Posted
on January 26, 2016
Michigan
was once owned (by which I mean settled and used) by the
Algonquian peoples, the Odaawaa peoples, and Boodewaadamii peoples. Some of
the Algonquians were in the group that called themselves the Ojibwe –
and were called "Chippewa" by the French.
French
explorers and woodsmen began to settle in what is now Michigan in the
1600s, eventually establishing trading posts. From 1660 until 1763,
the area was part of “New France,” but when the French lost the
French and Indian War to the British, Michigan and the parts of New
France that were east of the Mississippi River became British lands.
Yes,
even though they were being used by the original owners such as the
Ojibwe!
After
the American Revolutionary War, one would think that Michigan would
pass to the new nation, the United States of America. But the the imprecise maps of the time and the unclear language
of the 1783 Treaty of Paris resulted in the British still having
control of Michigan, including the important town of Detroit. In 1791, the region was
considered part of Upper Canada.
A couple of treaties later, after the War of 1812, Michigan finally became American territory.
A couple of treaties later, after the War of 1812, Michigan finally became American territory.
And finally finally,
on this date in 1837, Michigan had a large enough population of non-native "Americans" to qualify as a
state.
What's
special about Michigan?
The
first thing I ever learned about Michigan was its unique shape. It is
the only state to consist of two peninsulas (pieces of land that jut
out into water so that they are surrounded by water on three sides).
And the two peninsulas are unconnected to one another. My wooden
puzzle of the U.S. had two separate pieces for Michigan—the
mitten-shaped piece, and the dog-shaped piece (to my child's mind).
The
Great Lakes were very important for shipping and travel, especially
in the past, and so important settlements grew into important towns,
which in turn grew into important cities. Now some call the area
surrounding the lakes the Great Lakes Megalopolis, which is made up
of Chicago, Toronto, Detroit, Montreal, Minneapolis-Saint Paul,
Cleveland-Akron, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Columbus,
Milwaukee, Ottawa, Grand Rapids, Buffalo, Rochester, Toledo, and so
on and on! Several of those cities are in Michigan.
Michigan
is full of water, obviously, and full of forests and plants that love
all that water—and of course water and forests is a pretty good
recipe for gorgeous scenery. Take a gander at some of the lovely
sights to be seen in Michigan:
 |
| 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 |
 |
| Tahquamenon Falls, the second largest waterfall in the U.S. (by volume) |
 |
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore,
which was dubbed “The Most Beautiful
Place in America” by Good Morning
America, in 2011
 |
| Mackinac Island, which has its great natural beauties but also some fairly swank hotels |
Also
on this date:
Plan ahead:
Check
out my Pinterest pages on:
And
here are my Pinterest boards for:
No comments:
Post a Comment