HISTORY
Michigan was first settled by various Native American tribes before being colonized by French explorers in the 17th century and becoming a part of New France.
Michigan is the French form of mishigamaa, an Ojibwa word meaning "large water" or "large lake."
Michigan's first permanent European settlement, Sault Ste. Marie, was founded by Père Jacques as a base for Catholic mission.
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| Père Marquette and the Indians (1869), Wilhelm Lamprecht |
The Roman Catholic Church was the only organized Christian denomination in Michigan until the 19th century, reflecting the territory's French colonial roots.
Detroit's Saint Anne's parish, established in 1701 by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, is the second-oldest Roman Catholic parish in the United States.
After the defeat of France in the French and Indian War in 1762 the region came under British rule, and was finally ceded to the newly independent United States after the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War.
Michigan and Ohio "went to war" in 1835 in a border dispute called the Toledo War. No one was killed, but one man got stabbed.
It was the 26th state to join the union on January 26, 1837.
Stevens T. Mason was Michigan's first state governor, where he would serve until 1840. Elected at age 23 and taking office at 24, Mason was and remains the youngest state governor in American history.
Michigan was the first state to abolish the death penalty in 1847.
The term "Michigander" was coined by one Abraham Lincoln in 1848. Then an Illinois congressman, Lincoln referred to Michigan governor Lewis Cass, who was running for president as a Democrat, as a “Michigander”, meaning he was as silly as a goose.
Michigan State University was indeed founded as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan on February 12, 1855. It was established with the mission to provide education and training in the fields of agriculture, natural sciences, and mechanical arts, making it the first institution of its kind in the United States.
Over the years, the university has grown and expanded, offering a wide range of academic programs in various fields including business, humanities, social sciences, and engineering. Today, Michigan State University is one of the largest universities in the United States, with a student body of over 50,000 students, and is renowned for its research, innovation, and service to the community.
Idlewild, Michigan was from 1912 until the end of segregation known as 'The Black Eden.' It was one of the few places where black Americans could fish, hunt, vacation, party and buy land in peace, without interference.
There is a town called 'Paradise' and a town called 'Hell' in Michigan.
Michigan has a small town named Zilwaukee, named so that people would confuse it with Milwaukee and end up settling there.
The state has the longest freshwater coastline of any political subdivision in the world, being bounded by four of the five Great Lakes, plus Lake Saint Clair. Its freshwater shoreline is about 3,000 miles.
Michigan also has 64,980 inland lakes and ponds.
In Michigan, you are never farther than six miles from a lake or river.
The official state nickname is the Great Lakes State.
Michigan is 50% forest, which makes it very useful to the lumber industry.
With its variety of seasons, rich farming regions and proximity to the Great Lakes, Michigan is the second-most agriculturally diverse state in the US.
Michigan is the only state to consist of two peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula, to which the name Michigan was originally applied, and the Upper Peninsula. The two are separated by the Straits of Mackinac, a five-mile (8 km) channel that joins Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. The two peninsulas are connected by the five-mile long Mackinac Bridge.
The Mackinac Bridge has a program that sends a crew member to drive people across if they're too afraid to drive themselves. It gets between 1,200 to 1,400 calls every year.
Michigan's state bird is the American robin.
Michigan's state flower is the apple blossom.
In the city of Mackinac Island, Michigan, cars have been banned since 1898.
Up until 2000, anyone in Michigan who killed a rat was entitled to a five-cent bounty from the city clerk.
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the only region in the US where Finnish Americans make up a plurality of the population. Even the local English dialect is influenced by Finnish.
The Islamic Center of America is a mosque located in Dearborn, Michigan. It is the largest mosque in North America and the oldest Shia mosque in the United States.
Idlewild, Michigan was from 1912 until the end of segregation known as 'The Black Eden.' It was one of the few places where black Americans could fish, hunt, vacation, party and buy land in peace, without interference.
GEOGRAPHY
There is a town called 'Paradise' and a town called 'Hell' in Michigan.
Michigan has a small town named Zilwaukee, named so that people would confuse it with Milwaukee and end up settling there.
The state has the longest freshwater coastline of any political subdivision in the world, being bounded by four of the five Great Lakes, plus Lake Saint Clair. Its freshwater shoreline is about 3,000 miles.
Michigan also has 64,980 inland lakes and ponds.
In Michigan, you are never farther than six miles from a lake or river.
The official state nickname is the Great Lakes State.
Michigan is 50% forest, which makes it very useful to the lumber industry.
With its variety of seasons, rich farming regions and proximity to the Great Lakes, Michigan is the second-most agriculturally diverse state in the US.
Michigan is the only state to consist of two peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula, to which the name Michigan was originally applied, and the Upper Peninsula. The two are separated by the Straits of Mackinac, a five-mile (8 km) channel that joins Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. The two peninsulas are connected by the five-mile long Mackinac Bridge.
The Mackinac Bridge has a program that sends a crew member to drive people across if they're too afraid to drive themselves. It gets between 1,200 to 1,400 calls every year.
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| Mackinac Bridge. By Dehk - Wikipedia Commons |
FUN FACTS
Michigan's state bird is the American robin.
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| American robin |
Michigan's state flower is the apple blossom.
In the city of Mackinac Island, Michigan, cars have been banned since 1898.
Up until 2000, anyone in Michigan who killed a rat was entitled to a five-cent bounty from the city clerk.
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the only region in the US where Finnish Americans make up a plurality of the population. Even the local English dialect is influenced by Finnish.
The Islamic Center of America is a mosque located in Dearborn, Michigan. It is the largest mosque in North America and the oldest Shia mosque in the United States.
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