Michigan

Michigan is a state in the United States. Its U.S. postal abbreviation is MI (old style: Mich.). The name is derived from Lake Michigan, which in turn is believed to come from the Chippewa word meicigama, meaning "great water."

The state is known as the birthplace of the automobile industry. However, it also has a large tourist industry. Destinations like Traverse City, Mackinac Island, and the entire Upper Peninsula draw vacationers, hunters, and nature lovers from all over the U.S. and Canada. Michigan has the longest coastline of any state except Alaska and more recreational boats than any other state. USS Michigan was named in honor of the state.

An individual from Michigan is called a Michigander or Michiganian. A resident of Michigan′s Upper Peninsula (the UP) is often called a Yooper (and in turn, residents of the lower peninsula may be jokingly referred to as trolls because they live "below the Mackinac Bridge".)

History

Once a thriving lumber capital and supplier of iron and copper minerals, Michigan′s declining natural resources gave way at the turn of the twentieth century. The birth of the automotive industry with Henry Ford′s first plant in the Highland Park suburb of Detroit, marked the beginning of a new era in personal transportation that permanently changed the socio-economic climate of America. Many automotive manufacturing plants remain, however, Detroit lost its grandeur after World War II, as automotive companies abandoned huge industrial parks in the area for the cheaper labor found in Southern U.S. and offshore plants.

Early European history

• 1622 Étienne Brûlé and his fellow explorers from Grenoble, French, were probably the first white men to see Lake Superior.
• 1668 Père (Father) Jacques Marquette establishes Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, first European settlement in Michigan
• 1701 Antoine de Lamothe Cadillac, with his lieutenant Alphonse de Tonty, established a trading post on the Detroit River which they named Fort Pontchartrain; present site of Detroit.

U.S. history

• 1805 Michigan Territory was created, with Detroit designated as the seat of government. William Hull appointed as governor. Detroit was destroyed by fire.
• 1828 Territorial Capitol was built at Detroit at a cost of $24,500.
• 1835 First Constitutional Convention. Stevens T. Mason inaugurated as the first Governor. Stevens T. Mason started a minor conflict with Ohio over the city of Toledo, (now Toledo, Ohio) known as the Toledo War the same year: Ohio was awarded Toledo but Michigan was given a majority of Michigan′s upper peninsula.
• 1837 Admitted as a free state into the union (the 26th state), it was admitted with the slave state of Arkansas

Major historical events

• January 26, 1837 Michigan became the 26th US State.
• 1838 Patriot War
• 1847 A law was passed by the State Legislature to locate the State Capital "in the township of Lansing, in the county of Ingham."
• 1879 New State Capitol dedicated in Lansing. The structure cost $1,510,130.
• 1890s and 1900s Ford, Chrysler and General Motors founded in southeastern Michigan.
• 1937 Flint Sit-down Strike ends with official recognition of the United Auto Workers by General Motors.
• 1957 Five-mile long Mackinac Bridge opened November 1.
• 1974 Gerald R. Ford of Grand Rapids became the 38th President of the United States.
• 1976 Throw away bottles banned by referendum vote.
• 1987 Michigan celebrated 150 years of statehood.

Quick trivia

• State nicknames include the Wolverine State, Great Lakes State, Mitten State, and Winter Water Wonderland.
• The state motto, Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice is Latin for "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you", a paraphrase of a statement made by British architect Sir Christopher Wren about his influence on London.
• The state stone, the Petoskey stone (Hexagonaria pericarnata), is composed of fossilized diatoms from long ago when the middle of the continent was covered with a shallow sea.
• The state gem chlorastrolite, literally the green star stone, also known as the Isle Royale greenstone is found on Isle Royale and the Keweenaw.
• The state wildflower, the Dwarf Lake Iris (Iris lacustris), is a federal-listed threatened species.
• The state soil, Kalkaska Sand, ranges in color from black to yellowish brown, covers nearly a million acres (4,000 km²) in 29 counties.
• Michigan is the only state composed of two separate peninsulas.

Michigan Government Info

The Michigan state government is similar to other states in that it has modeled itself after the US Federal example of 3 branches and a bi-cameral legislature. IN addition to the Governor and Lt. Governor, Michigan residents also elect the Secretary of State and the Attorney General.

In addition to this, there are 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan, each with it′s own sovereign form of government. The state generally does not have legal jurisdiction within the borders of the tribal districts.

Miscellaneous information

Michigan has 116 lighthouses. The first lighthouses in Michigan were built between 1818 and 1822. They were built to project light at night and to serve as a landmark during the day to safely guide the freighters traveling the Great Lakes. See Lighthouses in the United States.

Michigan has the most registered boats (over 1 million) of any state in the Union.

Although most famous for its automotive industry, over half of Michigan′s land is forested, much of it quite remote.