Gogebic

Formed January 1, 1887 (81^st county)

Gogebic County (14,377), Bessemer (1,804), Ironwood (5,039)

The 1888 red stone Romanesque courthouse was remodeled in 1915 and renovated and enlarged in 1974.  The county was organized on January 1, 1887 from Ontonagon County as the 81^st county with Bessemer as the only county seat.  The courthouse is on Moore Street at Iron Street.  United States Highway 2 passes one block south of the facility.  John Scott & Company are the architects.  The courthouse features a tower with an Addition attached.  The county is named for Lake Gogebic whose name is Native American for “rock.”  The county seat is named for English inventor Henry Bessemer. 

Gogebic County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a treasurer and a clerk (executive).  It has 7 Commissioners (legislative.)  Two Circuit Court Judges and Two District Court Judges serve Gogebic and Ontonagon counties and One Probate Court Judge and court clerk serve Gogebic County (judicial.) Gogebic County is in the northwest corner of the northern peninsula.  It borders Wisconsin and Lake Superior.  The county center is 7.9 miles East-Southeast of Bessemer nearer Wakefield.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Minnesota and Ontonagon and Iron counties and Wisconsin. 

The area of the county is 1476 square miles.  It is 21 out of 83 in the state.  It ranks 69 out of 83 in population in the state.  It has a density of 9.7 persons per square mile making it 72 out of 83 in the state.  Gogebic County has 59.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 2 crosses the county east to west from Iron County to Wisconsin.  United States Highway 45 goes north to south from Ontonagon County to Wisconsin.  The county looks like stair steps facing east.  Bessemer is in the northwest quarter of the county.  Ironwood is immediately to the west on the border with Wisconsin.  Bessemer is the county seat and Ironwood is the largest city.  Bessemer is 12.6% of the county population while Ironwood is 35.1% of the county population.  The county is pronounced GOE-GE-BIK.