Macomb County Revenue and Competitors

Named in honor of General Alexander Macomb, a highly decorated veteran of the War of 1812, Macomb County was formally organized on January 15, 1818 as the third county in the Michigan territory. At that time, it covered a much larger area than it does today. In 1819 and 1820, large portions of the county were removed to form the counties of Oakland, Lapeer, Genesee and St. Clair. The first Europeans arrived in the area during the 17 th century. They included French fur trappers who recognized the richness of the marshes and sought new opportunities for trade. Moravian missionaries established the first organized, non-native settlement in the county in 1782 as a refuge for Christianized Indians driven out of Ohio. They built along the banks of the Clinton River, then known as the Huron River, but were forced to leave four years later by the Chippewa Indians. In the late 1790s, Christian Clemens visited the area, and in March 1800, purchased a distillery considered the first building on the site of the future Mount Clemens. The next year he purchased 500 acres for development. This site, known as High Banks, was platted as the Village of Mount Clemens in 1818, when it was proclaimed the Macomb County Seat.