Kalkaska County, Michigan
| Kalkaska County, Michigan | |
|---|---|
 Location in the U.S. state of Michigan |
|
 Michigan's location in the U.S. |
|
| Founded | 1871 |
| Seat | Kalkaska |
| Largest village | Kalkaska |
| Area | |
| • Total | 571 sq mi (1,479 km2) |
| • Land | 560 sq mi (1,450 km2) |
| • Water | 11 sq mi (28 km2), 1.9% |
| Population | |
| • (2010) | 17,153 |
| • Density | 31/sq mi (12/km²) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Website | www |
Kalkaska County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,153. The county seat is Kalkaska.
Kalkaska County is included in the Traverse City Micropolitan Statistical Area. The county is considered to be part of Northern Michigan.
The county's name is a pseudo-Native American word coined by Henry Schoolcraft, a Michigan geographer and ethnologist. The name Kalkaska is thought to be a Chippewa word meaning flat or burned-over country. An alternative theory is that this is a neologism or neonym created by Henry Schoolcraft, originally spelled Calcasca. Some theorists suggest this is word play. Schoolcraft's family name had been Calcraft, and the Ks may have been added to make the name appear more like a Native American word.
The county was formed in 1840 and called Wabassee County until 1843. The first settler in Kalkaska County was an Englishman named William Copeland, who purchased land in the northwest corner of the county in 1855. Logging was the first important industry. The discovery of substantial deposits of oil and natural gas resulted in the construction of a processing plant by Shell Oil Company in 1973 and a major economic boom in the community.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 571 square miles (1,480 km2), of which 560 square miles (1,500 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (1.9%) is water.
Kalkaska Sand, the state soil of Michigan, was named after the county because of the large amounts deposited in the area from the glaciers in the Ice Age.
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