Home Donation & Dues Business Directory Area Events & Information About Onekama About PLA Fishing Reports Recreational Features What's in a name? Onekama Michigan is affectionately known as "1," because very often, tourists and newcomers alike pronounce the name of the town as such. Onekama: (/oʊˈnɛkəmə/ oh-nek-ə-mə) Onekama, Michigan The Story of Onekama Michigan Onekama may not have been fit for cultivation or sheep farming in the mid 1830s, but little did they know back then the potential for this "two-lake" town. A survey in what is now Onekama Township was completed in 1839. The area was included in Manistee Township at the time of Manistee County’s organization in 1855, but Onekama Township became a separate entity in 1867, eventually containing approximately 22 square miles with around 6 miles of frontage on Lake Michigan. Around this time, the surveyors noted that “little can be said in favor of this township. It is almost entirely composed of high and steep hills, unfit for the purposes of cultivation. They will scarcely answer for sheep farms. The lake in this Township is supplied by springbrooks running out of the hills surrounding it.” Click a section below for more information. Section 2: Onekama Village Section 1: Portage Lake Section 3: Pierport In Appreciation This album owes its existence to those who assisted with the Land Information System Historical Series, “Our Onekama Township Heritage,” in 1995 and the Portage Point Centennial Exhibit in 2002. Additional Photographs and information are available at: Onekama Township Hall 5435 Main Street, P. O. Box 458 Onekama, MI 49675 (231) 889-3308 Manistee County Historical Museum 425 River Street Manistee, MI 49660 (231) 723-5531 Click here for more information on Onekama. Did you know? Portage Lake and Lake Michigan were not originally connected... Portage Lake and Lake Michigan weren’t always connected by a channel – it was a man-made accident that made the channel as we know it today. How did it happen? Well, that is a story… Once the small Portage Creek drained into Portage Lake. An enterprising mill owner, Mr. Stronach, placed a dam on this creek to help his lumber mill operation. Future mill owners would periodically raise the water level on the lake and flood the property of early homesteaders along the shores. Since these homesteaders were improving their land, they weren’t very happy when lake levels were raised. Push came to shove and by 1871, a small ditch was dug to prevent the water level from being artificially raised. When the water finally let loose through the ditch, you can imagine what happened. Portage Lake dropped almost 14 ft and the small “ditch” became 500 ft. wide and 12 ft deep. Gallery of Onekama Area All photos are used with permission from involved parties. Please do not use or duplicate without written consent from owner. Play - Recreation Stay - Lodging Eat - Dining Shop - Retail Business & Services Health Services Community & Non-Profits PLA Fundraisers Onekama Days 2021 Local Events & Info Area Events Parks & Rec Events Vacation Rental Listings Portage Lake Watershed Schools & Government Economic Sustainability Contact Us Calendar Of Events Newsletter Sign Up ONEKAMA OneFifty About Us Making our community a more enjoyable place to live, work and play is our purpose. We are non-political and concentrate on smaller, achievable projects to build our momentum... Onekama, MI • Visit • Stay • Dine • Shop Sign Up for Our Newsletter President's Letters, events, news and information about the Onekama area. Read More Photos within this website are used with permission from involved parties. Please do not use or duplicate without written consent from owner.