MANISTEE, man-is-tee', Mich., city, county-seat of Manistee County, on Lake Michi gan and the Manistee River, and on the Manis tee and North-Eastern and the Pere Marquette railroads. A mission house is said to have been built here in the year 1826, but not until 1830 have we positive proof of the white man's pres ence, when a party of white men landed and proceeded up the river. In 1840 John and Joseph Stronach landed here and selected a site for a saw mill in the dense pine forest and the fol lowing wring John Stronach and his son Adam chartered a schooner, and came here with ma chinery, supplies and about 15 men. They ar rived at the mouth of the river /6 April /841. From that day dates the first permanent settle ment of Manistee County. In 1848 a mill at the mouth of the river was built by John Can field, and for several years thereafter business had a tendency to settle west of what is :known as "the big sandhill." In 1855, by the passage of a bill in the legislature, Manistee County became organized, having the townships of Stronach, Brown and Manistee, and at the first county election 136 votes were cast. In 1861 Manistee's population numbered but 1,000 per sons, and between the Civil War and a disas trous fire its progress was greatly retarded. After the close of the War things became more prosperous. In 1869 the town outgrew itself and became a city, with 3,343 inhabitants. Manistee was again visited by fire 8 Oct. 1871, and almost entirely destroyed. On the southeast is Lake Manistee, five miles in length and one and one half miles wide. Passing through the centre of the city, a distance of one and one-half miles and uniting the two lakes, is Manistee River, 175 feet wide with a minimum depth of feet, and a current running about four miles an hour. •Its waters, never closed by
ice, are navigable the entire year, making the -best winter harbor on Lake Michigan a ship ping port. Manistee's chief industries are the manufacture of salt and lumber. Underlying here at a depth of more' than 1,900 feet is a strata of rock salt 32 feet in depth, and from welts 2,000 feet deep, with an opening of but six inches in diameter, is pumped brine, from which immense quantities of salt are manufactured. About 2,500,000 barrels of salt are shipped from here annually. Lines of pasSenger steamers connect the city with Chicago, Mihvatikee and points north and south. There are two telegraph lines, a tele phone 'exchange, a system of waterworks, with over 30 miles of mains, an electric street rail way, ever 50 miles of streets, daily papers and weeklies, 'one of which is printed in German. There are six modern and well-equipped public school buildings, and six parish schools, a Carnegie library, 16 dharches and one mission. Orchard 'Beach, situated two and one-half miles north 'of the city, is one of Manistee's chief beauty spots. Among the attractions of this park is a theatre 70x 102 feet, which seats com fortably about 700 persons. Reitz Park is on a high bluff overlooking Lake Manistee.
Suburbs.— Situated on Lake Manistee are Oak Hill, Filer City, Stronach, Eastlake and Parkdale. In 1914 the commission form of government was put in operation. Population of Manistee is 12,381, including suburbs, 18,073.