Schoolcraft County borders the northern shores of Lake Michigan about halfway across Michigan 's Upper Peninsula . This county was named after Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. Schoolcraft was a major explorer of Michigan , and it was Henry Schoolcraft who came up with the names of quite a few of Michigan 's counties. He was also Michigan 's first Indian Agent, and a lot of the names he tacked onto counties and towns came from Indian words. Schoolcraft called the county seat, Manistique, named after the Manistique River that flows through the town. The name Manistique has an interesting story to go with it, because it's actually a typographical error. The Ojibway Indians noticed that the water in the river was often a reddish-orange color, which came from tannic acid from the swamps, and the stained color probably also came from iron deposits in the river bed. The Ojibway word for that reddish color is Monistique. Henry Schoolcraft picked that name for the town, and registered "Monistique" with the state. When the paperwork came back from Lansing , somebody had made a spelling error, and the paperwork said "Manistique" instead of Monistique. Henry Schoolcraft let that name stand, but the Ojibway Indians were probably a little confused by the word. I don't believe in ghosts but I might as well tell you about the Haunted Lighthouse in Schoolcraft County . We have another word pronunciation problem here. The name of the lighthouse is French, and it's pronounced many different ways. The locals call it " Sish Wa ", or "Shell Shwa". In French, it means "only choice." This harbor was the "only choice" for boats in the area that sought refuge from storms. There hasn't been a lighthouse keeper in Shell Shwa for years, it's been automated. But people who cared for the lighthouse swear that silverware has been moved, strong cigar smells waft through the air, and footsteps have been heard climbing the lighthouse steps.

Schoolcraft County Websites and Locations of Interest

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

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