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.
We explore the intriguing life of Jeremiah Jenks, a Michigan pioneer whose vision transformed the Thumb region. His story is a blend of entrepreneurship and community, shaping the very heart of Michigan’s history.
Indigenous Peoples of Michigan, the Anishinabeg, view the White Rock on the edge of the Lake Huron shore as a sacred site. The rock was much, much larger than it appears today. (Which is 2019 is mostly underwater). The Indian ensured that fresh game and food items were placed on the site as an offering. Gitchie Manitou or Great Spirit would recognize the offering by the Anishinabeg as a token of thanks for the bounty and richness of the peninsula.
In 1909 the Michigan state legislature changed the name of Bad Axe to Huron subject to a referendum of the voters of the city. That vote has yet to happen.
Experience the profound legacy of Native American tribes in Michigan. Their vibrant cultural heritage echoes in every corner of the state, from the thriving agriculture to the dynamic art scene. We discovered Native American collections in nine Michigan museums that are worth a visit.
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.
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.
Grave robbing was a gruesome yet common crime in the late 1800’s as medical schools sought bodys for study.
Archives of Michigan is now in possession of a collection of Ora Labora letters written in English and Old German by Emil and Bertha Baur and other family members. They were found in Cincinnati in 1974 and sent to the Historical Society of Michigan in 2018. They are in process of being prepared for availability online
