Map of Kalkaska County, Michigan

Kalkaska County (/kælˈkæskə/ kal-KASS-kə) is located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 17,939. The county seat is Kalkaska.

Kalkaska County is included in the Traverse City Micropolitan Statistical Area. Although it is located on Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, Kalkaska County is considered part of Northern Michigan.

Kalkaska County overview:
Name:	Kalkaska County
FIPS code:	26-079
State:	Michigan
Founded:	1840
Seat:	Kalkaska
Total Area:	571 sq mi (1,480 km²)
Land Area:	560 sq mi (1,500 km²)
Total Population:	17,939
Population Density:	31/sq mi (12/km²)
Time zone:	UTC−5 (Eastern)
Summer Time Zone (DST):	UTC−4 (EDT)

Kalkaska County location map. Where is Kalkaska County?

Kalkaska County location on the U.S. Map. Where is Kalkaska County. — Location of Kalkaska County in the the United States.

Kalkaska County location on the Michigan map. Where is Kalkaska County. — Location of Kalkaska County in Michigan.

History

Kalkaska County, originally named Wabassee County, was separated from Michilimackinac County in 1840, renamed in 1843. In 1851, Kalkaska County was attached to Grand Traverse County for legal purposes. The first settler in Kalkaska County was William Copeland, from England, who purchased land in the northwest corner of the county in 1855. Kalkaska County was organized in its own right on January 27, 1871. Crawford County was then temporarily attached to Kalkaska County for legal purposes.

The discovery of substantial deposits of oil and natural gas resulted in the construction of a processing plant by Shell Oil Company in 1973 and a major economic boom in the community.

Etymology

The county’s name is a pseudo-Native American word coined by Henry Schoolcraft, a Michigan geographer and ethnologist. The name is thought to be a Chippewa word meaning flat or burned-over country. An alternative theory is that this is a neologism or neonym created by Henry Schoolcraft, originally spelled Calcasca. Some theorists suggest this is word play. Schoolcraft’s family name had been Calcraft, and the Ks may have been added to make the name appear more like a Native American word.

Kalkaska County Road Map

Kalkaska CountyStreet Map. — Street map of Kalkaska County, Michigan. Source: OpenStreetMap (OSM)

Kalkaska CountyMap — Kalkaska Countypolitical map.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 571 square miles (1,480 km), of which 560 square miles (1,500 km) is land and 11 square miles (28 km) (1.9%) is water.

Kalkaska Sand, the state soil of Michigan, was named after the county because of the large amounts deposited in the area from glaciers in the Ice Age.

Kalkaska County has over 80 lakes and 275 miles (443 km) of streams and rivers. Much of the county is marshland. County elevation ranges from 595 feet (181 m) to about 1,246 feet (380 m). This makes it one of the more uneven counties in the Lower Peninsula.

The Pere Marquette State Forest covers much of the county. Glaciers shaped the area, creating a unique regional ecosystem. A large portion of the area is the Grayling outwash plain, a broad outwash plain including sandy ice-disintegration ridges; jack pine barrens, some white pine-red pine forest, and northern hardwood forest. Large lakes were created by glacial action.

Lakes

Torch Lake
Starvation Lake
Lake Skegemog
Bear Lake
Manistee Lake
Grass Lake
Rainbow Lake
Blue Lake
Cub Lake
Twin Lake
Little Twin Lake
Pickerel Lake
Squaw Lake
Indian Lake
Perch Lake
Crawford Lake
Lost Lake
Johnson Rd Lake
Log Lake
Selkirk Lake
Kettle Lake
Lake Placid
Sand Lake
Twenty Eight Lakes
East Lake
Long Lake
Lake Five
Wheeler Lake
Fife Lake

Rivers

Boardman River
Little Rapid River
Manistee River
Rapid River
Torch River

Major highways

US 131 – runs NE through the western part of the county. Enters at 4 miles (6.4 km) north of SW corner; exits into Antrim County near midpoint of north county line.
M-66 – runs north–south through west-central part of county. Passes Kalkaska.
M-72 – runs east and ESE through middle portion of county. Passes Kalkaska.