Wexford County, located in the northwestern part of the lower peninsula,
traveled by US-131, M-115 and M-55. Wexford County was founded by John
Lennington, a general storekeeper. The first postmaster (Feb. 1865) was
William Masters. Wexford County, also known as Hanover, first set off in
1840 as Kautawauket (meaning "Land of Water"), although the county government
was not organized until 1869. The county was first named Kautawauket after
a Chippewa chief. In 1843 the present name Wexford, taken from a county in
Ireland, was adopted. The earliest known white settler in Wexford County is
believed to have come in 1861. Settlement of the county began at Sherman in
1863 and this village was the first county seat. Manton briefly held the honor,
but Clam Lake (now Cadillac), settled a few years later, covented the
distinction, and a county seat war of unusual duration and bitterness, lasting
for a decade, was waged.
Timber was the forest main industry of the area. During 1873, the canal
connecting Big and Little Clam Lakes was completed by the Lumber Mills on
land donated by George Mitchell. The channel was roughly 20 feet wide by 0.3
miles long and allowed logs to be floated from the shores of Big Clam Lake
to the railroad lines in town. Widening/dredging of the canal has occurred in
1877, 1886, 1894, 1896, 1900, and most recently, in 1965. The canal freezes
in winter before either Lake, thaws as soon as both lakes are frozen-not to
freeze again until the following year.
In March, 1989, the Canal was declared a State Historical Landmark by the
Michigan Historical Commission because of it's significance to the development
of Cadillac. An Historical Marker, placed at the East end of the Canal in June
1990, explains the canal's history in greater detail. The Clam Lake Canal
now serves recreational boaters, allowing two-day boat traffic between the two
lakes. Big and Little Clam Lakes eventually became known as Lakes Mitchell
and Cadillac.
Wexford County was formerly Kautawaubet County before its name change on the
8th of March 1843, attached to Mackinac, Manistee & Grand Traverse Counties
prior to organization on the 30th of March 1869.
