Ontonagon County, Michigan

Ontonagon County, Michigan
Ontonagon County Courthouse
Location in the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location in the U.S.
Founded	March 9, 1843 set off 1848 organized
Seat	Ontonagon
Largest village	Ontonagon
Area
• Total	3,741 sq mi (9,689 km2)
• Land	1,311 sq mi (3,395 km2)
• Water	2,430 sq mi (6,294 km2), 65%
Population
• (2010)	6,780
• Density	5.2/sq mi (2/km²)
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	http://www.ontonagonmi.org /home.html

Ontonagon County (/ˌɒntəˈnɑːɡən/ ON-tə-NAH-gən) is a county in the Upper peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,780, making it Michigan's third-least populous county. The county seat is Ontonagon. The county was set off in 1843, and organized in 1848. Its territory had been organized as part of Chippewa and Mackinac counties. With increasing population in the area, more counties were organized. After Ontonagon was organized, it was split to create Gogebic County.

The county is named after the Ontonagon River. The name is said to be derived from an Ojibwe language word Nondon-organ, meaning "hunting river." A French transliteration, Nantounagon, identified the river on a 1670 French map. Alternatively, it is said to be derived from the Ojibwa onagon, which means "dish" or "bowl."See List of Michigan county name etymologies.