Situated at the mouth of the Ontonagon River, on the south shore of Lake Superior, the village of Ontonagon, Michigan is the only village in Ontonagon County, and its county seat.
Ontonagon County is in the northwestern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The third-largest county in the state by area, Ontonagon County is also the state's third-least populous county.
There are no incorporated cities or villages within forty-five miles of the village of Ontonagon, but there are five incorporated municipalities within fifty miles: Baraga, South Range, L'Anse, Wakefield, and Houghton. Unincorporated communities within twenty miles of Ontonagon include Rockland, Greenland, Mass City, Carp Lake, and White Pine.
The village's population has declined each census year since 1970, when its peak population was 2,432. Its current population is 1,250.
The village's downtown district is along River Street, east of the Ontonagon River. It includes the bulk of Ontonagon's retail, commercial, and service businesses. The largest concentration of residences in the village is situated just to the east and south of the downtown district, although there are residential areas near the Ontonagon Memorial Hospital and the Ontonagon Area School campuses.
Along M-38, south of the village core, are mixed residential and commercial properties, including the county courthouse and an industrial park. West of the river is largely industrial, including the former site of Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation, once the village's largest employer. On the east side of the river is the former Lakeshore Oldenburg property. Built as a shipyard, this is an inactive industrial complex.
Ontonagon Township Park and Campground border the village on the northeast, along Lake Superior. The Ontonagon Village Marina and Waterfront Park is west of the river, near M-64.
Known as Rose Island, between the Ontonagon River and the downtown district, is a largely vacant land area that is not actually an island. It includes a few residences, commercial buildings, and some historical fishing sheds, as well as a park area and nature walk.
Like many Upper Peninsula towns, Ontonagon began as a copper mining town. It is situated on what had been a mining claim preempted by James Kirk Paul, a prospector, who built a cabin there in 1843, and began to plat a townsite, recording it in 1854. However, his plat was not accepted.
James Paul is credited for the removal of the famous Copper Boulder, which was discovered in the Ontonagon River. Weighing more than 3,700 pounds, the Copper Boulder is now on display in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. Using the payment that he received for his work on removing the Boulder, he opened a saloon in Ontonagon.
A post office was established in Ontonagon on September 28, 1846, with Daniel S. Cash as postmaster.
Copper mining was the chief industry in Ontonagon and the surrounding region until the mid-19th century when mining operations declined. The last copper mine in the county closed in 1995.
Ontonagon was incorporated as a village in 1885.
After mining operations began their decline, the area's pine forests attracted large-scale logging operations. Opened in the late 1880s, the Diamond Match Company was the first large logging operation in the area, but the largest wood user in the area, the Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation, closed its operations in Ontonagon in 2010.
Today, tourism is an important sector of the village's economy. Lake Superior, area rivers and forests, and the nearby Porcupine Mountains attract outdoor recreation enthusiasts and other visitors to the area, and snowmobiling and skiing have become particularly popular.
The focus of this category is on the village of Ontonagon, Michigan. Appropriate topics include online resources for the village, township, and county governments, any other governmental bodies within the village, and local businesses, industries, schools, churches, organizations, attractions, events, sports facilities and programs, entertainment venues, and recreational opportunities.
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Ontonagon Area School District
OASD is the oldest public school district in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and was first known as Ontonagon Union School. After a series of annexations, the district has also become one of the largest public school districts in the state, covering Carp Lake, Greenland, Ontonagon, and Rockland townships, as well as parts of Bohemia Township. Operating an elementary school and a combined junior/senior high school, its campuses, schedules, athletics programs, and contacts are included.
https://www.oasd.k12.mi.us/
Situated in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Ontonagon County is the third-least populous county in the state. Its county seat is the village of Ontonagon. The official county website provides the locations, hours, and contacts for county offices, a calendar of events, and commission meeting notices, agendas, and minutes. Contacts for townships and school districts within the county are included, public notices are posted, and election notices and results are included.
https://www.ontonagoncounty.org/
Ontonagon County Chamber of Commerce
Headquartered in the village of Ontonagon, Michigan, the Chamber is staffed by volunteers from Memorial Day through the fall color season. The Chamber's information center also houses a copper boulder and offers brochures and other resources. Member benefits, a business directory, calendar of events, and guide to local attractions and organizations are included, along with maps, webcams, videos, photographs, and an overview of the county's copper history. Contacts are posted.
https://ontonagonmi.org/
Ontonagon County Historical Society
The non-profit organization operates its Ontonagon Historical Museum, and offers self-guided lighthouse tours. Its volunteers are also restoring a 1940s tug. Museum and tour hours are published on the site, locations are shown on a map, and a calendar of projects and events are featured, along with its partnerships and area historic sites. A gallery of photographs depicts the museum and many of the items on display there. The museum building is described, and contacts are posted.
https://ontonagonmuseum.org/
Produced by North Guide Internet, the site features a guide to the larger Ontonagon and Porcupine Mountains region, with particular attention to its outdoor vacation resources, including its mountains, Lake Superior, forests, rivers, streams, waterfalls, and inland lakes, as well as its mining history. Featured is a guide to area lodging and dining facilities, area attractions, and skiing and snowmobiling opportunities. Photos and a calendar of events are featured.
http://www.ontonagon.net/
Library services in Ontonagon began in 1904 as the Ontonagon Woman's Library. Today, the township library provides library services to residents of Ontonagon, Bohemia, Greenland, and Rockland townships, as well as reciprocal services to residents in Carp Lake Township. Located in downtown Ontonagon, Michigan, its location, hours, and policies are outlined, along with an overview of scheduled programs and events, special connections, staff contacts, and downloadable text files.
https://ontonagonlibrary.org/
Situated at the mouth of the Ontonagon River on Lake Superior, the village serves as the seat of Ontonagon County, in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The official municipal website posts contacts for village offices and departments, employment notices, and other public announcements, as well as official meeting agendas and minutes, information about upcoming events, an introduction to local attractions and events, a business directory, and facilities for online payments.
https://villageofontonagon.org/
