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CultureGrams
States Edition
2014
Michigan
The Wolverine State
Established 1837
26th State
Although Michigan is known as the Wolverine State, no one knows for sure why. Few, if any, wolverines ever lived
in the state.
Lake Michigan was called michi gama, or “large lake,” by the Chippewa (or Ojibwa) tribe.
The Packard Motor Car Company in Detroit manufactured the first air-conditioned car.
The Soo Canal connects Lake Huron to Lake Superior. The canal has a system of locks that use water to raise or
lower boats. These locks can raise or lower a ship 21 feet (6.5 m) in a matter of minutes.
Michigan’s Isle Royale is closer to Canada than it is to Michigan.
Post and Kellogg cereals are made in Battle Creek, nicknamed the Cereal Bowl of America.
Michigan has more shoreline than any state except Alaska.
Each winter, Michigan ships millions of Christmas trees to the rest of the country.
Baseball’s Detroit Tigers began competing nationally in 1881. They were first called the Wolverines.
Michigan has 11,000 inland lakes, and forests cover almost half the state.
For more than 30 years, Eau Claire has been home to the International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship.
Contestants from around the world gather to see who can spit their pit the farthest.
Vernors ginger ale is one of the oldest sodas in the country and was created by a Detroit pharmacist in 1866.
Climate
The Great Lakes have a significant effect on Michigan’s weather. The lakes help cool
the air in summer and warm the air in winter. After cold fronts (weather patterns) move
across Lake Michigan, the fronts dump snow on the state’s western coast. Most of the
state’s snow falls in the north, where some people have to dig tunnels in the snow to
leave their houses! Michigan’s north can also be much colder than the south. The
average January temperature is 13°F (-11°C) in the north and 23°F (-5°C) in the
south. In July, Michigan averages 64°F (18°C) in the north and 72°F (22°C) in the
south.
Average Seasonal High and Low Temperatures
Spring: 54/33°F
Summer: 78/56°F
Fall: 57/39°F
Winter: 30/15°F
Geography
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Michigan
Michigan is made up of two large peninsulas. A peninsula is a piece of land mostly
surrounded by water but still attached to the mainland. Michigan’s Lower Peninsula
looks like a big mitten, and the Upper Peninsula sticks out from Wisconsin. Michigan
touches four of the five Great Lakes, and no spot in the entire state is more than 85
miles (137 km) away from one of them. Many Great Lake islands belong to Michigan,
including the large Isle Royale, which is set aside as a national park. The western half
of the Upper Peninsula is mountainous. The eastern half looks more like the flat plains
of the Lower Peninsula. Michigan has 56,809 square miles (147,135 sq km) of land,
making it the 22nd largest state in land area. If you include all of its water, Michigan is
the 11th biggest state in total area.
Resources and Economy
Michigan is best known for its cars. Nicknamed the Motor City, Detroit has been the
car-making capital of the world for many decades. Despite serious competition from
Japanese carmakers, the car industry continues to make up the majority of Michigan’s
economy. Michigan offers much more than just cars, though. The plains of the Lower
Peninsula hold rich soil perfect for growing corn, cherries, and Michigan’s famous
apples. Michigan has also developed high-tech industries that create computer
software. And tourists come to the state’s many lakes and woods to fish, sail, and hunt.
Time Line
5000 BC
5800 BC
Archaeological evidence of the mining and use of copper by Native
Americans
100
100
Native populations belonging to the Hopewell tradition settle in
Michigan
AD 1600
1618
Étienne Brulé becomes the first European to reach Michigan
1668
Jacques Marquette establishes a settlement at Sault Sainte Marie
1700
1701
Antoine de Lamothe Cadillac establishes a fort at present-day Detroit;
the settlement become known as de troit (“the straits”) of the river
between Lake Huron and Lake Erie
1763
France loses the French and Indian War to the British; Pontiac leads
the Ottawa in a failed uprising
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Michigan
1783
At the end of the Revolutionary War, Michigan land belongs to the
United States
1787
Michigan is made part of the Northwest Territory
1800
1805
The Michigan Territory is created
1812
The British win control of Detroit during the War of 1812
1813
The Battle of the River Raisin is fought between United States forces
and British and Native American forces; close to 400 Americans are
killed in the deadliest conflict ever on Michigan soil
1825
The Erie Canal is built in New York, making migration to Michigan
easier
1837
Michigan becomes the 26th state on 26 January
1840
Douglass Houghton discovers copper in the Upper Peninsula
1847
The Michigan capital moves from Detroit to Lansing
1855
The Soo Canal joins Lake Superior to Lake Huron, making it much
easier to transport copper and iron from the Upper Peninsula
1896
Henry Ford develops the Quadricycle, his first experimental
automobile, in Detroit
1900
1908
Ford Motor Company begins assembly line production of the Model T,
the first affordable automobile to be sold in large numbers across the
United States
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Michigan
1931
The United States Congress designates Isle Royale as a national park
1935
The United Automobile Workers (UAW) is organized
1936
UAW workers begin a “sit-down strike” at three automobile factories in
Flint
1957
The Mackinac Bridge joins the Upper and Lower peninsulas
1960
Berry Gordy Jr. begins the Motown Records music label in Detroit
1967
Poverty and racism lead to riots in Detroit
1974
Gerald Ford of Grand Rapids becomes the 38th president of the
United States
1987
Michigan celebrates 150 years of statehood
2000
2001
For the first time in the state’s history, more people are moving out of
the state than moving in
2002
Jennifer M. Granholm becomes the first female governor of Michigan
2004
The University of Michigan and Google join forces to digitize the seven
million volumes in the university’s library, making them accessible to a
wider audience through Google’s search engine
2006
Due to the auto industry and financial crises, Michigan has the highest
unemployment rate of any state, at more than 15 percent
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Michigan
2008
The Detroit Red Wings win their 11th Stanley Cup
2009
General Motors (GM) announces the cutting of 21,000 United States
jobs
2010
A pipeline in the Kalamazoo River springs a leak, spilling more than
800,000 gallons of oil into the river in the largest oil spill in the history
of the Midwest
PRESENT
The First Michiganders
Ancient Americans migrated to Michigan thousands of years ago. People on Isle
Royale mined copper and may have been the first Native Americans to use metal tools.
Groups of people belonging to the Hopewell tradition lived in Michigan centuries later,
and their burial mounds remain there today. By the time Europeans arrived, Michigan
was home to about 15,000 Native Americans, including the Ojibwa, the Ottawa, the
Potawatomi, and others. These early inhabitants hunted forest animals, fished, and
traveled on the Great Lakes in long canoes.
Arrivals from France
The French were the first Europeans to explore the Michigan wilderness. Around 1618,
Étienne Brulé arrived in Michigan while exploring the Great Lakes. Many Frenchmen
came later, seeking valuable animal furs. Catholic priest Jacques Marquette
established Michigan’s first permanent settlement. It was a mission located at Sault
Sainte Marie, where Lake Superior meets Lake Huron. The French soon built several
forts in their new territory, including one where the city of Detroit is now located.
The British and Chief Pontiac
Beginning in 1754, France and Britain fought a long war in America over who would
control the continent. The conflict also involved Native Americans and colonists. When
the British finally won, France had to give Britain much of its land. Many Native
Americans disliked the British. Chief Pontiac and his Ottawa tribe were joined by many
other tribes in an attack on several British forts. Pontiac’s men captured the fort at
Michilimackinac (now Mackinaw City), but they were not able to take over the fort at
Detroit. The Native American rebellion ended when they were forced to give in to the
British.
Revolution and the War of 1812
Detroit served as an important British supply center during the American Revolution,
but the British were not able to hold on to their new land for long. The American
colonies defeated the British in the Revolutionary War, and Michigan became part of
the new United States. The British refused to leave some Michigan forts for another 13
years. When the War of 1812 broke out, the British captured U.S. forts at
Michilimackinac and Detroit. Later, the Americans began to win, and the British
surrendered. They retreated to Canada and left Michigan completely under American
control.
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Michigan
Population Boom
In 1820, Michigan’s population was only nine thousand people. The following decades
brought a surge of people to the Michigan wilderness. The new Erie Canal in New York
made it possible to travel by boat to Michigan all the way from the eastern coast of the
United States. This opened up the area to new settlers and new trade. Towns sprang
up across the state, and a railroad was built. By 1837, Michigan had enough people to
become a state. When copper deposits were discovered in Michigan’s Upper
Peninsula, it started a “copper rush” of new mining. Iron ore was discovered soon after.
Thousands of lumberjacks came to cut down Michigan’s trees. By 1890, about 2.1
million people had settled in Michigan. In just 70 years, Michigan’s population had
grown more than 230 times bigger!
The Model T and Motor City
The invention of the car brought big changes to Michigan. At the end of the 19th
century, the automobile was in its early stages. Henry Ford built his first automobile in
Detroit in 1896. Other Michigan inventors built their first automobiles in the same year.
The automakers soon founded several car-making companies in Detroit. At first,
automobiles were very expensive. Then in 1908, Henry Ford began producing a new
car called the Model T. A few years later, he introduced the moving assembly line in his
factory in Highland Park. This made it even cheaper to manufacture the Model T and
made it possible for ordinary people to buy a car. Millions of Americans bought the
Model T, and thousands of people moved to Michigan to work in the car factories.
Race Rebellion
In the summer of 1967, a terrible race rebellion erupted in some areas of Detroit. Many
African Americans were angry because they were more likely to be affected by poverty,
crime, and racism than whites were. In frustration, rioters roamed Detroit for seven
days, looting and fighting with police. Many white people participated in the looting as
well. The National Guard had to be called in to help stop the violence. By the time the
riots ended, 43 people had died, thousands of buildings had been destroyed, and
Detroit had suffered millions of dollars in damage.
Population
Residents in Michigan can use their two hands to show where they live in the state. The right hand (with palm facing
you) is the Lower Peninsula, while the left hand (with palm facing you and thumb pointing up) is the Upper Peninsula.
People from many nations call Michigan home. Most Michigan residents can trace their ancestry back to Germany,
Poland, Ireland, or other nations of Europe. Many European immigrants and African Americans flocked to the
automotive factories during the early 20th century. People from other countries have been drawn to Michigan, too. For
example, by the 1970s, Detroit had the nation’s largest Arab community. Festivals today honor the state’s heritage and
diversity. Some of these include the African World Festival, the Dutch Tulip Festival, a Finnish festival, and a Bavarian
festival.
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Michigan
Government
Capital: Lansing
State Abbreviation: MI
Governor: Rick Snyder (Republican)
U.S. Senators: 2
Carl Levin (Democrat)
Debbie Stabenow (Democrat)
U.S. Representatives: 14
Republicans: 9
Democrats: 5
State Senators: 38
State Representatives: 110
Counties: 83
The Michigan state legislature (lawmaking body) introduces four thousand to eight
thousand bills each year. About six hundred to eight hundred eventually become
law.
There are seven justices on the Michigan Supreme Court. Each justice is elected
to an eight-year term.
Famous People
Ralph J. Bunche — Diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner
Francis Ford Coppola — Movie director
Sarah Emma Emonds — Female Civil War soldier and nurse
Gerald Ford — 38th U.S. president
Betty Ford — First Lady of the United States and social activist
Aretha Franklin — Gospel and soul singer
Pearl Kendrick and Grace Eldering — Developers of the whooping cough vaccine
Francis Ford Coppola Jennifer Granholm — First female governor of Michigan
Magic Johnson — Basketball star
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Aretha Franklin
Michigan
Charles Lindbergh — Pilot who made the first solo, non-stop flight across the Atlantic
Ocean
“Malcolm X” Little — African American activist
Joe Louis — Champion boxer
“Madonna” — Pop singer
Gilda Radner — Comedian and original cast member of Saturday Night Live
Diana Ross — Soul singer
Mary Chase Perry Stratton — Ceramic artist
Helen Thomas — Reporter and member of the White House Press Corps
Lily Tomlin — Actress and comedian
Stevie Wonder — Singer
Charles Lindbergh
“Madonna”
Native America
The largest group of natives living in what is now Michigan before Europeans arrived
was the Algonquin peoples. They included the Ojibwa, Ottawa, Potawatomi, and Miami
tribes. The Ojibwa lived in the Upper Peninsula area and northern Michigan, and the
Ottawa lived in northern Michigan and below the Straits of Mackinac. The Potawatomi
covered a larger area of central and south Michigan, while the Miami lived in the
southeast. The Ojibwa were known for using birch bark to build canoes and to write on
as well. They used a series of pictures and symbols to write down their history and
stories. They fished, gathered nuts and berries, and grew corn and wild rice. They lived
in wigwams, homes built by stretching skins over birch bark.
The Ojibwa were allies of the Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes. Together they formed the
Council of Three Fires and fought against the Iroquois Confederacy. The tribes fought
with the French against the British during the French and Indian War and later with the
British against the United States during the War of 1812. After the United States gained
control of the area, the government tried to force many of the tribes further southwest to
reservations in Kansas and Oklahoma.
Eleven federally recognized tribes live in Michigan today on reservations scattered
across the state. They are the descendants of the original Ojibwa, Ottawa, and
Potawatomi tribes. Some of the larger groups include the Grand Traverse Band of
Ottawa and Chippewa, the Little Traverse Bay Band, and the Keweenaw Bay Indian
Community. These tribes are sovereign nations, meaning they have the right to govern
themselves. They are led by an elected tribal council. Many of them operate resorts,
lodges, and casinos to help bring in money to pay for health care, education, and
housing for their members. The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community runs a community
college to provide higher education to their members. The college focuses on
preserving Ojibwa history and culture.
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Michigan
Interlochen
The Interlochen Center for the Arts started in 1928 as a summer camp for orchestra
students, and now it has a reputation for being one of the nation’s top schools for the
arts. Every year, more than two thousand youth and schoolchildren from ages eight to
eighteen attend classes in visual arts, creative writing, theater, dance, and other fields.
Camp sessions range from one to six weeks long.
The Interlochen Arts Academy is an independent high school with an emphasis on the
arts. The close to five hundred Academy students can choose which art form they will
“major” in—musical performance, creative writing, dance and theater, motion picture, or
visual arts. The Academy is a boarding school, meaning students live at the school in
dorms and return home only for holidays or on vacation.
Motown
Motown music came out of Detroit. This is a unique type of African American music
which combines strong rhythms with elements of blues, gospel, jazz, and pop. Known
as the Motown Sound, this style of music often included the use of tambourines, two
drummers, and a “call and response” form of gospel singing in which one phrase is
sung and then another follows it as though in response to the first. The Motown Sound
had a wide crossover appeal and influenced much of the music of the 1960s from pop
to disco. Motown was also one of the first musical genres to make popular girl groups
such as the Supremes and the Marvelettes. Detroit has produced many great Motown
musicians, including Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, and Stevie Wonder.
State Symbols
State Bird
American robin—Michiganders chose the robin to be their state bird in a 1931 Audubon
Society election.
State Tree
White pine—This tree symbolizes the Michigan lumber industry, which boomed in the
late 1800s.
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Michigan
State Flower
Apple blossom—This flower was adopted in honor of Michigan’s famous apples.
State Fish
Brook trout—The brook trout is a popular game fish found throughout the state.
Other Symbols
Wild Flower: Dwarf lake iris
Fossil: Mastadon
Gemstone: Chlorastrolite
Game Mammal: White-tailed deer
Reptile: Painted turtle
Song: “My Michigan”
Stone: Petoskey stone
State Motto
Si Quaeris Peninsulam Ameonam Circumspice—This means “If You Seek a Pleasant Peninsula, Look about You.”
Pro Sports Teams
• Detroit Lions (NFL)
• Detroit Pistons (NBA)
• Detroit Red Wings (NHL)
• Detroit Tigers (MLB)
For More Information
See www.michigan.gov or contact Travel Michigan, PO Box 30226, Lansing, MI 48909; phone (888) 784-7328; web
site www.michigan.org.
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