Iosco County lies wholly in the tract of land ceded to the United States government by the Chippewa Indians, Iosco's first inhabitants, in the Saginaw treaty of 1819. When government surveys were made in 1840, the county was called Ka-no-tin, after an Indian Chief. In 1843, the name was changed to Iosco. This is a word (not pure Indian) of Schoolcraft manufacture and is said to mean "water of light".
An Act of the State Legislature, approved February 16, 1857, created Iosco County as we now know it. At the time there were less than 200 people living here.
The first white settler of the County was Louis Chevalier who lived on the banks of the AuSable River as early as 1800. He was a French fur trader. The American Fur Co. had an outpost at the mouth of the AuSable River in 1828. In the late 1840's fishermen had begun a settlement at AuSable (the first in the county) and Peter Hart was fishing on Tawas Bay. Fishermen were attracted to AuSable in 1848. Horace D. Stockman and George Hulett Duell spent the winter of that year in the region and thus was the first settlement in the county made.
A band of Chippewa Indians with their Chief, O-ta-was, lived on the shore of the bay that bore his name, O-ta-was Bay, where they hunted and fished. Peter Hart and his son, James and family were attracted to this area. (Tawas, a name of common use in this county) is a contraction of the Old Indian Chief 's name.
In the 1850's the United States government saw the need for building a lighthouse along the shore and one was built at Tawas Point and placed in operation in 1852 to light the entrance to the largest natural harbor on the Great Lakes.
In 1853 Gideon O. Whittemore of Oakland County, Michigan purchased large tracts of white pine land on Tawas Bay, founded Tawas City and established the County Seat in 1857. After locating and purchasing 5000 acres of timber he built a steam sawmill in the virgin forest as the nucleus of the community. By 1857 , a mill and dock had been built, a general store building had been erected; dwellings for the pioneers had been built; the river had been cleaned out to permit logs to float down to the mill, a town had been platted and a post office had been established- a staggering amount of work.
Then not satisfied with building a town, the Whittemores realized that some form of local government was imperative and they were instrumental is having the county organized in 1857. Two townships were created- Tawas and AuSable dividing the county equally between its northern and southern boundaries.
In 1864 another town sprang up on Tawas Bay called East Tawas by common consent. It owes its existence to a lumbering firm- Smith, Van Valkenburg & Co. In the mid-1860's AuSable by the Land Company began the era of lumbering white pine and became the principle industry for 50 years, closing when a disastrous forest fire destroyed the towns of AuSable and Oscoda in 1911.
The quarrying of gypsum rock was begun in Alabaster. A second plant was opened in the 1920's and a third in the 1960's. In the next two decades travel by water was supplemented by stage coach and railroad train. Post offices and one room schools sprang up and churches of many denominations provided for the spiritual needs. Farming was a growing industry and beef cattle was in its infancy in the 1880's. The Townships of Thompson (later vacated) Oscoda, Plainfield and Wilbur were carved out of AuSable Township. Reno, Grant, Baldwin, Burleigh, Sherman and Alabaster were created from Tawas Township.
Salt was manufactured in the Tawas Area, the brine pumped to Oscoda and evaporated there. Small industries flourished for a time and then collapsed . Industries in the big cities took their toll of the population.
The close of the Civil War in 1865 opened the way for establishing the new frontiers and the discovery of large tracts of virgin pine were largely responsible for Iosco County's growth. From a population of 175 in 1860 it reached its all time high in 1890 when the decennial census that year listed 15,224 persons. (the population in 1950 was 10,906) and in 1972 it was 24,905.
For 50 years the manufacture of lumber was the principal business of the county. Fishing, farming and the quarrying of gypsum rock were of secondary importance. The tourist industry was unheard of in those early days, while today it is a multi-million dollar business for the area.
Education and religion claimed the attention of Iosco residents at an early date. Schools of AuSable, Tawas City and East Tawas were opened in the 1860's. The religious life owes much to Mrs. George P. Smith who came to East Tawas in 1866 to find no house of worship, nor an organized religion She organized the Methodist Sunday school, out of which grew the Methodist Church. to become the pioneer religious group and church.
The first newspaper in the county was established in 1868 by the Whittemores. Telegraph lines were built up the shore in 1872. The first railroad, a logging road, was built in 1878. At the turn of the century three families, then owners of the D&M Railway, acquired and began developing, the Tawas Beach property. For several years a the Tawas Beach Flyer commuted daily from Tawas to Bay City for the convenience of businessmen who lived here and worked in the big city. They .initiated the tourist business with Sunday excursions running special trains from Tawas to Bay City, and Tawas to Cheboygan. Organizations such as the Maccabees sponsored outings. As many as seven to ten coaches full of people came bringing basket dinners. Tawas Beach facilities included a dance pavilion, bowling and an orchestra for the merrymakers.
World War I brought a larger vision. Good roads became a necessity as the world began to move on wheels. Natural resources of hunting, fishing, boating, etc. were opened to tourism and thus the tourist business was born.
Today the tourist business industry is the main industry of the county. US 23 parallels the county's shoreline. M-55 crosses the county from east to west. Small industries are in operation all over the county with some farming still continuing.
On the banks of the mighty AuSable stands the Lumberman's Monument erected in 1932. It is a memorial to those pioneers, the timber cruiser, the sawyer, and the rivermen, who felled the mighty pine trees to build the cities and supply lumber for the treeless prairies.
During World War II Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda brought thousands of military personnel and their families to the area and provided many civilian jobs as well. After the closing of the base several industries were brought in and a special community developed utilizing the remodeled base housing. There are still buildings being revitalized. The Park Library is now located on Base as well as the Community Theater and Alpena Community College Classes and some medical facilities.
Today the great pine forest is gone but the magnificent shoreline , the rivers, and inland lakes remain and stretches of plains land invite you to dream of days gone. Many people who spent their formative years here and then went to the big cities to seek their fortune have returned in their retirement years where they enjoy the memory of days gone by and hope to enjoy the peace and tranquility and natural beauty which abounds throughout the county.
An Act of the State Legislature, approved February 16, 1857, created Iosco County as we now know it. At the time there were less than 200 people living here.
The first white settler of the County was Louis Chevalier who lived on the banks of the AuSable River as early as 1800. He was a French fur trader. The American Fur Co. had an outpost at the mouth of the AuSable River in 1828. In the late 1840's fishermen had begun a settlement at AuSable (the first in the county) and Peter Hart was fishing on Tawas Bay. Fishermen were attracted to AuSable in 1848. Horace D. Stockman and George Hulett Duell spent the winter of that year in the region and thus was the first settlement in the county made.
A band of Chippewa Indians with their Chief, O-ta-was, lived on the shore of the bay that bore his name, O-ta-was Bay, where they hunted and fished. Peter Hart and his son, James and family were attracted to this area. (Tawas, a name of common use in this county) is a contraction of the Old Indian Chief 's name.
In the 1850's the United States government saw the need for building a lighthouse along the shore and one was built at Tawas Point and placed in operation in 1852 to light the entrance to the largest natural harbor on the Great Lakes.
In 1853 Gideon O. Whittemore of Oakland County, Michigan purchased large tracts of white pine land on Tawas Bay, founded Tawas City and established the County Seat in 1857. After locating and purchasing 5000 acres of timber he built a steam sawmill in the virgin forest as the nucleus of the community. By 1857 , a mill and dock had been built, a general store building had been erected; dwellings for the pioneers had been built; the river had been cleaned out to permit logs to float down to the mill, a town had been platted and a post office had been established- a staggering amount of work.
Then not satisfied with building a town, the Whittemores realized that some form of local government was imperative and they were instrumental is having the county organized in 1857. Two townships were created- Tawas and AuSable dividing the county equally between its northern and southern boundaries.
In 1864 another town sprang up on Tawas Bay called East Tawas by common consent. It owes its existence to a lumbering firm- Smith, Van Valkenburg & Co. In the mid-1860's AuSable by the Land Company began the era of lumbering white pine and became the principle industry for 50 years, closing when a disastrous forest fire destroyed the towns of AuSable and Oscoda in 1911.
The quarrying of gypsum rock was begun in Alabaster. A second plant was opened in the 1920's and a third in the 1960's. In the next two decades travel by water was supplemented by stage coach and railroad train. Post offices and one room schools sprang up and churches of many denominations provided for the spiritual needs. Farming was a growing industry and beef cattle was in its infancy in the 1880's. The Townships of Thompson (later vacated) Oscoda, Plainfield and Wilbur were carved out of AuSable Township. Reno, Grant, Baldwin, Burleigh, Sherman and Alabaster were created from Tawas Township.
Salt was manufactured in the Tawas Area, the brine pumped to Oscoda and evaporated there. Small industries flourished for a time and then collapsed . Industries in the big cities took their toll of the population.
The close of the Civil War in 1865 opened the way for establishing the new frontiers and the discovery of large tracts of virgin pine were largely responsible for Iosco County's growth. From a population of 175 in 1860 it reached its all time high in 1890 when the decennial census that year listed 15,224 persons. (the population in 1950 was 10,906) and in 1972 it was 24,905.
For 50 years the manufacture of lumber was the principal business of the county. Fishing, farming and the quarrying of gypsum rock were of secondary importance. The tourist industry was unheard of in those early days, while today it is a multi-million dollar business for the area.
Education and religion claimed the attention of Iosco residents at an early date. Schools of AuSable, Tawas City and East Tawas were opened in the 1860's. The religious life owes much to Mrs. George P. Smith who came to East Tawas in 1866 to find no house of worship, nor an organized religion She organized the Methodist Sunday school, out of which grew the Methodist Church. to become the pioneer religious group and church.
The first newspaper in the county was established in 1868 by the Whittemores. Telegraph lines were built up the shore in 1872. The first railroad, a logging road, was built in 1878. At the turn of the century three families, then owners of the D&M Railway, acquired and began developing, the Tawas Beach property. For several years a the Tawas Beach Flyer commuted daily from Tawas to Bay City for the convenience of businessmen who lived here and worked in the big city. They .initiated the tourist business with Sunday excursions running special trains from Tawas to Bay City, and Tawas to Cheboygan. Organizations such as the Maccabees sponsored outings. As many as seven to ten coaches full of people came bringing basket dinners. Tawas Beach facilities included a dance pavilion, bowling and an orchestra for the merrymakers.
World War I brought a larger vision. Good roads became a necessity as the world began to move on wheels. Natural resources of hunting, fishing, boating, etc. were opened to tourism and thus the tourist business was born.
Today the tourist business industry is the main industry of the county. US 23 parallels the county's shoreline. M-55 crosses the county from east to west. Small industries are in operation all over the county with some farming still continuing.
On the banks of the mighty AuSable stands the Lumberman's Monument erected in 1932. It is a memorial to those pioneers, the timber cruiser, the sawyer, and the rivermen, who felled the mighty pine trees to build the cities and supply lumber for the treeless prairies.
During World War II Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda brought thousands of military personnel and their families to the area and provided many civilian jobs as well. After the closing of the base several industries were brought in and a special community developed utilizing the remodeled base housing. There are still buildings being revitalized. The Park Library is now located on Base as well as the Community Theater and Alpena Community College Classes and some medical facilities.
Today the great pine forest is gone but the magnificent shoreline , the rivers, and inland lakes remain and stretches of plains land invite you to dream of days gone. Many people who spent their formative years here and then went to the big cities to seek their fortune have returned in their retirement years where they enjoy the memory of days gone by and hope to enjoy the peace and tranquility and natural beauty which abounds throughout the county.