The county's name is a pseudo-Native American word coined by Henry Schoolcraft, a Michigan geographer and ethnologist. The name is thought to be a Chippewa word meaning flat or burned-over country. An alternative theory is that this is a neologism or neonym created by Henry Schoolcraft, originally spelled Calcasca. Some theorists suggest this is word play. Schoolcraft's family name had been Calcraft, and the Ks may have been added to make the name appear more like a Native American word.
History
The county was formed in 1840 and called Wabassee County until 1843. The first settler in Kalkaska County was William Copeland, from England, who purchased land in the northwest corner of the county in 1855. Logging was the first important industry. The discovery of substantial deposits of oil and natural gas resulted in the construction of a processing plant by Shell Oil Company in 1973 and a major economic boom in the community. There is a huge new Marijuana industry. https://www.northernexpress.com/amp/news/feature/kalkaska-marijuana-mecca/
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. Kalkaska Sand, the state soil of Michigan, was named after the county because of the large amounts deposited in the area from glaciers in the Ice Age. Kalkaska County has over 80 lakes and of streams and rivers. Much of the county is marshland. County elevation ranges from to about. This makes it one of the more uneven counties in the Lower Peninsula. The Pere Marquette State Forest covers much of the county. Glaciers shaped the area, creating a unique regional ecosystem. A large portion of the area is the Grayling outwash plain, a broad outwash plain including sandy ice-disintegration ridges; jack pine barrens, some white pine-red pine forest, and northern hardwood forest. Large lakes were created by glacial action.
– runs NE through the western part of the county. Enters at 4 miles north of SW corner; exits into Antrim County near midpoint of north county line.
– runs north-south through west-central part of county. Passes Kalkaska.
– runs east and ESE through middle portion of county. Passes Kalkaska.
Adjacent counties
Antrim County - north
Otsego County - northeast
Crawford County - east
Roscommon County - southeast
Missaukee County - south
Wexford County - southwest
Grand Traverse County - west
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census there were 16,571 people, 6,428 households, and 4,634 families residing in the county. The population density was 30 people per square mile. There were 10,822 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 98.44% White, 0.21% Black or African American, 0.78% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, 0.86% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.6% were of German, 12.4% English, 10.4% Irish, 10.0% American, 6.3% Polish and 5.1% French ancestry. 98.8% spoke English as their first language. There were 6,428 households out of which 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.90% were non-families. 22.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.95. The county population contained 25.60% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,072, and the median income for a family was $39,932. Males had a median income of $31,860 versus $20,455 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,309. About 8.20% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.20% of those under age 18 and 7.00% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Kalkaska County voters have been reliably Republican from the start. They have selected the Republican Party nominee in 85% of national elections. The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions — police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. — are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.
Events
The National Trout Festival is an annual festival since 1936, held in April. It notes the heritage and sportsmanship of Kalkaska.
