County: Houghton (31)

Houghton County, Michigan was established on March 19, 1845. It was formed from parts of Marquette, Schoolcraft, and Ontonagon Counties. The county was named after Douglass Houghton, the first State of Michigan geologist, physician, and Mayor of Detroit.
 
Houghton County originally included what are now Keweenaw and Baraga Counties. Baraga County was set off from Houghton County in 1875.
The discovery of rich copper lodes between 1855 and 1870 led to an economic boom in Houghton. The postwar boom and increasing demand for copper wiring fueled the development of Houghton in the 1860s and 1870s. [GGAI]
 
Houghton is located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Created from: Parts of Marquette, Schoolcraft and Ontonagon counties.

Boundary finalized: 1845.

Population: 1900 = 66,063  |  2000 = 36,016


 

Bibliography

The following sources are utilized in this website. [SOURCE-YEAR-MMDD-PG]:

  • [AAB| = All Aboard!, by Willis Dunbar, Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids ©1969.
  • [AAN] = Alpena Argus newspaper.
  • [AARQJ] = American Association of Railroads Quiz Jr. pamphlet. © 1956
  • [AATHA] = Ann Arbor Railroad Technical and Historical Association newsletter "The Double A"
  • [AB] = Information provided at Michigan History Conference from Andrew Bailey, Port Huron, MI

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