County note shelf
Arenac County Porch Notes
Stories, practical details, outdoor places, tax quirks, and local history connected to Arenac County. This shelf has 4 practical notes and 12 local stories.
16 notes
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- History and culture The Standish prison that was almost the home for Guantanamo's detainees When Standish Maximum Correctional Facility was slated to close in 2009, the town briefly volunteered it to house detainees moved from Guantanamo Bay — a plan that fell apart, leaving the prison empty.
- History and culture Standish's stone depot, built from fieldstones farmers hauled by wagon The 1889 Michigan Central depot in Standish was built from fieldstones local farmers carted to the site by wagon, and now serves as the welcome center at the south end of the US-23 Heritage Route.
- History and culture Arenac: a county name a man invented from Latin and Ojibwe The name 'Arenac' isn't old or native to the place — Henry Schoolcraft built it from the Latin word for sand and an Ojibwe ending, to mean 'a sandy place for good footing.'
- Outdoors Au Gres: a French name for sandstone, and a walleye port on Saginaw Bay Au Gres takes its name from French voyageurs who called the sandy point 'aux grès,' for sandstone — and today its river mouth is a busy walleye and perch port on Saginaw Bay.
- Outdoors Charity Island: a 1857 lighthouse and a bird sanctuary out in Saginaw Bay Big Charity Island sits alone in the middle of Saginaw Bay with an 1857 lighthouse, and most of it is now a national wildlife refuge where colonial waterbirds nest by the thousands.
- History and culture Omer's old courthouse: built fast after a fire, lost the county seat, sold to the Masons for $500 Omer rebuilt its courthouse in 1890 right after the first one burned, then lost the county seat to Standish a year later — so the empty building went to the Masons for $500 and still stands.
- History and culture Saganing Eagles Landing: the tribe's casino on a sliver of restored land The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe opened Saganing Eagles Landing Casino near Standish on its Saganing Reservation in 2007, later adding a hotel and a marina on the bay.
- History and culture Omer: one of Michigan's smallest cities, and its spring sucker run Omer is one of Michigan's smallest cities, with the Rifle River and Suckerfest at the center of local life.
- History and culture Standish: the county seat and gateway to the Sunrise Coast Standish is Arenac County's county seat, crossroads, and practical gateway to the Sunrise Coast.
- Money and taxes No city income tax in Standish, Au Gres, or Omer Standish, Au Gres, and Omer all skip the city income tax; the nearest city that levies one is Saginaw, whose 0.75% nonresident rate hits commuters.
- Outdoors Living on the Saginaw Bay shore Arenac County's Saginaw Bay shore offers Lake Huron frontage, boating, fishing, and shoreline questions buyers should check.
- Outdoors Inland Arenac: rivers, woods, and the Rifle Inland Arenac County is shaped by the Rifle, Au Gres, and Pine rivers, state forest, hunting, paddling, and rural space.
- Home and property Out in the township? Plan on a well and septic -- and check them before you buy Arenac County townships are buyer-beware for private wells and septic systems at sale.
- Outdoors Saginaw Bay's walleye: a comeback for the record books Saginaw Bay's once-collapsed walleye fishery recovered so completely that it's now ranked among the best in the country, with millions of fish and a busy charter fleet.
- Money and taxes Buying in a township? Watch for special assessments on top of your taxes Michigan township buyers should check for special assessments that can add separate road, sewer, water, lighting, sidewalk, or drain charges.
- Money and taxes In Michigan, you get two property-tax bills a year — not one Most Michigan property owners get separate summer and winter tax bills, with local rules deciding what lands on each bill.