January 26 – Michigan Celebrates Its Statehood!

nPostednon January 26, 2016

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Michigannwas once owned (by which I mean settled and used) by thenAlgonquian peoples, the Odaawaa peoples, and Boodewaadamii peoples. Some ofnthe Algonquians were in the group that called themselves the Ojibwe –nand were called “Chippewa” by the French.

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nFrenchnexplorers and woodsmen began to settle in what is now Michigan in then1600s, eventually establishing trading posts. From 1660 until 1763,nthe area was part of “New France,” but when the French lost thenFrench and Indian War to the British, Michigan and the parts of NewnFrance that were east of the Mississippi River became British lands.

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nYes,neven though they were being used by the original owners such as thenOjibwe!

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nAfternthe American Revolutionary War, one would think that Michigan wouldnpass to the new nation, the United States of America. But the the imprecise maps of the time and the unclear languagenof the 1783 Treaty of Paris resulted in the British still havingncontrol of Michigan, including the important town of Detroit. In 1791, the region wasnconsidered part of Upper Canada.

A couple of treaties later, after the War of 1812,nMichigan finally became American territory.

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nAnd finally finally,non this date in 1837, Michigan had a large enough population of non-native “Americans” to qualify as anstate. n

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What’snspecial about Michigan?

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nThenfirst thing I ever learned about Michigan was its unique shape. It isnthe only state to consist of two peninsulas (pieces of land that jutnout into water so that they are surrounded by water on three sides).nAnd the two peninsulas are unconnected to one another. My woodennpuzzle of the U.S. had two separate pieces for Michigan—thenmitten-shaped piece, and the dog-shaped piece (to my child’s mind).

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nObviously,nMichigan is very much a “Great Lakes” state. The Great Lakes arennot only the largest lakes in the U.S. (although most are ALSO partlyn“in” Canada), they are among the largest lakes in the world! Thenfive interconnected lakes make the largest group of freshwater lakesnon Earth, and Lake Superior is the second largest lake in the world,nand Lake Michigan is the largest lake in the world that is entirelynwithin one country.
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nThenGreat Lakes were very important for shipping and travel, especiallynin the past, and so important settlements grew into important towns,nwhich in turn grew into important cities. Now some call the areansurrounding the lakes the Great Lakes Megalopolis, which is made upnof Chicago, Toronto, Detroit, Montreal, Minneapolis-Saint Paul,nCleveland-Akron, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Columbus,nMilwaukee, Ottawa, Grand Rapids, Buffalo, Rochester, Toledo, and sonon and on! Several of those cities are in Michigan.

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nMichigannis full of water, obviously, and full of forests and plants that lovenall that water—and of course water and forests is a pretty goodnrecipe for gorgeous scenery. Take a gander at some of the lovelynsights to be seen in Michigan:

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Palms Book State Park, which features a spring,
a pool of clear water that visitors can
peer into from a CCC-built raft that
is drawn across the lake by cables