Alger County ( ) is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 8,842. It is the state's second-largest county by area, including the waters of Lake Superior. The county seat is Munising. Alger County is home to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, which features rock formations, waterfalls, and sand dunes along the shore of Lake Superior. Much of the county is also part of the Hiawatha National Forest.

thumb|Alger County Courthouse Complex in [[Munising, Michigan|Munising]]

History

Alger County was detached from Schoolcraft County, set off and organized in 1885.

The county was named for lumber baron Russell Alexander Alger, who was elected as a Michigan Governor, and US Senator, and appointed as US Secretary of War during the William McKinley Presidential administration. It is the second-largest county in Michigan by total area, mainly because of Lake Superior on the north side of the county.

Highways

  • , passes through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Adjacent counties

By land

  • Luce County – east
  • Schoolcraft County – southeast
  • Delta County – south
  • Marquette County – west

By water

  • Thunder Bay District, Ontario – north

National protected areas

  • Grand Island National Recreation Area
  • Hiawatha National Forest (part)
  • Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Demographics

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Communities

City

  • Munising (county seat)

Village

  • Chatham

Civil townships

  • Au Train Township
  • Burt Township
  • Grand Island Township
  • Limestone Township
  • Mathias Township
  • Munising Township
  • Onota Township
  • Rock River Township

Census-designated place

  • Grand Marais

Unincorporated communities

  • Au Train
  • Christmas
  • Coalwood
  • Deerton
  • Diffin
  • Dixon
  • Dorsey
  • Doty
  • Eben Junction
  • Evelyn
  • Forest Lake
  • Green Haven
  • Indian Town
  • Juniper
  • Kentucky
  • Kiva
  • Ladoga
  • Limestone
  • Mantila Camp
  • Melstrand
  • Munising Junction
  • Myren
  • Onota
  • Rock River
  • Rumely
  • Sand River
  • Shingleton
  • Slapneck
  • Star
  • Stillman
  • Sullivans Landing
  • Sundell
  • Sunrise Landing
  • Traunik
  • Trenary
  • Vail
  • Van Meer
  • Wetmore
  • Williams Crossing
  • Williams Landing
  • Winters

Other locations

  • Bay Furnace (1869–1940)

Indian reservations

  • Alger County contains two very small portions of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians tribal community, which is headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie in Chippewa County. One portion is in the northeastern corner of Au Train Township, and another slightly larger portion is about two miles south of Munising in Munising Township.

See also

  • List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Alger County
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Alger County, Michigan

References

  • Alger County Online
  • Greater Munising Bay Partnership for Commerce Development & Alger County Chamber
  • County Profile, Sam M Cohodas Regional Economist, Tawni Hunt Ferrarini, Ph.D.
  • National Association of Counties - Alger County, MI
  • Alger County Sheriff's Office
  • US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 26-12

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