During the 1870’s Schoolcraft County was much larger than it is today, extending from Lake Michigan all the way to Lake Superior. But Onota’s days were numbered, as the entire town was destroyed by a great fire in 1879. After that disaster, the county seat of Schoolcraft County was relocated to Manistique. John Costello was the first person to hold the office of Sheriff in the new county seat of M
anistique, serving from 1879 through 1881. He was followed in office by John McCanna with his term as sheriff beginning in 1882. The county’s first jail was a one-story wooden structure, 25 feet by 45 feet. It was heated by a wood furnace with ventilating flues in each cell. There were five cells made from wood plank, with a separate room to accommodate a bathtub and privy. This jail was totally destroyed by fire on January 25, 1884. Without a building to incarcerate prisoners, County Sheriff John McCanna’s only recourse was to release minor offenders. Persons charged with more serious offenses were transported to the Mackinac County Jail in St. The journey took place by boat, as railroads had not yet reached Manistique. In the fall of 1884 voters approved the construction of a new jail which opened in 1885. The new lockup was a two-story structure measuring 18 feet by 24 feet. There were six jail cells on the first floor. The 6 by 5 ½' cells were constructed with iron bars while the floor, ceiling and outside walls were made with wooden planks. Heat was provided in the winter by a wood stove in the corridor. Toilet facilities consisted of a bucket in each cell. Five small rooms on the second story housed female prisoners and boys. These were also used for the mentally ill while awaiting transport to the Northern Michigan Asylum in Traverse City. This jail served the citizens of Schoolcraft County until 1958 when it was replaced by our current jail building. A report to the County Board of Supervisors in September of 1889 revealed the vast majority of the 65 inmates housed at the jail during the previous six months were charged with being disorderly persons. More serious offenses that were noted included breaking and entering into dwellings, keeping a house of ill fame and r**e. A report by an inspector for the Michigan State Board of Corrections and Charities after a visit in September of 1895 noted that the facility had separate confinement for female and juvenile prisoners. Toilet facilities had been upgraded to include water closets with drawers which were removed from the outside and emptied. A bathtub had been provided for the inmates since the inspector’s previous visit. Wire screen guards were in place over the windows “to prevent the passing in of tools.” The inspector criticized the reuse of the iron cell blocks from the jail that burned, stating that new ones would have been far preferable. Although the conditions noted above sound extremely primitive by today’s standards, the inspector commented that the Schoolcraft County Jail was “one of the cleanest and well ordered jails in my district.”
This jail served the residents of Schoolcraft County for 72 years with Charles Lander winning the contract for the old lockup’s demolition in 1957-58. Manistique historian, Jack Orr, looked back on this event in his Memories column of January 28, 1982. He noted that the outside walls of the jail were constructed with 2” by 10” wooden planks nailed flat, one on top of the other, creating a solid 10" barrier of pine to the outside. The planks were nailed together with hand forged square spikes weighing three spikes to the pound. The floor and first floor ceiling were made the same way, with the exception that the planks were placed on edge and nailed together. There were two sets of cell blocks, three 6' square cells to each unit. These were made of steel and were placed on each side of a central hallway. The cell blocks weighed 3 ½ tons each. All the windows were secured with steel bars covered with a steel mesh. The upper floor of the jail consisted of small rooms used to incarcerate women. (Historical information provided by Schoolcraft County Historical Society.)
1957-1958 the current jail that is located at 300 Main Street Manistique, Michigan was built. Sheriff Lloyd E. Gray who was Schoolcraft County's longest serving Sheriff from 1955-December 31, 1986 at which time he retired faithfully served the residents of Schoolcraft County for 32 years where he lived and raised his family. Schoolcraft County Sheriff's Office Sheriff's (Information provided by Michigan Sheriff's Association)
1873-1874 J. Beedon 1875-1876 E. Parrett
1877-1878 Francis Crane 1879-1882 John Costello
1883-1886 John McCanna 1887-1888 Henry McCanna
1889-1892 Dennis Heffron 1893-1896 Elmer D. Carr
1897-1900 Andrew P. Ekstrom 1901-1904 George K. Moody
1905-1908 Mangus Klagstad 1909-1912 Adonirim J. Smith
1913-1914 Charles H. Howard 1915-1918 Fred M. Orr
1919-1922 Fred R. Griffin 1923-1926 Mangus Klagstad
1927-1934 John McCann "Jack Hewitt" 1935-1938 William Laux
1939-1946 John McCann "Jack Hewitt" 1947-1952 Howard A. Hewitt
1953-1954 John McCann "Jack Hewitt" 1954-Dec 31, 1954 L.B. Chittenden
1955-1986 Lloyd E. Gray 1987-2008 Gary L. Maddox
2009-2012 Grant Harris 2013-2016 W. John Norrington
2017-2020 Paul Furman 2020- Charlie Willour
