Michigan History Guide

During the last Ice Age, North America was sculpted by massive glaciers and the subsequent craters formed by melting ice. In that process the Great Lakes were born and the region known as Michigan today took shape. Indian tribes were living in the Michigan region when the first European, Etienne Brule of France, arrived in 1618. Among the tribes we can mention the Chippewa and Menominee tribes who lived in the Upper Peninsula and Miami, Ottawa, and Potawatomi tribes in the Lower Peninsula. Other French explorers, including Jacques Marquette, Louis Joliet, and Sieur de la Salle, followed.

In 1634, Jean Nicolet explored parts of the Upper Peninsula for France. Missionaries arrived and established a mission at Keweenaw Way in 1660. In 1668, Father Jacques Marquette established the first permanent settlement of Michigan at Sault Sainte Marie. By 1700, missionaries had explored much of the region and built missions and trading posts throughout both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

From 1660 to the end of French rule, Michigan was part of the Royal Province of New France. In 1759, following the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, in the French and Indian War (1754-1763), Quebec City fell to British forces. Under the 1763 Treaty of Paris, Michigan and the rest of New France passed to Great Britain. During the Revolutionary War, settlers in Michigan favored British rule and often raided American settlements. At the end of the war in 1783, Michigan came under American control. Detroit and Fort Mackinac however, did not surrender until 1796.

During the War of 1812, Michigan Territory (effectively consisting of Detroit and the surrounding area) was captured by the British and nominally returned to Upper Canada. American forces forced the British out in 1813 and pushed into Canada. Thought to be nearly valueless, the Upper Peninsula was discovered to be a rich and important source of lumber, iron, and copper. These became the state's most sought-after natural resources and generated early wealth.

With completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, American settlers now had water transportation to the western territories. Many moved to Michigan from the eastern states. After five years of trying to settle a land dispute with Ohio, Michigan became the 26th state on January 26, 1837.

No battles were fought on Michigan land during the Civil War (1861-1865), but over 90,000 Michigan soldiers fought in the Union Army. The Fourth Michigan Calvary under General Custer captured Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy on May 10, 1865.

In 1899, Ransom Olds started the Olds Motor Works in Detroit. Henry Ford organized the Ford Motor Company in Dearborn in 1903. Other plants were built in Lansing and Flint. Detroit soon became known as the Automobile Capital of the World. During both World Wars, the entire automobile industry switched to manufacturing tanks, jeeps, airplanes, and other needed war materials. This production helped to end the Great Depression. In 1955, a new copper mine opened in Ontonagon. Shipping was facilitated in 1957 with the completion of the Mackinac Bridge, connecting the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

Racial problems escalated in 1967. Forty-three people were killed and over $45 million worth of property ruined, in an eight-day riot in Detroit. New taxes were adopted to bring increase revenue for education, welfare, and other government services. In 1972, a state lottery was also established to help raise money for these purposes.

While Michigan ranks first among the states in production of motor vehicles and parts, it is also a leader in many other manufacturing and processing lines, including prepared cereals, machine tools, airplane parts, refrigerators, hardware, and furniture.

The state produces important amounts of iron, copper, iodine, gypsum, bromine, salt, lime, gravel, and cement. Michigan's farms grow apples, cherries, beans, pears, grapes, potatoes, and sugar beets. Michigan's forests contribute significantly to the state's economy, supporting thousands of jobs in the wood-product, tourism, and recreation industries. With 10,083 inland lakes and 3,288 mi of Great Lakes shoreline, Michigan is a prime area for both commercial and sport fishing.

Michigan Famous People

• Tim Allen (1953 - ) Actor, famous for the T.V. series Home Improvement; grew up in Birmingham.
• Chris Van Allsburg (1949 - ) Writer of children?s books who won Caldecott Awards for drawings in The Polar Express and Jumanji; born in Grand Rapids.
• Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (1658 - 1730), French colonial administrator, founder of Detroit (1701).
• Lewis Cass (1782 - 1866), Michigan territorial governor (1813 - 1831), U. S. senator from Michigan (1845 - 1857), U. S. cabinet officer, and Democratic candidate (1848) for the U. S . presidency.
• Walter P. Chrysler (1875 - 1940) Industrialist who established the Chrysler Corporation.
• Madonna Louise Ciccone (1958 - ) Singer with hit singles "Material Girl," and "Vogue."  She has also acted in such movies as A League of Their Own, and Evita; born in Bay City.
• Ty Cobb (1886 - 1961) Baseball star, played 22 seasons (1905 - 1926) for the Detroit Tigers.
• Francis Ford Coppola (1939 - ) Writer, producer, and director, most famous for The Godfather; born in Detroit.
• George Armstrong Custer (1839 - 1876) Commander of Michigan's cavalry brigade in the Civil War, later killed in the Battle of the Little Bighorn
• Thomas Edison (1847 - 1931) Inventor; lived in Port Huron.
• Gerald R. Ford (1913 - ) Became the 38^th President of the United States when Richard Nixon resigned; grew up in Grand Rapids.
• Henry Ford (1863 - 1947) Founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903; from Dearborn.
• Daniel Gerber (1898 - 1974) Developed canned baby food in 1927.
• Earvin "Magic" Johnson (1959 - ) Basketball star that led the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA titles in the 1980s; retired in 1991 after announcing he had the AIDS virus and now works to educate people about the disease; from Lansing.
• John Harvey Kellogg (1852 - 1943) & William Keith Kellogg (1860 - 1951) Invented corn flakes and founded the Kellogg Company in 1906; brothers from Battle Creek.
• Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974) The first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean; born in Detroit.
• Joe Louis (1914 - 1981) World heavyweight boxing champion (1937 - 1949); lived in Detroit.
• Walter Reuther (1907 - 1970) Labor leader, president of the United Automobile Workers (1946 - 1970).
• "Sugar" Ray Robinson (1921 - 1989) Boxing Champion often called the best fighter in the history of boxing; from Detroit.