Mackinac

Formed October 26, 1818 (4^th county)

Mackinac County (10,831), Saint Ignace (2,307)

The 1935 Art Deco courthouse building is made of masonry and tan brick.  It is located on a square at Marley, Truckey, Abe, and Portage streets.  It is one block east of Interstate Highway 75.  C. Harold Thompson is the courthouse architect.  An Administration Building was added in 1998.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  There was an 1839 courthouse in Mackinac Island and an 1882 version of the courthouse in Saint Ignace.  The county began on October 26, 1818 and originally included all of the southern peninsula north of Macomb County and all of the northern peninsula.   It was taken from Wayne County as the 4^th county.  The county is named for the island and the straits between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.  The county seat is named for Saint Ignatius of Loyola. 

Mackinac County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a treasurer and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  One Circuit Court Judge serves Mackinac, Alger, Luce, and Schoolcraft counties, One District Court Judge and Two Probate Court Judges serve Mackinac and Luce counties and a court clerk serves Mackinac County (judicial.) The county is in the southeast corner of the northern peninsula.  Lake Michigan and Lake Huron form its southern border.  The county center is 19.9 miles Northwest of Saint Ignace nearer Brevort.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Chippewa County and Canada and Cheboygan, Emmet, Charlevoix, Schoolcraft, and Luce counties. 

The area of the county is 2101 square miles.  It is 9 out of 83 in the state.  It ranks 74 out of 83 in population in the state.  It has a density of 5.2 persons per square mile making it 77 out of 83 in the state.  Mackinac County has 26.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 75 goes northeast to southeast in the county from Chippewa County to Emmet County.  United States Highway 2 originates in the county and travels west into Schoolcraft County.  The county looks like a skinny face facing south.  Saint Ignace is in the southeast corner of the county.  Saint Ignace is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 21.3% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced SAENT IG-NIS.  The county is pronounced MAK-I-NAK.