Gratiot county is smack dab in the center of Michigan 's Lower Peninsula . It was named after Captain Charles Gratiot, who engineered the construction of Fort Gratiot at Port Huron . Gratiot County has rolling hills that pasture cattle, and wide open fields that are perfect for farming. The largest city in Gratiot County's is Alma, which was home of the long time sponsor of Mort Neff's Michigan Outdoors TV show in the 1950's and 1960's -- Leonard Refineries, that was purchased by Total Petroleum, and finally closed its doors in 1999 after 65 years in operation. Alma is also the home of Alma College , known for its fine arts and performing arts programs. Just south of Alma is St. Louis , founded in 1853, St. Louis celebrated it's 150th anniversary in a big festival in 2003. St Louis is actually the geographical center of Michigan 's Lower Peninsula and has an interesting behind it's founding. Back in the fall of 1 868, a couple of St. Louis residents decided to make a fortune by drilling for salt. They didn't find any salt, but they did discover springs of mineral water. It was commonly thought that mineral springs had special healing powers, and when word of the healing water spread, the little town of St. Louis , Michigan , became a pilgrimage destination for people with ailments from all over the nation. The mineral springs are no longer a draw, but Gratiot County does draw sportsmen from all over.