News & Fun in Michigan
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.
Archives of Michigan is pleased to announce a new video conferencing service. During one-on-one appointments, researchers can speak with an archivist to ask questions or request particular records.
The Coast Guard Station at Harbor Beach, originally built in 1910 and relocated in 1935, served as a training facility during WWII before closing in 1987. Despite preservation efforts, the station was demolished in 2004. It played a significant role in the Great Lakes waterway system and local maritime history.
While neglected, with broken windows, faded peeling paint and vines almost covering one end, this historic depot helped make the region an economic powerhouse for the eastern shore of the Thumb for decades
Gretchen Whitmer’s order to “Stay Home, Stay Safe” is a Michigan shutdown of the nonessential business due to the coronavirus outbreak. This was done once before by Michigan governor Albert Sleeper in October 1918.
In 1831, two 26-year-old, French aristocrats, Alexis De Tocqueville, and Gustave de Beaumont, decided to strike out, in what today’s terms, would be the ultimate road trip. Namely, traveling overland from Detroit, to the last “white” settlement in the Northwest Territories, to Saginaw Michigan.
The Pigeon Historical Society to relocate and restore two cabins that were originally located in the 1800s German religious colony called Ora Labora.
Part III of the Ora Labora story brings us to 1864. The rapid growth of the colony was costly and the society needs funds to grow. It was time for drastic measures. The raging war in the south was turning in the North’s favor and the colony was on borrowed time until the draft took effect.
The Great Sauk Trail is a major Native American route that ran between Detroit, Chicago and terminated at Rock Island on the Mississippi river. Originally created by migrating bison, the trail was only about a foot wide but also a foot deep as eons of travelers walked along it single file. It was used over a thousand years.
