Iron Mountain in Dickinson County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Dickinson County
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Dickinson County Courthouse and Jail
Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, May 11, 2017
1. Dickinson County Marker
Dickinson County
In 1873, John Lane Buell exposed one of the richest deposits of iron ore in the world. His discovery, known as the Menominee Iron Range, led to the development of the area and the subsequent creation of Dickinson County in 1891. The last of Michigans eighty-three counties to be organized, it was named for Donald M. Dickinson, a prominent Detroit attorney and the postmaster general in the first administration of President Grover Cleveland (1885-1889). Three of Michigans largest iron mines were located in Iron Mountain, which had an abundant supply of water power and was served by two major railroads. Iron Mountain became a center of commerce and distribution for the range and was the natural location for the county seat once the county organized.
Dickinson County Courthouse and Jail
This Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse, erected in 1896-97, is constructed of rock-faced brick, trimmed with Portage Entry sandstone. James E. Clancy, a locally recognized architect who specialized in planning public buildings on the Menominee Iron Range, designed the courthouse. County offices opened here only five years after Dickinson County was created by act of the Michigan State Legislature. The jail, designed to complement the larger structure, originally had thirty-four cells for male prisoners,
this page online
Erected 2000 by Michigan Historical Center, Department of State. (Marker Number L0563.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Law Enforcement • Natural Resources • Political Subdivisions. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #22 and #24 Grover Cleveland, and the Michigan Historical Commission series lists.
Location. 45° 48.984′ N, 88° 3.885′ W. Marker is in Iron Mountain, Michigan, in Dickinson County. It is at the intersection of South Stephenson Avenue (U.S. 2) and East C Street, on the right when traveling north on South Stephenson Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 705 S Stephenson Ave, Iron Mountain MI 49801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Carnegie Library (approx. 0.3 miles away); Robert C. Hoyle (approx. 0.3 miles away); Italians in Dickinson County (approx. 0.6 miles away); Cornish Pump (approx. 0.6 miles away); James and Ida Goulette
Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, May 11, 2017
2. Dickinson County Courthouse and Jail Marker
Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, May 11, 2017
3. Dickinson County / Dickinson County Courthouse and Jail Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 13, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 24, 2017, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 491 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 24, 2017, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
