In 1844, Jacob Sammons, a cooper from Fort Mackinac, chose the old native camping ground, known as Shabwegan, as the site for his cabin.

He recruited other settlers, and a post office named "Duncan" was established in 1846.

Duncan was made the county seat in 1853 and the location of the federal land office in 1855.

[8] In approximately 1890, Cheboygan became the home port for ferryboats to nearby Bois Blanc, an island in the Straits of Mackinac.

[10] In 1944, Cheboygan became the home port of the former U.S. Coast Guard cutter and icebreaker Mackinaw, serving from 1944 to 2006.

Beginning in 2006, the port continued this role as the home dock of the new Mackinaw, a successor cutter.

It may have come from an Ojibwe word zhaabonigan meaning "sewing needle".

There were 2,415 housing units at an average density of 355.1 per square mile (137.1/km2).

35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 5,295 people, 2,146 households, and 1,349 families residing in the city.

31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.