Being the sweet center of Michigan is something that makes Mt. Pleasant unique!
Isabella County’s county seat, Mount Pleasant, was established in 1831. Our county population is 64,400, with Mount Pleasant’s population at 21,000.
The Treaty of 1855 relocated the Native American Ojibwa (Saginaw Chippewa Tribe) from Saginaw, Swan Creek, and Black River to Isabella County (Isabella Indian Reservation). Today, Mount Pleasant is home to the popular Soaring Eagle Casino, Ziibiwing Cultural Center, and many other American Indian cultural aspects and events celebrating the rich history and culture of Indigenous People.
The city of Mount Pleasant was incorporated in 1889. In 1928, large amounts of oil were discovered, leading to an oil boom in Isabella County. The history of Mount Pleasant is celebrated in the City seal, which includes four emblems representing Native American heritage and culture, agriculture, education, and the discovery and production of oil. All four were influential in shaping the community it is today.
Isabella County features over 1,000 farms averaging 193 acres in size. Farms range from dairy farms and livestock farms to vegetableand organic and U-Pick farms. The area is also home to the Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival, celebrated annually the last weekend of April since 1958.
In 1890, W.A. Jordan started Mt. Pleasant Business College. Expanding in 1892, the school changed its name to Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the beginnings of what is now Central Michigan University. Today CMU, is the fourth largest public university in Michigan, has more than 20,000 students on campus, offers over 200 academic programs and operates learning centers in more than 50 locations throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Fire Up Chips!
The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan is made of three Ojibwe bands; Saginaw, Black River, and Swan Creek. They originally lived in southern and Midwestern areas of what is today’s State of Michigan, as well as some parts of what is now Canada. But now tribal land is concentrated near the cities of Mt. Pleasant and Pinconning. In 1864, the Isabella Indian Reservation was established in Mt. Pleasant.
Throughout the 1700s and 1800s, treaties between the young American government and the Saginaw bands compressed the land base allowed for the Tribe’s normal pursuits. This was until 1837, when all remaining land was gone. By 1864, the Saginaw lands were formally surrendered, with all Tribal members offered land in Isabella County. Many decades later in the 1930s, the tribe needed to be reorganized under the Federal Indian Reorganization Act. This is when the Tribe officially became the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan.
