Manistee, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Manistee is a city in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. As of the 2000 census
, the city population was 6,586. It is the county seat
of Manistee County
. The name "Manistee" is from an Ojibwe
word first applied to the principal river of the county. The derivation is not certain, but it may be from ministigweyaa, "river with islands at its mouth". Other sources claim that it was an Ojibwe term meaning "spirit of the woods."
Manistee Township
is located to the northeast of the city, but is politically separate. The city is located at the mouth of the Manistee River
on Lake Michigan
.
built a log house up the Manistee River. However, they were soon driven off by the Ottawa
.
The village of Manistee was one of about 15 Ottawa villages along the shore of Lake Michigan
in 1830. Much of the Manistee River Valley, including Manistee itself, was an Ottawa Reservation from 1836-1848.
The first permanent Euro-American settlement was made on 16 April 1841, when John Stronach
and his brother Joseph Stronach arrived at the mouth of the Manistee River in a schooner loaded with fifteen men and equipment to establish a saw mill.
On October 8, 1871, the town was practically destroyed by fire; on the same day the Peshtigo Fire
, the Great Chicago Fire
, and fires in Port Huron
and Holland
, Michigan
occurred.
In 2000, Manistee made national headlines after a judge and jury convicted a woman for expressing privately to her mother her wish that immigrants would learn English, deeming it "insulting conduct" consisting of "fighting words" that was punishable under local ordinance. Allegations of improper procedure and irregularities in the court records appeared. Two years later (November 1, 2002) and after the defendant spent four nights in jail, the conviction was overturned by the state Court of Appeals.
of 2000, there were 6,586 people, 2,912 households, and 1,729 families residing in the city. The population density
was 2,023.7 per square mile (782.4/km²). There were 3,426 housing units at an average density of 1,052.7 per square mile (407.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.90% White, 0.33% African American, 1.38% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.96% from other races
, and 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.20% of the population.
There were 2,912 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples
living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,351, and the median income for a family was $41,816. Males had a median income of $35,347 versus $20,102 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,810. About 6.9% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
was a famous resident in the later part of the 19th century associated with logging. His well known invention that he made downtown was his logging wheels
which was used in the logging industry from about 1875 until the later part of the 1920s.
Manistee is also associated with the salt
industry. Manistee is now the home of three factories on Lake Manistee; Packaging Corporation of America, Morton Salt
, and Martin Marietta
. The town is also a local favorite for tourism and fishing.
In the late 19th century, Manistee was one of the leading shingle
manufacturing cities in the world with over 30 shingle mills on the Manistee river at one time. During this 1880's lumber boom, Manistee had more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the United States.
(1340) and WMTE-FM
(101.5). The Ludington Daily News, Manistee News Advocate and Traverse City Record-Eagle
cover the Manistee area and distribute daily newspapers in the city.
Formerly distributing newspapers in Manistee included the Bear Lake Beacon, the Copemish Courier, the Manistee Advocate, the Manistee Daily Advocate (which became the Manistee News Advocate), the Manistee Daily News, the Manistee Democrat, and the Onekama Lake Breeze.
These include:
Oaks Correctional Facility
is in Manistee Township
, near Manistee.
Secondary
All grades
Secondary
Unknown
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. As of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, the city population was 6,586. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Manistee County
Manistee County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 24,527 people, 9,860 households, and 6,714 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile . There were 14,272 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
. The name "Manistee" is from an Ojibwe
Ojibwe language
Ojibwe , also called Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of the Algonquian language family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems...
word first applied to the principal river of the county. The derivation is not certain, but it may be from ministigweyaa, "river with islands at its mouth". Other sources claim that it was an Ojibwe term meaning "spirit of the woods."
Manistee Township
Manistee Township, Michigan
Manistee Township is a civil township of Manistee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,764 at the 2000 census.- Communities :...
is located to the northeast of the city, but is politically separate. The city is located at the mouth of the Manistee River
Manistee River
The Manistee River in the U.S. state of Michigan, runs approximately 232 miles through the northern Lower Peninsula, through the villages of Sharon, Smithville, Mesick, and enters Lake Michigan at Manistee. It is considered, like the nearby Au Sable River, to be one of the best trout fisheries east...
on Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
.
History
Missionaries visited Manistee in the early 19th century, and a Jesuit mission house is known to have been located on the NW shore of Lake Manistee in 1826. In 1832, a group of traders from MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
built a log house up the Manistee River. However, they were soon driven off by the Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
.
The village of Manistee was one of about 15 Ottawa villages along the shore of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
in 1830. Much of the Manistee River Valley, including Manistee itself, was an Ottawa Reservation from 1836-1848.
The first permanent Euro-American settlement was made on 16 April 1841, when John Stronach
John Stronach
John Stronach was a Protestant Christian missionary who served with the London Missionary Society during the late Qing Dynasty China.-Notes:...
and his brother Joseph Stronach arrived at the mouth of the Manistee River in a schooner loaded with fifteen men and equipment to establish a saw mill.
On October 8, 1871, the town was practically destroyed by fire; on the same day the Peshtigo Fire
Peshtigo Fire
The October 8, 1871 Peshtigo Fire in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, is the conflagration that caused the most deaths by fire in United States history, killing as many as 1,500. Occurring on the same day as the more infamous Great Chicago Fire, the Peshtigo Fire is mostly forgotten...
, the Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S...
, and fires in Port Huron
Port Huron Fire of 1871
The Port Huron Fire of Sunday October 8, 1871 burned a number of cities including White Rock and Port Huron, and much of the countryside in the "Thumb" region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
and Holland
Holland, Michigan
Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River ....
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
occurred.
In 2000, Manistee made national headlines after a judge and jury convicted a woman for expressing privately to her mother her wish that immigrants would learn English, deeming it "insulting conduct" consisting of "fighting words" that was punishable under local ordinance. Allegations of improper procedure and irregularities in the court records appeared. Two years later (November 1, 2002) and after the defendant spent four nights in jail, the conviction was overturned by the state Court of Appeals.
Geography
- According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 4.3 square miles (11.1 km²), of which, 3.2 *square miles (8.4 km²) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it (25.29%) is water. - At the mouth of the Manistee RiverManistee RiverThe Manistee River in the U.S. state of Michigan, runs approximately 232 miles through the northern Lower Peninsula, through the villages of Sharon, Smithville, Mesick, and enters Lake Michigan at Manistee. It is considered, like the nearby Au Sable River, to be one of the best trout fisheries east...
is the Manistee Pierhead lightsManistee Pierhead lightsThe Manistee Pierhead lights are a pair of active aids to navigation located on the north and south pier in the harbor of Manistee, Michigan, "Lake Michigan’s Victorian Port City."-History:...
(north and south piers) that were built in 1873, and replaced in 1927. - Manistee is considered to be part of Northern MichiganNorthern MichiganNorthern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan , is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 6,586 people, 2,912 households, and 1,729 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,023.7 per square mile (782.4/km²). There were 3,426 housing units at an average density of 1,052.7 per square mile (407.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.90% White, 0.33% African American, 1.38% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.96% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.20% of the population.
There were 2,912 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,351, and the median income for a family was $41,816. Males had a median income of $35,347 versus $20,102 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,810. About 6.9% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
Industry
In its hayday, Manistee was home to a booming logging industry. Silas C. OverpackSilas C. Overpack
Silas C. Overpack was a blacksmith, wheelwright, and businessman. He owned a shop in downtown Manistee, Michigan called S.C. Overpack Wagon, Carriage and Blacksmith Shop and is associated with the invention of Michigan logging wheels. These unusually large wagon wheels were used in the timber...
was a famous resident in the later part of the 19th century associated with logging. His well known invention that he made downtown was his logging wheels
Michigan logging wheels
Michigan logging wheels, also known as big wheels, high wheels, logging wheels, logger wheels, lumbering wheels, bummer carts, katydids or nibs, are a type of skidder. It extended the season in which the logging industry could extract timber from the North Woods of Michigan, by removing the need...
which was used in the logging industry from about 1875 until the later part of the 1920s.
Manistee is also associated with the salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
industry. Manistee is now the home of three factories on Lake Manistee; Packaging Corporation of America, Morton Salt
Morton Salt
Morton Salt is a United States company producing salt for food, water conditioning, industrial, agricultural, and road/highway use. Based in Chicago, the business is North America's leading producer and marketer of salt. It is a subsidiary of the German company K+S.-History:The company began in...
, and Martin Marietta
Martin Marietta
Martin Marietta Corporation was an American company founded in 1961 through the merger of The Martin Company and American-Marietta Corporation. The combined company became a leader in chemicals, aerospace, and electronics. In 1995, it merged with Lockheed Corporation to form Lockheed Martin. The...
. The town is also a local favorite for tourism and fishing.
In the late 19th century, Manistee was one of the leading shingle
Roof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
manufacturing cities in the world with over 30 shingle mills on the Manistee river at one time. During this 1880's lumber boom, Manistee had more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the United States.
Media
Manistee is home to two radio stations, WMTE (AM)WMTE (AM)
WMTE was a radio station broadcasting a news-talk format. Licensed to Manistee, Michigan, it first began broadcasting on June 7, 1951 from facilities located on "Radio Hill" on the southern city limits of Manistee near the intersection of 10th and Olga Streets.The original radio station was housed...
(1340) and WMTE-FM
WMTE-FM
WMTE-FM is an FM radio station located in Manistee, Michigan, United States, and owned by Lake Michigan Broadcasting. The station was signed on in June 1994 by the original owner, Bay View Broadcasting. The original call letters were WXYQ and the station adopted an oldies format...
(101.5). The Ludington Daily News, Manistee News Advocate and Traverse City Record-Eagle
Traverse City Record-Eagle
The Traverse City Record-Eagle is a daily morning newspaper based in Traverse City, Michigan. It calls itself "Northern Michigan's Newspaper".The newspaper formerly was owned by Dow Jones & Company, also publishers of the Wall Street Journal...
cover the Manistee area and distribute daily newspapers in the city.
Formerly distributing newspapers in Manistee included the Bear Lake Beacon, the Copemish Courier, the Manistee Advocate, the Manistee Daily Advocate (which became the Manistee News Advocate), the Manistee Daily News, the Manistee Democrat, and the Onekama Lake Breeze.
Area activities
- Orchard Beach State Park is approximately 2 miles North of Manistee.
- Little River Casino Resort is approximately 5 miles North-East of Manistee.
- Manistee National Golf Resort is approximately 2 miles South of Manistee.
- Manistee Golf and Country Club was established in 1901 and is located within the city of Manistee.
- There are three public beaches, Fifth Avenue Beach with the small man-made lake next to Fifth Avenue Beach and First Street Beach, located respectively north and south of the harbor entrance on the shore of Lake Michigan.
Local events and attractions
Manistee has museums, an opera house, and recurring events.These include:
- Arcadia Area Historical Museum
- Brethren Heritage Museum
- Kaleva Bottle House Museum also known as the John J. Makinen Bottle HouseJohn J. Makinen Bottle HouseThe John J. Makinen Bottle House is a house built of bottle wall construction in 1941 by John J. Makinen, Sr. It is located in Kaleva, Michigan near Manistee...
- Kaleva Train Depot Museum
- Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary (Michigan Audubon Society)
- Manistee Art Institute
- Manistee County Historical Museum
- Manistee Fire Hall
- Manistee National Forest Festival
- Marilla Historical Museum
- Our Savior's Historical Museum
- Ramsdell Theatre, home to the Manistee Civic Players. and the Manistee Art Institute.
- Riverwalk, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of VictorianaVictorianaVictoriana refers to items or material from the Victorian period , especially those particularly evocative of the design style and outlook of the time....
and scenic river views. - Page Road
- S.S. City of Milwaukee, a National Historic LandmarkNational Historic LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
- Victorian Manistee Tours
- Victorian Sleighbell Parade and Old Christmas Weekend
- Historic Vogue Theatre built in 1938, having Art DecoArt DecoArt deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
/Art Moderne design elements, and considered to be notable. - Waterworks Building
Retail
Manistee is known for its historic downtown, which retains many original buildings from the Victorian era. There are a good variety of retail stores in Manistee, many of which are locally owned and operated.Government and infrastructure
The Michigan Department of CorrectionsMichigan Department of Corrections
The Michigan Department of Corrections oversees prisons and other correctional facilities in the state of Michigan, USA. It has 34 prison facilities, and a Special Alternative Incarceration program, together composing approximately 44,000 prisoners. Another 72,000 probationers and parolees are...
Oaks Correctional Facility
Oaks Correctional Facility
Oaks Correctional Facility is a Michigan Department of Corrections facility in Manistee Township, Michigan, near Manistee.-Facilities:The facility has four general population housing units with double bunked beds. Each unit houses up to 192 men...
is in Manistee Township
Manistee Township, Michigan
Manistee Township is a civil township of Manistee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,764 at the 2000 census.- Communities :...
, near Manistee.
Recreation
- Over 40 charter fishing boats operate on Lake Michigan from Manistee County ports.
- Fishing in the Manistee RiverManistee RiverThe Manistee River in the U.S. state of Michigan, runs approximately 232 miles through the northern Lower Peninsula, through the villages of Sharon, Smithville, Mesick, and enters Lake Michigan at Manistee. It is considered, like the nearby Au Sable River, to be one of the best trout fisheries east...
can yield salmon and steelhead. - Because a large portion of the county is public land, hunting is popular.
- Filmmaker Michael Moore visited Manistee in February 2011 to support the restoration of the Vogue Theatre in downtown Manistee.
Currently Operating
Elementary- James Madison Elementary (DayCare, Pre-School, K), Manistee Area Public Schools
- John F. Kennedy Elementary (Location of Former Middle School) (4-6), Manistee Area Public Schools
- Thomas Jefferson Elementary (1-3), Manistee Area Public Schools
- Trinity Lutheran School (K-8), Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod Private School
Secondary
- Casman Alternative Academy (7-12), Provides an alternative education for those in Manistee County and surrounding areas.
- Manistee High/Middle School (7-12), Manistee Area Public Schools, Class B/Division 3 ; Division 5 (Football) in sports
All grades
- Manistee Catholic Central SchoolCatholic Central High School (Manistee, Michigan)Manistee Catholic Central School is a private, Roman Catholic school in Manistee, Michigan. It is operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord.-History:...
(K-12), Roman Catholic private school, Class D/Division 4 ; Division 8 (Football)
Formerly Operating
Elementary- George Washington Elementary (K-6), Manistee Area Public Schools
- Abraham Lincoln Elementary (K-6), Manistee Area Public Schools
- John F. Kennedy Elementary (Parkdale Location) (4-5), Manistee Area Public Schools
Secondary
- Guardian Angels Schools (7-12), Catholic Church School
- St. Joseph Schools (K-12), Catholic Church School
- Newland Academy (6-12), School (Type Unknown) (formerly "Lake Bluff Academy")
Unknown
- Tomaszewski Country School (?-?), School (Type Unknown)
- Union School (?-?), School (Type Unknown)
- Woodrow Wilson Elementary (?-?), Manistee Area Public Schools
Transportation
- Manistee is served by Manistee County-Blacker AirportManistee County-Blacker AirportManistee County-Blacker Airport is a public airport located three miles northeast of the central business district of Manistee, a city in Manistee County, Michigan, USA. The airport covers and has two runways. It is mostly used for general aviation...
, approximately three miles (4.8 km) northeast of the city. -
US 31U.S. Route 31U.S. Route 31 is a long north–south highway connecting northern Michigan to southern Alabama, with its northern terminus at Interstate 75 near Mackinaw City, Michigan, and southern terminus at the combined U.S. Route 90 & U.S. Route 98 at Spanish Fort, Alabama...
traverses the heart of Manistee, running southerly toward LudingtonLudington, MichiganLudington is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,357. It is the county seat of Mason County.Ludington is a harbor town located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Pere Marquette River...
and northerly toward Traverse CityTraverse City, MichiganTraverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
. -
M-55M-55 (Michigan highway)M-55 is a state trunkline highway in the northern part of the US state of Michigan. M-55 is one of only three state highways that extend across the Lower Peninsula from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan; the others are M-46 and M-72. The highway crosses through rural forest and farmlands to connect...
begins just northeast of Manistee and proceeds easterly across the Lower Peninsula to Tawas CityTawas City, MichiganTawas City is a city along Lake Huron in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,005. It is the county seat of Iosco County...
. -
M-22M-22 (Michigan highway)M-22 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It is long and follows the Lake Michigan shoreline of the Leelanau Peninsula, making up a portion of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. It also passes through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore...
begins a bit further northeast of Manistee M-22 (Michigan highway)M-22 (Michigan highway)M-22 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. It is long and follows the Lake Michigan shoreline of the Leelanau Peninsula, making up a portion of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. It also passes through the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore...
, http://www.state-ends.com/michigan/m22/
Notable people associated with Manistee
- Dave Campbell, baseball player and sportscaster
- Byron M. CutcheonByron M. Cutcheon-See also:*List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: A–F-References:...
, Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
veteran and winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor, Congressman, attorney, and postmaster - Fred GreenFred Green-Military service and legal work:Green served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War. He was a first lieutenant in the 31st Michigan Volunteer Infantry and later was promoted to battalion adjutant. After the war, he returned to Ypsilanti as the city attorney, as well as attorney for the...
, Governor of MichiganGovernor of MichiganThe Governor of Michigan is the chief executive of the U.S. State of Michigan. The current Governor is Rick Snyder, a member of the Republican Party.-Gubernatorial elections and term of office:...
, 1927–1931 - Nels JohnsonNels JohnsonNels Johnson was a clockmaker in Manistee, Michigan, United States. He was the manufacturer of Century tower clocks, clocks designed to last 100 years! - Early life :...
and his business of Century tower clocksCentury tower clocksCentury tower clocks were tower clocks manufactured by Nels Johnson, designed to last 100 years. They were "clocks built to last a century," hence the name "Century" tower clocks. These tower clocks were mostly produced from 1880 to 1910... - James Earl JonesJames Earl JonesJames Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
, actor, first began acting at the Ramsdell Theatre in Manistee - Edward KozlowskiEdward KozlowskiFather Edward Kozlowski was a Polish-American Catholic Priest, and the first Polish Bishop, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.-Biography:...
, Polish-American priest, later Bishop of Milwaukee - Michael J. Malik, Sr.Michael J. Malik, Sr.Michael J. Malik, Sr. is a developer and entrepreneur from Detroit, Michigan who resides in Birmingham, Michigan.Since the early 1990s he and his partner Marian Ilitch have been catalysts for legalization of gambling and development of gambling halls from coast to coast and in Hawaii with mixed...
, developer - Harry W. MusselwhiteHarry W. MusselwhiteHarry Webster Musselwhite was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Musselwhite was born on a farm near Coldwater, Michigan and attended the district school and the high school there. He apprenticed, and later employed, as a printer in Coldwater from 1886 to 1888...
, politician and newspaper publisher - Harriet QuimbyHarriet QuimbyHarriet Quimby was an early American aviator and a movie screenwriter. In 1911 she was awarded a U.S. pilot's certificate by the Aero Club of America, becoming the first woman to gain a pilot's license in the United States. In 1912 she became the first woman to fly across the English Channel...
, first licensed American aviatrix was born in nearby Arcadia TownshipArcadia Township, Manistee County, MichiganArcadia Township is a civil township of Manistee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 621.... - Olaf SwensonOlaf SwensonOlaf Swenson was a Seattle-based fur trader and adventurer active in Siberia and Alaska in the first third of the 20th century. His career intersected with activities of notable explorers of the period, and with the Russian civil war. He is credited with leading the rescue of the Karluk...
, fur trader, adventurer, and author - Robert Pershing WadlowRobert WadlowRobert Pershing Wadlow was the tallest person in history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. Wadlow is sometimes known as the Alton Giant or Giant of Illinois because he was born and grew up in Alton, Illinois.Wadlow reached in height and weighed at his death at age 22...
, the world's tallest man in medical history (8 feet, 11.1 inches tall) (just shy of 9 feet (2.7 m)) died at the Hotel Chippewa in Manistee on July 15, 1940 - Toni TrucksToni TrucksAntoinette Lindsay "Toni" Trucks is an American stage, film and television actress. She was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and grew up in Manistee, Michigan. She graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy and the Musical Theatre Department of the University of Michigan...
, actor, first began acting at the Ramsdell Theatre in Manistee
Further reading
- Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Bibliography for Manistee County.
- Shannon McRae, Images of America: Manistee County (2003)
- Curran N. Russell and Dona Degen Baer, The Lumberman's Legacy (1954)