Iron County was originally the hunting and fishing grounds for the Ojibwa Indians who migrated there from the New England states. It got its name because iron ore was discovered there in 1846 and it is also one of the only 2 counties in Michigan 's Upper Peninsula that does not have any great lakes shoreline.   Iron County is located in the southwestern part of Michigan 's Upper Peninsula, bordering Wisconsin and was founded in 1885.   Even though the ore was discovered much earlier, land had to be cleared and the rails needed to be built to allow access to the mines and the ore.   In 1880 the Crystal Falls Iron Company was formed and that led the way for many others. At one time there were at least 70 producing mines, operating in the county.   Recessions in the late 1800's forced the closure of several mines but lumbering replaced lost revenue.   There is some controversy over to how the county seat was decided.   The general story goes like this.   During a poker game between county commissioners whose winner was to decide which town would become the County Seat. Two of the commissioners left the game pretending to go to sleep, but instead left with all the county records, went to Crystal Falls , and after a quick "referendum" was passed, built a courthouse.   Crystal Falls was named because the falls on the paint river there looked like crystal.   Today the only time you can see falls on the paint river is during the spring thaws because the city built a hydro-electric power plant which diverted the water in 1890.   The falls are gone, however the plant produces a third of the cities power and residents of Crystal Falls enjoy some of the lowest electric rates in the nation(2003).   Today tourism is a major industry in Iron County with dense forests, and many rivers, Iron County is always a featured destination in Outdoor Michigan.

Iron County Websites and Locations of Interest

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_County%2C_Michigan

http://www.infomi.com/county/iron/