Iosco County ( , ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan; its eastern border is formed by Lake Huron. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,237. The county seat is Tawas City.
Etymology of Iosco
Iosco has traditionally been said to be a Native American word meaning "water of light", but was actually coined as a pseudo-Native American name by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, an American geographer and ethnologist who served as the U.S. Indian agent in Michigan in the late 19th century. He named several counties and towns during the state's formative years.
History
The county was created by the Michigan Legislature in 1840 as Kanotin County, and renamed Iosco County in 1843. It was administered by a succession of other Michigan counties before the organization of county government in 1857. A majority of the population was Ojibwe. The area offered shelter from tall white pines and food from the river and lake. Iosco County was cut from a piece of land ceded by the Ojibwe to the U.S. government. When the lumber boom hit, many more people moved to the area.
The 400-acre Alabaster Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is associated with an operating gypsum open-pit mine south of Tawas City. The large company town included internal rail lines for transportation and a tramway extending over Lake Huron on long piers for loading gypsum onto ships. Started in 1862, the mine supplied gypsum for temporary buildings constructed in Chicago at the World Columbian Exposition of 1893. Two companies continue to mine gypsum in Iosco County.
In 2009, Alabaster Township formed the nonprofit Alabaster Wind Power Development Corp. to conduct the necessary two-year studies of wind data at this site as a potential location for development of wind turbines. It proposed using 10 large tramway platforms that extend more than 6,000 feet into the lake to gauge winds. The turbines could be built on the tramways. At the time, the federal government was offering subsidies for such studies and development of alternative energy projects.
Geography
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (71%) is water. It is considered part of Northern Michigan. In total, it covers about 6,361,837 acres.
Geographic features
Lumberman's Monument
Canoer's memorial
60 Lakes Area - Located near Hale
Iargo Springs
Tawas Point Light House - First lit in 1853
Tawas Bay
Pine River – rises in Alcona County and flows into Iosco County, where it empties into Van Etten Lake at northwest of Oscoda. Au Sable River Tuttle Marsh Wildlife Area Van Etten Lake Tawas Lake Foote Dam Pond Au Sable State Forest (partial) – the Grayling Fire Management Unit consists of Alcona, Crawford, and Oscoda Counties, and northern Iosco county.
Major highways
– known as the Sunrise Side Coastal Highway. – one of three cross-peninsular state highways. It begins in Tawas City at the junction with US 23.
River Road National Scenic Byway – starts at M-65 and runs parallel with the Au Sable River for eastward to US 23 in Oscoda, Michigan. It is a designated National Scenic Byway. It passes the Lumberman's Monument.
Adjacent counties
By land
Alcona County - north
Arenac County - southwest
Ogemaw County - west
Oscoda County - northwest
By water
Huron County - southeast
National protected area
Huron National Forest (part)
Demographics
As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 27,339 people, 11,727 households, and 7,857 families in the county. Most of the population is located on the shoreline along US-23,East Tawas, Tawas City, and Oscoda County. The population density was . There were 20,432 housing units at an average density of . The county's racial makeup was 96.92% White, 0.41% Black or African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. 0.98% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 23.2% were of German, 12.3% English, 10.6% Irish, 9.9% American, 8.3% Polish and 7.1% French ancestry. 97.4% spoke English and 1.0% Spanish as their first language.
There were 11,727 households, out of which 24.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.20% were married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.00% were non-families. 28.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.79.