Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2011, All Rights Reserved U.S. Data Repository Please read U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on this page: History of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan Containing a Full Account of it's Early Settlement; Its Growth, Development and Resources; An Extended Description of its Iron and Copper Mines. Also, Accurate Sketches of its Counties, Cities, Towns and Villages, Improvements, Industries, Manufactories; Biographical Sketches, Portraits of Prominent Men and Early Settlers; Views of County Seats, Etc. Published by The Western Historical Company, Chicago; 1883 A. T. Andreas, Proprietor Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott May 24, 2011 =========================================================================== County Organization =========================================================================== Page 513 Ontonagon County was laid off, boundaries defined and named, by an act of the Legislature entitled "An act to divide the Upper Peninsula into six counties and define the boundaries of the same," approved March 9, 1843. By that act the boundaries were defined thus: "All that portion of the State embraced within the line between Range 37 and 38 west, and north boundary of Township 41, the Montreal River and Lake Superior, shall be laid off as a seperate county, and be known and designated as the county of Ontonagon, together with Isle Royale." It was attached to Chippewa County for judicial purposes. An act approved May 18, 1846, entitled "An act to organize the counties of Houghton, Schoolcraft, Ontonagon and Marquette," provided that the county of Ontonagon, as laid off and bounded by the act of 1843, should be organized by an election of county officers, to be held on the first Monday of August, 1846, including a County Judge. The county was, by this act, attached to Houghton County for judicial and other purposes. It also provided that the first election should be held for all this territory, including Ontonagon, at Copper Harbor, Eagle River and L'Anse. By another act, approved March 17, 1847, it was provided that an election for county officers in Houghton County, including Ontonagon as attached territory, should be held in all the townships thereof, on the first Tuesday of July, 1847. Another act, approved April 3, 1848, was passed, providing for the organizing of four counties in the Upper Peninsula, Section 3, and defining and naming Ontonagon County as one of them. The act also repeals the County Judge system in each county, and substitutes a District Judge for all the counties. It also provided for the election of county officers on the first Tuesday of July, 1848, in Ontonagon County, which with Marquette and Schoolcraft, are attached to Houghton for judicial purposes. None of these acts were carried out by the perfection of a seperate county organization of Ontonagon, although a special election was held therein on the last Tuesday of September, 1852, and an organization thereof thus perfected, but was held illegal because it was irregularly held as to time and manner. However, a curative act was passed, approved January 17, 1853, which provided "that the election of county officers in Ontonagon County, held on the last Tuesday of September, 1852, and the Page 514 organization of said county under and by virtue of said election, be and the same is hereby held and deemed to have been duly organized on and after January 1, 1853." The same act also provided "that all of Houghton County lying west of the line between Ranges 35 and 36, heretofore consituting a part of said county, is hereby annexed to and constitutes a part of Ontonagon County." Thus the detachment of Ontonagon County from Houghton for election, judicial and revenue purposes, and the complete organization thereof by itself, dates from January 1, 1853, notwithstanding all the legislative acts and efforts made to this end prior thereto. The seat of justice of Ontonagon County was established by a commission of three persons, appointed by the Governor, under the organic act of 1846, at the mouth of the Ontonagon River, which is some two hundred feet wide at that point, and flows into Lake Superior. The place was named Ontonagon after the river and the county, the origin of which is noted in the early part of this county's history. The village is 336 miles from Sault Ste. Marie, and sixty miles from Isle Royale, which is northward, in Lake Superior. The first or organizing election of the county was held on the last Tuesday of September, 1852, as before noted, at two voting precincts--one in the township of Ontonagon, and the other in the township of Pewabic, which townships were defined and named by legislative enactment March 16, 1847. The following were the county officers thus chosen: District Judge, Ira D. Bush; Judge of Probate, J. W. Edwards; Circuit Court Commissioner, W. W. Spaulding; Clerk and Register of Deeds, H. R. Close; Treasurer, T. B. Hanna; Sheriff, Peter Dean; Surveyor, Charles Merryweather. These officers, together with the Board of Supervisors, organized and placed the civic machinery of the county in operation. The first Board of Supervisors was composed of Augustus Coburn, of Ontonagon Township, and James Van Alstine, of Pewabic Township, chosen, with other township officers in their respective townships, at the said first election. ===========================================================================