phrase meaning "almost an island" or "peninsula". A big part of Presque Isle Township is a peninsula. It has Lake Huron on one side and Grand Lake on the other. Only narrow strips of land connect it to the mainland. The community of Presque Isle is in the middle of this peninsula.

History of Presque Isle County

Early Native Americans used this area for hunting. They considered the land between the Ocqueoc and Swan Rivers to be a special, sacred place. French fur traders later named the area "Presque Isle" because they had to carry their boats over the narrow land connecting the peninsula to the rest of the land.

It took a while for people to settle here because there were no big rivers for boats. The Ocqueoc River was the largest, but it was shallow and had many rapids. In 1839, a state survey team even said the land was not very good. This slowed down development until the 1860s. That's when the Crawford family settled near Rogers City. They wanted to start a stone quarry, but the stone wasn't strong enough for building. So, they started lumbering instead, selling wood to steamers on the Great Lakes.

In 1868, an Army officer named W.E. Rogers and Albert Molitor explored Presque Isle. They saw huge forests and tried to buy Crawford's land, but the Crawfords refused. So, Rogers and Molitor bought land where Rogers City is now. The next year, many German and Polish immigrants arrived and settled there. The Molitor-Rogers Company built a sawmill, a store, and other important buildings. After a tough winter in 1870–71, the community began to grow.

The first settlers in the county were mostly lumberjacks, fishermen, and farmers. In 1907, a mining engineer named H.H. Hindshaw visited Crawford's Quarry. He discovered it was full of valuable limestone. After this, the Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company was started in Calcite, which was the new name for Crawford's Quarry. They bought a large area of land. To ship their limestone, they formed the Bradley Transportation Company. This company became very important, providing many jobs for people in the area.

One sad event in the county's history involved the Bradley Transportation Company. One of their cargo ships, the Carl D. Bradley, sank on Lake Michigan during a big storm in November 1958. Many people from Presque Isle County were on board, and this was a very difficult time for the community.

Today, Rogers City has the world's largest limestone processing plant. It's also a major port on the Great Lakes, with the best natural harbor on Lake Huron between Port Huron and Mackinaw City.

Geography of Presque Isle County

The U.S. Census Bureau says Presque Isle County covers about 2,573 square miles. Most of this (about 74%) is water, and 659 square miles is land. Even though it's in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, it's considered part of Northern Michigan.

Special Geographic Features

Lakes in the County

  • Grand Lake (Presque Isle, Michigan)
  • Long Lake (Preque Isle, Michigan)
  • Black Lake
  • Sunken Lake
  • Tomahawk Creek Flood
  • Rainy Lake
  • Ocqueoc Lake

Neighboring Counties

By land

By water

Presque Isle County, MI census map
This map shows the towns and cities within Presque Isle County. The darker areas are cities.

Communities in Presque Isle County

Cities

Villages

Townships

Census-Designated Place

Other Small Communities

Population Changes Over Time

The population of Presque Isle County has changed quite a bit over the years.

  • In 1860, only 26 people lived here!
  • By 1900, the population grew to 8,821.
  • It reached its highest point in 2000 with 14,411 people.
  • In 2020, the population was 12,982.
  • As of 2023, it's estimated to be around 13,285 people.

Historical Markers and Important Sites

There are ten special historical markers in Presque Isle County that tell about important places and events:

  • Bearinger Union School
  • Burnham's Landing
  • Elowsky Mill
  • Forty Mile Point Lighthouse / Graveyard of Ships
  • Lake Huron
  • The Metz Fire
  • Old Presque Isle Lighthouse
  • Presque Isle Electric Cooperative Monument
  • Presque Isle Light Station
  • World's Largest Limestone Quarry

Media in Presque Isle County

Newspapers

  • The Alpena News is a daily newspaper that covers much of this area.
  • The Presque Isle County Advance is a weekly newspaper just for Presque Isle County.

Television Stations

You can watch these TV stations in Presque Isle County:

  • Channel 4: WTOM-TV "TV 7&4" (NBC) (from Cheboygan)
  • Channel 6: WCML "CMU Public Television" (PBS) (from Alpena)
  • Channel 8: WGTQ "ABC 29&8" (ABC) (from Sault Ste. Marie)
  • Channel 10: WWUP-TV "9&10 News" (CBS) (from Sault Ste. Marie)
  • Channel 11: WBKB-TV "Channel 11 News" (CBS) (from Alpena)
  • Channel 45: WFUP "Fox 32" (Fox) (from Vanderbilt)

Radio Stations

You can listen to these radio stations in Rogers City:

FM
Call Sign Frequency City Broadcast From
WPHN 90.5 Gaylord
WCML 91.7 Alpena
WFDX 92.5 Atlanta
WKJZ 94.9 Hillman
WRZG 96.7 Rogers City
WHAK-FM 99.9 Rogers City
WWMK 106.3 Onaway
WHSB 107.7 Alpena
AM
Call Sign Frequency City Broadcast From
WTCM 580 Traverse City
WHAK 960 Rogers City
NOAA Weather Radio

You can also hear NOAA Weather Radio on 162.550 MHz (Call Sign KIG83, from Alpena).

Transportation in Presque Isle County

Steamer "Pastime" enroute to Presque Isle - DPLA - aa37baf46658b770ed3e85697a2dee2f
The Steamer "Pastime" on its way to Presque Isle.

Air Travel

Presque Isle County has one airport for small planes:

  • Presque Isle County Airport – located southwest of Rogers City

For bigger commercial flights, the closest airports are Alpena County Regional Airport near Alpena, and Cherry Capital Airport near Traverse City.

Main Roads

Here are the major highways that go through Presque Isle County:

  • US 23

  • Bus. US 23
  • M-33
  • M-65
  • M-68
  • M-211
  • F-21

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Presque Isle para niños

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