Situated on the north shore of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Manistique River, the city of Manistique, Michigan is the county seat of Schoolcraft County.
The city is in the southern part of the county, Manistique is at the mouth of the Manistique River, which forms a natural harbor on the north shore of Lake Michigan. Just outside of the city limits, the 8,659-acre Indian Lake is northwest of Manistique. Just north of the city, the Indian River connects the lake with the Manistique River. A portion of Southtown Creek flows through the southwestern part of the city.
The chief route through the city is US-2 (Lakeshore Drive). Other routes include M-94, CR-440, and CR-442.
Like many Upper Peninsula communities, Manistique is relatively isolated. The only incorporated city or village within forty miles of the city is the small village of Garden, over twenty miles southwest of Manistique. Other cities and villages within sixty miles of the city include Munising, Gladstone, Escanaba, Chatham, and Newberry. The unincorporated communities of Cooks and Gulliver are about fifteen miles from Manistique.
The first known inhabitants of the area were the Chippewa people. However, following the War of 1812, the father of Antoine Ossawinamakee was granted a portion of Schoolcraft County, upon which a settlement was made. The main part of the settlement, consisting of about a dozen homes, was on Indian Lake, about three miles from the current site of Manistique. In 1833, Father Frederic Baraga established his first Native American mission on Indian Lake, converting all but one of the inhabitants to Catholicism. He went on to conduct mission work in several other areas, but visited the Indian Lake Mission Church often.
Surveys of this portion of the Northwest Territories began in the 1820s, after which the federal government began issuing land grants. Henry Rowe Schoolcraft came to the Great Lakes region as a member of a surveying expedition but, in 1822, he was appointed Superintendent for Native American Affairs for Michigan, and. he was primarily responsible for the Treaty of March 28, 1836, in which the U.S. government acquired title to the northern third of the Lower Peninsula and the eastern half of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
The first European-American settlers came in 1852 to settle on the east side of what was then the Monistique River. The early settlers were primarily engaged in fishing and trapping, and the largest landowner was Charles T. Harvey, who had been granted several thousand acres of UP land for his engineering work on the Soo Canal.
Harvey's landholdings included the mouth and both sides of the Monistique River, and he worked with the firm of Spinney and Boyd to have a dam built on the river in 1860 to supply power to the firm's lumber mill. He named the community that grew up around his mill Epsport, which was his wife's family name. By 1865, there were five buildings and a summer population of about thirty in Epsport. By 1870, there was the sawmill, as well as a store, a boardinghouse, four homes, eight additional buildings, two lumber slips in the harbor, and a population of about six hundred.
Schoolcraft County was organized in 1871, at which time it included what is now Alger County, with the county seat in Onota. In 1879, the county seat was moved to Epsport and, in 1879, the county boundaries were redrawn to exclude Alger County.
Eventually, the Chicago Lumber Company would own most of Schoolcraft County, as well as river and forest rights. The company took an active part in the continued development of Epsport, laying out streets, opening a company store, and building homes for workers. The original sawmill was replaced by a larger one, and a shingle mill and lathe mill were added. Additional slips were built in the harbor, and tramways were built to transport lumber from the mill to the slips, where they could be loaded onto schooners. In time, a bridge was built over the river.
A post office was established on March 17, 1873, with William M. Colwell as postmaster. In 1883, the community was incorporated as a village. The intended spelling was Monistique, for the river but, due to a clerical error in the filing, it was named Manistique, and the river was later assigned that spelling, as well. Manistique became a city in 1901.
Today, the city's economy is heavily dependent upon tourism from Lake Michigan and nearby Indian Lake State Park and Palms Book State Park. With a peak population of 6,380 in 1920, Manistique's current population is just under three thousand. Since 1920, its population has declined each census year except 1940 and 2000.
The focus of this category is on the city of Manistique, Michigan. Topics related to the municipal or county government, or any businesses, industries, schools, churches, attractions, and events are appropriate.
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Recommended Resources
Manistique is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The official municipal website offers information and services relating to business assistance, precincts, voter registration, elections, taxes, and local cemeteries, as well as contacts for its administrative offices, the city council, and municipal departments. City council agendas and minutes are posted, a calendar of events is displayed, and a guide to area activities and attractions is included. An employment application may be downloaded.
https://cityofmanistique.org/
EBAS is funded by contributions from the county board, city council, and some area townships, as well as private donations, and the animal shelter is largely staffed by volunteers. Located on West US Highway 2 in Manistique, Michigan, the shelter houses and provides necessary services to stray or unwanted cats and dogs, and sets up adoption programs for adoptable animals. Profiles of available cats and dogs are set forth, with photos and other information, and adoption information is posted.
https://www.upebas.org/
Specializing in heating and cooling, plumbing, and electrical services, the Manistique, Michigan company installs new HVAC systems and can repair, maintain, or replace all brands of heating or cooling equipment, including the availability of 24-hour emergency services. In business since 1942, the company serves Manistique, as well as Cooks, Engadine, Grand Marais, Gulliver, Manistique, Munising, Naubinway, and Newberry. Brands are listed, and their office address and contacts are posted.
https://hoholikenterprises.com/
Owned and operated by the City of Manistique, with a trust established by Ethel Brown, and administered by the First Baptist Church, the cemetery is at the top of the eastern end of Main Street. An overview of cemetery policies and the Ethel Brown Trust is displayed, and a link to a city site where online searches for records at Lakeview and Fairview cemeteries, along with alphabetical lists and grave lot information. A telephone number, email address, and a contact form are included.
http://www.manistiquecemetery.org/
Situated in Manistique, Michigan, the public school district provides a K-12th-grade curriculum through Emerald Elementary School, Manistique Middle High School, and Jack Reque Alternative School, each of which is highlighted here, along with a district profile, administrative contacts, and a directory of faculty and staff. The school calendar, building use calendar and a form, and early dismissal busing information, and resources for parents, students, and alumni are included.
http://www.manistiqueschools.org/
Created to promote Manistique, Michigan and the surrounding region for tourism, the site features attractions, events, and outdoor activities in or near the city, including a guide to local guest accommodations, restaurants, shopping venues, regularly scheduled events, and a business directory. Photo galleries and videos are included, and information about canoeing, fishing, hiking, golf, camping, hunting, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling within the area are included.
http://www.visitmanistique.com/
Headquartered in Manistique, Michigan, SMH includes the main hospital in Manistique, as well as a rural health clinic, wound care clinic, and walk-in clinic in Manistique, as well as a rural health clinic in Naubinway, and other programs and services, which are outlined here. A guide for patients and visitors is put forth, with an overview of its services, and community services, and programs. Open positions and benefits are posted, along with an overview of work-life at SMH.
https://scmh.org/
Incorporated in 1917, the bank's main office is in Manistique, Michigan, although it has an additional office in Manistique, in Gulliver, and in Curtis. Addresses, maps, contacts, bank hours, and drive-through hours are posted, and its personal and business services and products are defined. Other resources include the history of the bank, a statement of its privacy policies, and its online and mobile banking services. Links to various local businesses and resources are included.
https://www.statesavingsbank.com/
Formed in 2016 to operated the former Manistique Papers mill in Manistique, Michigan, UP Paper is owned by a group of entrepreneurs with ties to the Manistique area. Operating a single paper machine, the company focuses on natural Kraft packaging paper. An overview of its operations and project information is reported. Its products and specifications are set forth, and its certifications and accreditations may be downloaded from the site. Job opportunities, hours, and contacts are provided.
https://uppaperllc.com/