Alcona County
| Alcona County, Michigan | ||
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 Location in the U.S. state of Michigan |
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 Michigan's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | established 1840 organized 1869 |
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| Seat | Harrisville | |
| Largest city | Harrisville | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 1,791 sq mi (4,639 km2) | |
| • Land | 675 sq mi (1,748 km2) | |
| • Water | 1,116 sq mi (2,890 km2), 62.% | |
| Population (est.) | ||
| • (2016) | 10,352 | |
| • Density | 16/sq mi (6/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 1st | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www |
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Alcona County is a county of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,942. Its county seat is Harrisville. Alphabetically it is the first county in Michigan; as its flag states, it is the "First of 83".
The county was created by the state legislature on April 1, 1840. It was at first named Negwegon County, after the name of a well-known Chippewa chief, also known as "Little Wing". He was honored as having been an American ally against the British in the War of 1812.
It was renamed to Alcona County on March 8, 1843, after a neologism created by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft from parts of words from Native American languages, plus Arabic, Greek and Latin. These were amalgamated to mean "fine or excellent plain". He was an influential US Indian agent and geographer.
Initially, this county was attached to Mackinac County for administrative purposes. The attachment shifted to Cheboygan County in 1853, to Alpena County in 1857, Iosco County in 1858, and Alpena County in 1859.
Harrisville Township, then comprising the entire county, was organized in 1860. County government was organized in 1869. The County's slogan on its seal (a single gold star on a green field in the shape of Alcona County) is "First of 83," which refers to its place alphabetically among Michigan counties.
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