No more colorful settlement existed in the Middle West than the mission and fort at the Straits of Mackinac, for the French early realized its importance and directed their westward explorations from this base. Of all the men associated with the establishment of the mission and settlement there, no man played a more conspicuous part than Father Jacques Marquette. Born at Laon, France, June 1, 1637, he entered the Jesuit order and came to Quebec in 1666. The ensuing two years he spent in the study of Indian languages, and in 1668 he helped in the establishment of the mission at Sault Ste. Marie as mentioned above. The following year, he succeeded Father Claude Allouez, in charge of the mission at La Pointe, but friction between the Ottawas and Hurons at the mission arose, the former tribe removing to Manitoulin Island and the latter to the island of Michilimackinac. A mission was accordingly established among the Hurons at Mackinac, to which Marquette did not come until the following spring 1671. The mission St. Ignace was thus first established on the island and was not removed to the mainland until the year after Marquette's arrival at the straits. In 1673, Father Marquette, beloved of the Indians whom he had collected around him at St. Ignace, set out with Joliet to discover and explore the Mississippi river, but upon his return from that famous voyage in 1675, he died at the mouth of the Marquette river on the east shore of Lake Michigan.

The mission at St. Ignace was continued by the Society of Jesus and exercised a marked influence upon the Indians in that region, thousands having gathered in the vicinity of the French establishment. As the fur trade grew and Fort Mackinaw became more important from a commercial standpoint, the troubles of the priests increased, for despite their earnest efforts to prevent the sale of brandy to the Indians, the pernicious custom of the traders grew, and finally Cadillac, irritated by the Jesuits, whom he detested, founded Detroit and took most of the Indians with him to that place. Finally, in 1706, five years after the exodus of the tribes. Father Marest, then in charge, burned the chapel and mission buildings and returned in sorrow to Quebec.

The fort at the strait* continued to watch over the fur trade. It was removed to the south side of the straits, but subsequently was rebuilt on the island when attack on the British was feared at the time of the Revolutionary war, and how it was captured in later years by the British in the War of 1812 and also occupied by the American troops, has been narrated in the foregoing pages. The work of building the new fort on the island was begun in October, 1779, hut not until 1781 was removal of the garrison to that place finally completed, due to the slowness experienced in providing adequate accommodations for the troops on the island.

The concentration point for the fur trade of the Middle West, Mackinac held an important place for many years, both during the British and the American regimes. The Northwest Fur company of the British, and subsequently the Astor organization of the American Fur company nude great use of the natural advantages of the Mackinac location, and thousands of pounds of furs were carried through the straits each year, gathered from the western territory tributary to the Great Lakes.

Mackinac County, or rather what is now included within the limits of Mackinac county, came under the nominal control of the United States Government after the signing of the peace treaty between the United States and Great Britain at the close of the Revolutionary war, and although the government for this North west Territory was provided for by the Ordinance of 1787, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was not actively governed by the provisions of that famous instrument until 1798, when the British forts in this territory were surrendered to American garrisons. In 1800, the Indiana Territory was erected, and the original boundaries of that territory included the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

On June 30, 1805, an act was passed erecting and organizing the Michigan Territory, the western boundary thereof being de scribed as a line drawn up the center of Lake Michigan to the northern boundary of the United States. By this act, nearly all of the Upper Peninsula and all of the present Mackinac county came into the territory of Michigan, and in due course, into the state of Michigan. Prior to the erection of the Michigan Territory, however. Wayne county, of the Indiana Territory had been created to include all of the present stale of Michigan, approximately, and even after the territory was erected, it was a part of Wayne county.

By a proclamation of Governor Lewis Cass issued October 26, 1818, Michilimackinac. county was erected with these boundaries: Beginning at the White Rock on the shore of Lake Huron, thence with the line of Macomb county to the line between the United State? and Upper Canada, thence with the boundary to the western boundary of the Michigan Territory; thence southerly along the western line so far that a line drawn due west from the dividing grounds between the rivers which flow into Lake Superior and those which flow south will Strike the same; thence due east to these dividing grounds and with the same to a point due north from Sturgeon bay, thence south to the hay, and thence by the nearest line to the western boundary of the territory as established by Congress.

It can he seen from the a hove mentioned boundaries that the original county of Michilimackinac included a vast amount of territory that comprised a goodly portion of the Lower Peninsula as well as most of the present Upper Peninsula. Obviously, such an unwieldy territory could not long remain as one county, and as county organization proceeded in the Lower Peninsula. Mackinac county shrunk rapidly in size. By a legislative act of March 9, 1843, redefined the boundaries of Mackinac county, naming them as follows: Beginning at a point in Lake Huron, smith of line between ranges 2 and 3 cast, thence north to the boundary of township 41 north, thence west to the line between ranges 1 and 2 east, thence to the north boundary of township 42 north, thence west to the meridian, north on the meridian line to the north boundary of township 43 north, thence west to the line between ranges 6 and 7 west, north to the north boundary of township 45, thence west on the north boundary of township 45 north, to the line between ranges 12 and 13 west, south on this line to Lake Michigan, and thence east along the lake shore to the place of be - Slining. Bois Blanc, St. Martin's, Roundes Chenaux. St. Helena, and Michilimackinac were the islands attached to Michilimackinac county by this act. Thus the limits of the county have remained the same since the passage of this act, the only changes occurring within the county in the shape of township organizations. Among the first townships organized was St. Ignace, while Holmes township came into being on April 12, 1827, and Moran sometime later.

Courthouse and Seat of Justice. When Michilimackinac county was organized, the seal of justice was located at the borough of Michilimackinac, thru included in Holmes township, but as the population grew on the mainland, it became increasingly evident that such a" arrangement was not one of expediency for the great bulk of the county's population. Came a time when the people of the county moved actively for a change in the county seat, and on April 3, 1882. an election was held. 479 voles being cast in favor of removal to St. Ignace and 128 against. Thus, the county seal came to St. Ignace where it has since remained. Prom the time of the organization of the county to the removal of the scat of justice to St. Ignace. two county buildings had been erected at the island, one being occupied temporarily until a more suitable structure could be Secured for the housing of the county offices and the circuit court rooms. This latter building was an excellent structure for its purpose, considering the size of the county at the time it was built.

When the removal was voted, it became necessary to procure a new courthouse, and to this end, a special election was held in June, 18S2. to vote on the question of a loan of $17,000 for new county buildings at St. Ignace. Al that time, the committee in charge received the following offers of location for the buildings: (1) Michael Marley submitted for consideration three bluff sites on claims 15 and 16, either to be 500 feet square, with streets 100 feet wide to be laid out on each side of the square except around the site on Portage street, where only three sides could have thoroughfares of such width due to the fact that Portage street was already located and of less width than the proposed avenues. (2) In addition to a 300-foot square in the heart of the village, an offer to which Brooks B. Uazelton added a thousand dollars, the Murrays offered any side On their bluff the committee might select. (5) Mrs. Amelia Grain offered two sites, the first containing from three to live acres on Grain's bluff, having an elevation of 200 feet and a fine view of the straits, and the second 100x200 feet on Lake avenue. (4) From three to five acres on claim 3 were offered by P. W. Hombach. (5) Matilda Wendell, through her agent, W. P. Preston, offered a site of two acres in extent on claim 11. (6) The Mackinac Lumber company, through B. B. Hazelton, proposed to give a location 200 feet east of the Reagon shops and to donate $1,000 if either the Crain, Murray, or the lumber company site were chosen by the committee.

With such generous response from the people of the community, the matter of location of the new county buildings was easily settled, the committee accepting the offer of Michael Marley for the location at Prospect and Marley streets. No sooner had the location been made than negotiations were opened for the construction of the courthouse, sheriff's residence, and jail. Plans for an $18,000 courthouse were accepted by the board, and on August 16, 1882, the cornerstone of the courthouse was laid with ceremonies at which W. P. Preston, chairman of the county board, was presiding officer and Judge Charles R. Brown was the speaker of the day.

Thus was the county seat established at St. Ignace, and the courthouse, sheriff's residence and jail, as they stand today, were completed with all dispatch after the laying of the cornerstone, being ready for occupancy within a comparatively short time afterward.
From "Historic Michigan" Land Of The Great Lakes by George N. Fuller