CULTURAL
TRAIL TALK

COUNTY OVERVIEW
LOCATION

Lake County Survey & Road Names
Exact Location:
Lake County is positioned between Newaygo and Mason Counties along the North Country Trail in Michigan's Lower Peninsula
 
Lake County surveyors
Early surveyors of Lake County, Michigan (photo courtesy of the Lake County Historical Society)

Lake County was first surveyed in 1840. It is laid out in accordance with the Public Land Survey System township and range pattern, consisting of 16 townships of approximately 36 square miles each. It was originally named Aischum County after a Potawatomi chief whose name appears on many land treaties from the early 1800s. The name was changed in 1843 to Lake County, which was considered fitting due to the 156 small lakes within the county.

Roads:

The county is divided north-south by Centerline Road. South of Centerline, the primary streets are numbered. 96th Street is the south county boundary. There are eight streets to the mile, thus 8th Street is one mile south of Centerline. North of Centerline, the roads are named per their mile from the divider: 1 Mile Road, 2 Mile Road, etc.

The east-west division is Foreman Road, and North-south roads have various names, usually named for people or geographic features.

hills along the North Country Trail in Lake County Michigan
Although the hills are all stabilized sand dunes, and there are few steep grades, the county is not flat. (photo by jhy)
The North Country Trail stays on the west side of Lake County, entering just south of 96th St. (because the road deviates from a straight line) and leaves at Tyndall Road in the northwest. About 33 miles of trail are in Lake County, most of which is off road. There are two major roadwalks: about 1.5 miles to cross the Pere Marquette River, and 2.3 miles to pass through the Big Bass Lake resort area.

Also see:
Lake County

Sources:
The Lake County We Love. Lucille B. Douglas, 1975.
personal experience and various public records
Every effort is made to provide up-to-date accurate information, but errors are bound to occur. Please contact explorer@exploreNCT.info about errors, corrections or additions.

Main Index     MI Lower Peninsula Index

The North Country National Scenic Trail is 4800 miles long, spanning eight states. For more information, visit the North Country Trail Association


4/4/20
MILP-La5
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