On January 26, 1837, Michigan officially became the 26th state added to the Union. In honor of it turning 184 years old last week, we at Lucas Howard put together twenty historical facts about Michigan as a celebration!
1) After the Revolutionary War, most of the Michigan territories were required by the U.S. and became a constant point of contention between them and the British, who still occupied much of the northern area and the surrounding territories of Canada. The Skirmish of Maguaga (located in modern day Wayne County) would be the first battle of the War of 1812.
2. The first European explorers of Michigan were the French, who would establish the first permanent resident in 1668. One hundred years later, Great Britain forced them from the territory after the French and Indian Wars.
3. There has yet to be a president who was born in Michigan (though plenty have tried to run). Gerald Ford, who was born in Nebraska, was raised in Grand Rapids and remains the only president to have had a Michigan residency.
4. Detroit would serve as the capital for the first half of the 1800s. Lansing later took the mantle in 1847 in an effort to better develop the western side and have a stronger defense should the British ever invade again.
5. Over 90,000 men from Michigan would serve in the Civil War.
6. Detroit will celebrate its 320th birthday in 2021. It was first founded as a fort by the British in 1701, which they later abandoned in 1796 after losing the American Revolution.
7. Henry Ford was a born and raised Michigander and began development of the Model T in 1908.
8. Mackinac Island wouldn’t come under American control until a treaty following the War of 1812.
9. The Mackinac Bridge was the longest suspension bridge when it first opened in 1957 (over five miles long). It took three years to construct.
10. The Great Lakes makes up 80% of America’s surface fresh water supply.
11. The word Michigan derives from the name Michigama, an Indian word meaning great lake.
12. Most of the Natives prior to European settlement lived among rivers or along the shores of the lakes. Most of the tribes migrated along the southern borders of Michigan.
13. In 1936, General Motors suffered a strike that has been famously known as the Flint Sit-down Strikes, which is considered the most famous strike in U.S. history. The workers protested by locking themselves in the automotive factories and sitting on the floors, refusing to work unless they received fair wages and official unionization across all factories. This lasted 44 days and forced GM to sign a deal with United Automobile Workers, which led to the American automotive industry becoming completely unionized.
14. Jennifer M. Granholm would become the first woman governor in 2002.
15. The recession in 2008 would cause General Motors and Chrysler to go bankrupt. President Bush and President Obama would both help with bail outs.
16. In 2010, Michigan would lose a seat in the House of Representatives due to declining population.
17. The 1967 Detroit riots would last five days due to poverty, police brutality, and racial segregation. It started when the police raided an illegal drinking club that was celebrating the return of two Vietnam War veterans. Locals witnessed the event and immediately began vandalizing the surrounding neighborhoods.
18. In 1930 the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel opens to the public.
19. Michigan held its first primary election in 1910.
20. Michigan has the only authentic Dutch windmill operating in America, located in Holland. Known as the De Zwaan (meaning The Swan), it was imported from The Netherlands in 1964 and used as a celebration of Holland’s 200th birthday. It remains operational today and produces whole wheat flour.
