During the 1800s, New Englanders flocked to the Great Lakes area, attracted by fertile land acquired through The Homestead Act of 1862. Scandinavian, French-Canadian and Irish immigrants supplied much of the late 1800s-early 1900s lumbering labor force that floated the Michigan’s forestry economy. Arenac County’s 21st century immigration and migration is mostly from Hispanic and Latino groups. The area remains home for many descendants of the pioneers and immigrant workers who settled here.