June 6, 2023

Tag: Michigan History

Michigan Poets - Michigan History

This tag hints at articles and stories about Michigan history and the Michigan Thumb region. Michigan was part of the Northwest territory, and starting in 1815, the fur trade and influx of settlers and land speculators began.

By the time Michigan became a state in 1838, much of the southern third was already cris-crossed with improved Indian trails and initial roads. In a few short years, the lumbering era would begin, followed by the agriculture growth resulting from the cleared land.

History

Great Lakes Shipbuilding in Saginaw Bay During the Lumber Era

Michael Hardy

The times of greatest shipbuilding in the Great Lakes region was during the lumbering era. From 1839 until the early 1890s, the virgin old-growth Michigan forests were cut down to produce lumber for growing towns and cities in the lower Great Lakes. Michigan was the nation’s leading lumber producer from 1869 until about 1900. The only way to transport finished milled lumber from the shore side mills in the Great Lakes was by ship.

Great Lakes Shipbuilding in Saginaw Bay During the Lumber Era Read More
History / Upper Thumb

Mystery of the Remains of An Michigan Indian Chief Found Near Bay Port In 1933

Michael Hardy

In the 1920s, there was a flurry of archaeological activity in Michigan to record and catalog Native American villages, garden beds, and burial mounds. As a result, the entire Saginaw Valley has 100s of identified sites. The identification, and looting, of Indian artifacts from burial mounds, was a common occurrence.

Mystery of the Remains of An Michigan Indian Chief Found Near Bay Port In 1933 Read More