Ogemaw County, Michigan

Ogemaw County (/ˈoʊɡəmɔː/ OH-gə-maw) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,770.^[3] The county seat is West Branch.^[4] The county newspaper of record is the Ogemaw Herald.^[5]

Ogemaw County
County
Ogemaw County Building in West Branch
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 44°20′N 84°08′W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	1840 (authorized) 1875 (organized)[1]
Seat	West Branch
Largest city	Skidway Lake West Branch (incorporated)
Area
• Total	575 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Land	563 sq mi (1,460 km2)
• Water	11 sq mi (30 km2)  2.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	20,770
• Estimate  (2024)[2]	20,985
• Density	37.3/sq mi (14.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	ocmi.us

History

See also: History of Northern Michigan

Ogemaw County started as part of the Virginia Land owned by England. After the Revolutionary War, it broke up into smaller and smaller pieces. The county was originally created by the Michigan Legislature in 1840^[6] from unorganized territory, but was absorbed into Iosco County in 1867. It was re-created in 1873, and was finally organized in 1875.^[1] The county's name is an Anglicization of the Anishinaabemowin word ogimaa, meaning "chief".^[1] Ogemaw's name came from an eloquent, respected Native American orator named Little Elk. One of the first settlements in the county was Ogemaw Springs, the genesis of lumbering operations in the county. The settlement of Ogemaw Springs ended when the lumber industry in the region ended. (Due to the lumber industry, railways were built to transport the lumber, and towns often sprang up along the tracks. After timber supplies in the Midwest dwindled, loggers shifted westward to the Pacific Northwest to find new sources of lumber, and many of these fledgling settlements foundered.) With Ogemaw Springs in decline, the people flocked to West Branch, causing an economic boom, including the construction of its first hotel. This created even more growth, causing many restaurants, hotels, and businesses to be built, a vast majority of which still stand today.^[7]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 575 square miles (1,490 km²), of which 563 square miles (1,460 km²) is land and 11 square miles (28 km²) (2.0%) is water.^[8] Ogemaw County is considered to be part of Northern Michigan.

Highways

• I-75 – Runs SE across the southwest part of the county; passes south of West Branch.
• M-30 – Enters from Gladwin County at 5.5 miles (8.9 km) east of the SW corner of Ogemaw County; runs north and NE to intersection with M-55 near West Branch.
• M-33 – Runs north–south through the middle of county; passes Rose City.
• M-55 – Runs east–west across the lower part of county; enters from Iosco County at 6 miles (9.7 km) north of SE corner of Ogemaw County; runs west to intersection with I-75, west of West Branch.^[9]

Adjacent counties

• Oscoda County - north
• Alcona County - northeast
• Iosco County - east
• Arenac County - southeast
• Gladwin County - southwest
• Roscommon County - west
• Crawford County - northwest

National protected area

• Huron National Forest (part)

State protected area

• Au Sable State Forest (part)
• Rifle River State Recreation Area

Communities

U.S. Census data map showing local municipal boundaries within Ogemaw County. Shaded areas represent incorporated cities.

Cities

• Rose City
• West Branch (county seat)

Village

• Prescott

Civil townships

• Churchill Township
• Cumming Township
• Edwards Township
• Foster Township
• Goodar Township
• Hill Township
• Horton Township
• Klacking Township
• Logan Township
• Mills Township
• Ogemaw Township
• Richland Township
• Rose Township
• West Branch Township

Census-designated places

• Lupton
• Skidway Lake

Other unincorporated communities

• Camp Lu Lay Lea
• Campbells Corners
• Damon
• Edwards
• Elbow Lake
• Fayettes Corner
• Goodar
• Greenwood
• Ogemaw Springs
• Selkirk
• Shady Shores
• South Branch

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	12		—
1880	1,914		15,850.0%
1890	5,583		191.7%
1900	7,765		39.1%
1910	8,907		14.7%
1920	7,786		−12.6%
1930	6,595		−15.3%
1940	8,720		32.2%
1950	9,345		7.2%
1960	9,680		3.6%
1970	11,903		23.0%
1980	16,436		38.1%
1990	18,681		13.7%
2000	21,645		15.9%
2010	21,699		0.2%
2020	20,770		−4.3%
2024 (est.)	20,985		1.0%
US Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010-2020[3][14]

As of the 2000 United States census,^[15] there were 21,645 people, 8,842 households, and 6,189 families residing in the county. By the 2020 census, its population was 20,770.

Government

For many years, Ogemaw County has been reliably Republican. Since 1884, the Republican Party nominee has carried the county vote in 75% of the national presidential elections (27 of 36).

United States presidential election results for Ogemaw County, Michigan^[16]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	8,879	70.23%	3,578	28.30%	185	1.46%
2020	8,253	69.23%	3,475	29.15%	193	1.62%
2016	6,827	65.39%	3,030	29.02%	583	5.58%
2012	5,437	52.31%	4,791	46.09%	166	1.60%
2008	5,133	47.54%	5,391	49.93%	274	2.54%
2004	5,454	50.52%	5,215	48.30%	127	1.18%
2000	4,706	47.75%	4,896	49.68%	253	2.57%
1996	2,904	32.04%	4,725	52.13%	1,435	15.83%
1992	2,936	32.17%	4,016	44.01%	2,174	23.82%
1988	4,091	50.20%	4,012	49.23%	47	0.58%
1984	4,901	60.81%	3,132	38.86%	27	0.33%
1980	4,169	51.29%	3,426	42.15%	533	6.56%
1976	3,212	47.07%	3,545	51.95%	67	0.98%
1972	3,367	60.77%	2,056	37.11%	118	2.13%
1968	2,526	54.56%	1,647	35.57%	457	9.87%
1964	1,609	36.36%	2,812	63.55%	4	0.09%
1960	2,664	58.65%	1,867	41.11%	11	0.24%
1956	2,931	69.18%	1,300	30.68%	6	0.14%
1952	2,983	73.91%	1,030	25.52%	23	0.57%
1948	2,062	64.70%	1,038	32.57%	87	2.73%
1944	2,339	69.55%	1,006	29.91%	18	0.54%
1940	2,447	65.45%	1,278	34.18%	14	0.37%
1936	1,631	45.24%	1,774	49.21%	200	5.55%
1932	1,472	45.94%	1,645	51.34%	87	2.72%
1928	1,630	73.39%	579	26.07%	12	0.54%
1924	1,714	79.32%	258	11.94%	189	8.75%
1920	1,687	75.55%	444	19.88%	102	4.57%
1916	878	51.20%	743	43.32%	94	5.48%
1912	541	31.64%	319	18.65%	850	49.71%
1908	1,218	68.47%	454	25.52%	107	6.01%
1904	1,320	75.47%	329	18.81%	100	5.72%
1900	1,186	67.31%	518	29.40%	58	3.29%
1896	793	56.64%	560	40.00%	47	3.36%
1892	594	50.64%	514	43.82%	65	5.54%
1888	620	48.44%	579	45.23%	81	6.33%
1884	478	49.48%	472	48.86%	16	1.66%

Ogemaw County operates the County jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions – police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance etc. – are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.

Elected officials

• Prosecuting Attorney – LaDonna A. Schultz
• Sheriff – Brian D. Gilbert
• County Clerk – Breck Gildner
• County Treasurer – Caren Piglowski
• Register of Deeds – Denise Simmons
• Drain Commissioner – Michael DeMatio
• Commissioner Dist. 1 – Craig Scott
• Commissioner Dist. 2 – Mark Surbrook
• Commissioner Dist. 3 – Ronald Vaughn
• Commissioner Dist. 4 – Brad Neubecker
• Commissioner Dist. 5 – Jenny David^[17]

(information as of February 2021)

See also

• List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Ogemaw County, Michigan
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Ogemaw County, Michigan