Mackinac County ( ) is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,834. The county seat is St. Ignace. Formerly known as Michilimackinac County, in 1818 it was one of the first counties of the Michigan Territory, as it had long been a center of French and British colonial fur trading, a Catholic church and Protestant mission, and associated settlement.
The county's name is shortened from "Michilimackinac", which referred to the Straits of Mackinac area as well as the French settlement at the tip of the lower peninsula. Mackinac County is one of two U.S. counties to feature shorelines on two Great Lakes, being Lake Huron and Lake Michigan (the other county being neighboring Chippewa County).
History
Michilimackinac County was created on October 26, 1818, by proclamation of territorial governor Lewis Cass. The county originally encompassed the Lower Peninsula of Michigan north of Macomb County and almost the entire present Upper Peninsula. As later counties were settled and organized, they were divided from this territory.
On April 1, 1840, areas in the Lower Peninsula were laid off to create 30 new counites. By 1841, the County of Michilimackinac was confined to the Upper Peninsula and its nearby islands, bordering Chippewa and Menominee counties.
On March 9, 1843, Michigan further divided the Upper Peninsula into six counties. At this time, the County of Michilimackinac more closely resembled its modern configuration, including only a portion of the Upper Peninsula closest to the Straits of Mackinac, plus several islands.
At the time of founding, the county seat was the community of Michilimackinac Island on Michilimackinac Island, later known as Mackinac Island, Michigan. This has been an important center for fur trading before the 1830s, when European demand declined. The county was organized in 1849 as Mackinac County. In 1882 the county seat was moved from Mackinac Island to St. Ignace, Michigan, which had been founded as a French Jesuit mission village during the colonial years.
Mackinac County is home to the Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians, a Native American state recognized tribe located in St. Ignace.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (51%) is water. Mackinac County lies at the boundary of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.
St. Ignace is the northern terminus of the Mackinac Bridge. Mackinac Island is within the county.
Due to its sparse population, the county has no weather stations.
Adjacent counties
By land
Chippewa County (northeast) Luce County (northwest) Schoolcraft County (west) By water
Presque Isle County (southeast) Cheboygan County (south) Emmet County (south) Charlevoix County (southwest)
National protected area
Hiawatha National Forest (part)
Communities
Cities
Mackinac Island
St. Ignace (county seat)
Civil townships
Bois Blanc Township
Brevort Township
Clark Township
Garfield Township
Hendricks Township
Holmes Township (Defunct) Hudson Township Marquette Township Moran Township Newton Township Portage Township St. Ignace Township
Census-designated place
Naubinway
Unincorporated communities
Allenville
Brevort
Caffey
Caffey Corner
Cedarville
Charles
Curtis
Engadine
Epoufette
Evergreen Shores
Garnet
Gilchrist
Gould City
Gros Cap
Hessel
Huntspur
Kenneth
Millecoquins
Moran
Ozark
Patrick Landing
Pickford
Pointe Aux Pins
Pontchartrain Shores
Port Dolomite
Port Inland
Rexton
Rockview
Simmons
Indian reservations
The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, which is headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie in Chippewa County to the north, occupies two small territories within Mackinac County. One is located in St. Ignace Township about north of the city of St. Ignace on the shores of Lake Huron. The other portion is located in rural northwest Clark Township.