Portal:Michigan

The Michigan Portal

Location of Michigan within the United States

Michigan (/ˈmɪʃɪɡən/ (listen)) is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. It has land borders with Wisconsin to the southwest, and Indiana and Ohio to the south, and Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie also connect it to the states of Minnesota and Illinois, and the Canadian province of Ontario. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly 97,000 sq mi (250,000 km²), Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the largest by area east of the Mississippi River. Its capital is Lansing, and its largest city is Detroit. Metro Detroit is among the nation's most populous and largest metropolitan economies. Its name derives from a gallicized variant of the original Ojibwe word ᒥᓯᑲᒥ (mishigami), meaning "large water" or "large lake".

Michigan consists of two peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula resembles the shape of a mitten, and comprises a majority of the state's land area. The Upper Peninsula (often called "the U.P.") is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac, a five-mile (8 km) channel that joins Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. The Mackinac Bridge connects the peninsulas. Michigan has the longest freshwater coastline of any political subdivision in the United States, being bordered by four of the five Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair. It also has 64,980 inland lakes and ponds. Michigan has the second-most water area of any state, behind only Alaska.

The area was first occupied by a succession of Native American tribes over thousands of years. In the 17th century, French explorers claimed it as part of the New France colony, when it was largely inhabited by indigenous peoples. French and Canadian traders and settlers, Métis, and others migrated to the area, settling largely along the waterways. After France's defeat in the French and Indian War in 1762, the region came under British rule. Britain ceded the territory to the newly independent United States after its defeat in the American Revolutionary War.

The area was part of the larger Northwest Territory until 1800, when western Michigan became part of the Indiana Territory. Michigan Territory was formed in 1805, but some of the northern border with Canada was not agreed upon until after the War of 1812. Michigan was admitted into the Union in 1837 as the 26th state, a free one. It soon became an important center of industry and trade in the Great Lakes region, attracting immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from many European countries. Immigrants from Finland, Macedonia, and the Netherlands were especially numerous. Migration from Appalachia and of Black Southerners as part of the Great Migration increased in the 1930s, with many settling in Metro Detroit. (Full article...)

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Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by a congressional act that President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, to December 11, 1816, when the remaining southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana. The territory originally contained approximately 259,824 square miles (672,940 km²) of land, but its size was decreased when it was subdivided to create the Michigan Territory (1805) and the Illinois Territory (1809). The Indiana Territory was the first new territory created from lands of the Northwest Territory, which had been organized under the terms of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. The territorial capital was the settlement around the old French fort of Vincennes on the Wabash River, until transferred to Corydon near the Ohio River in 1813.

William Henry Harrison, the territory's first governor, oversaw treaty negotiations with the Native inhabitants that ceded tribal lands to the U.S. government, opening large parts of the territory to further settlement. In 1809 the U.S. Congress established a bicameral legislative body for the territory that included a popularly-elected House of Representatives and a Legislative Council. In addition, the territorial government began planning for a basic transportation network and education system, but efforts to attain statehood for the territory were delayed due to war. At the outbreak of Tecumseh's War, when the territory was on the front line of battle, Harrison led a military force in the opening hostilities at the Battle of Tippecanoe (1811) and in the subsequent invasion of Canada during the War of 1812. After Harrison resigned as the territorial governor, Thomas Posey was appointed to the vacant governorship, but the opposition party, led by Congressman Jonathan Jennings, dominated territorial affairs in its final years and began pressing for statehood. (Full article...)

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Keweenaw Waterway during Winter

The Keweenaw Waterway is a partly natural, partly manmade waterway which cuts across the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan. Parts of the waterway are variously known as the Keweenaw Waterway, Portage Canal, Portage Lake Canal, Portage River, Lily Pond, and Portage Lake.

Did you know -

... that Michigan defensive end Eyabi Okie, ranked number 3 in the 2018 college football recruiting class, changed his surname from "Anoma" to recognize his mother who lives in Africa?
... that due to a dispute over who owned a road in Delta County, Michigan, eight school children missed two weeks of school?
... that Eastern Michigan's only bowl-game victory before defeating San Jose State in the 2022 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl was against San Jose State in the 1987 California Bowl?
... that the Michigan banner survived an attack by uniformed men from Ohio during the Ten Year War?
... that college basketball player Jett Howard almost signed at Tennessee, but instead chose the Michigan team of his father Juwan Howard?
... that despite having reportedly been destroyed in 1946, the 16-ton granite ball that once sat on top of the Columbia University sundial reappeared in a Michigan field in 2001?

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Selected article -

Detroit (/dɪˈtrɔɪt/ dih-TROYT, locally also /ˈdiːtrɔɪt/ DEE-troyt) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the United States. The metropolitan area, known as Metro Detroit, is home to 4.3 million people, making it the second-largest in the Midwest after the Chicago metropolitan area, and the 14th-largest in the United States. Regarded as a major cultural center, Detroit is known for its contributions to music, art, architecture and design, in addition to its historical automotive background. Time named Detroit as one of the fifty World's Greatest Places of 2022 to explore.

Detroit is a major port on the Detroit River, one of the four major straits that connect the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The City of Detroit anchors the third-largest regional economy in the Midwest, behind Chicago and Minneapolis–Saint Paul, and the 16th-largest in the United States. Detroit is best known as the center of the U.S. automobile industry, and the "Big Three" auto manufacturers General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis North America (Chrysler) are all headquartered in Metro Detroit. , the Detroit metropolitan area is the number one exporting region among 310 defined metropolitan areas in the United States. The Detroit Metropolitan Airport is among the most important hub airports in the United States. Detroit and its neighboring Canadian city Windsor are connected through a highway tunnel, railway tunnel, and the Ambassador Bridge, which is the second-busiest international crossing in North America, after San Diego–Tijuana. Both cities will soon be connected by a new bridge currently under construction, the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which will provide a complete freeway-to-freeway link. The new bridge is expected to be open by 2024. (Full article...)

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Selected biography -

Paul Gordon Goebel (May 28, 1901 – January 26, 1988) was an American football end who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1920 to 1922. He was an All-American in 1921 and was the team's captain in 1922. He played professional football from 1923 to 1926 with the Columbus Tigers, Chicago Bears, and New York Yankees. He was named to the NFL All-Pro team in 1923 and 1924.

After his football career ended, he operated a sporting good store in Grand Rapids. He officiated football games for the Big Ten Conference for 16 years and also served in the U.S. Navy on an aircraft carrier in World War II. He was active in Republican Party politics in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was one of the organizers of a reform movement to oust the city's political boss, Frank McKay. As an anti-McKay reform candidate, Goebel was three times elected mayor of Grand Rapids in the 1950s. He was later elected to the University of Michigan Board of Regents, where he served from 1962 to 1970. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Michigan-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Map of the original 13 colonies and their territories. Note that Michigan was the object of multiple claims. (from History of Michigan)
Image 2US Highway 2 (US 2) runs along Lake Michigan from Naubinway to its eastern terminus at St. Ignace. (from Michigan)
Image 3Michigan as part of the Province of Quebec 1774–1776 (from History of Michigan)
Image 4Michigan 2020 population distribution (from Michigan)
Image 5Map of the British and French settlements in North America in 1750, before the French and Indian War (1754 to 1763) (from History of Michigan)
Image 6Ford Dearborn Proving Ground (DPG) completed major reconstruction and renovations in 2006. (from Michigan)
Image 7The world headquarters of the Kellogg's Company in Battle Creek (from Michigan)
Image 8The Michigan State Capitol in Lansing houses the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of Michigan. (from Michigan)
Image 9The Basilica of Sainte Anne de Détroit is the second-oldest continuously operating Roman Catholic parish in the country. (from Michigan)
Image 10A map of Michigan by Henry Schenck Tanner, published in 1842, showing such county names as "Negwegon County," "Okkuddo County," and "Unwattin County," prior to an 1843 legislative action renaming sixteen counties in northern Michigan (from History of Michigan)
Image 11Michigan Supreme Court at the Hall of Justice (from Michigan)
Image 12Union members occupying a General Motors body factory during the Flint Sit-Down Strike of 1937 which spurred the organization of militant CIO unions in auto industry (from History of Michigan)
Image 13Detroit in the mid-twentieth century. At the time, the city was the fourth-largest U.S. metropolis by population, and held about one-third of the state's population. (from Michigan)
Image 14Treaty of Paris, by Benjamin West (1783), an unfinished painting of the American diplomatic negotiators of the Treaty of Paris which brought official conclusion to the Revolutionary War and gave possession of Michigan and other territory to the new United States (from Michigan)
Image 15The floor of the Michigan House of Representatives (from Michigan)
Image 16Map of the Saint Lawrence River/Great Lakes Watershed in North America. Its drainage area includes the Great Lakes, the world's largest system of freshwater lakes. The basin covers nearly all of Michigan. (from Michigan)
Image 17Cora Reynolds Anderson became the first woman elected to the House of Representatives in Michigan in 1925. (from History of Michigan)
Image 18Treaty of Paris, by Benjamin West (1783), an unfinished painting of the American diplomatic negotiators of the Treaty of Paris which brought official conclusion to the Revolutionary War and gave possession of Michigan and other territory to the new United States (from History of Michigan)
Image 19Michigan is the leading U.S. producer of tart cherries, blueberries, pickling cucumbers, navy beans and petunias. (from Michigan)
Image 20Sleeping Bear Dunes, along the northwest coast of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan (from Michigan)
Image 21Aerial view of Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) (from Michigan)
Image 22Michigan is the center of the American automotive industry. The Renaissance Center in Downtown Detroit is the world headquarter of General Motors. (from Michigan)
Image 23Köppen climate types of Michigan, using 1991–2020 climate normals. (from Michigan)
Image 24Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan (from Michigan)
Image 25The Tahquamenon Falls in the Upper Peninsula (from Michigan)
Image 26Mackinac Island, an island and resort area at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac. More than 80% of the island is preserved as Mackinac Island State Park. (from Michigan)
Image 27The Great Seal of the State of Michigan (from History of Michigan)
Image 28The Ambassador Bridge, a suspension bridge that connects Detroit with Windsor, Ontario, in Canada. It is the busiest international border crossing in North America in terms of trade volume. (from Michigan)
Image 29Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) speaking at a National Guard ceremony in 2019 (from Michigan)
Image 30The Huron National Wildlife Refuge, one of the fifteen federal wildernesses in Michigan (from Michigan)
Image 31Gerald Ford, a politician from Grand Rapids who was elected to the House of Representatives thirteen times and also served as House Minority Leader and then Vice President, became the 38th President of the United States after the resignation of Richard Nixon. (from History of Michigan)
Image 32The Bluewater Bridge, a twin-span bridge across the St. Clair River that links Port Huron and Sarnia, Ontario (from Michigan)
Image 33Marquette, Michigan, is home to a vast snowmobile trail system. (from Michigan)
Image 34Holland, Michigan, is the home of the Tulip Time Festival, the largest tulip festival in the U.S. (from Michigan)
Image 35Mackinac Island is well-known for cultural events and a wide variety of architectural styles, including the Victorian Grand Hotel (from Michigan)
Image 36Dwarf lake iris (from Michigan)
Image 37Père Marquette and the Indians (1869) by Wilhelm Lamprecht (from Michigan)
Image 38Michigan in 1718, Guillaume de L'Isle map, approximate state area highlighted (from History of Michigan)
Image 39Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station on the shore of Lake Erie near Monroe (from Michigan)
Image 40Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor is the largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere, and the third-largest stadium in the world. (from Michigan)
Image 41Map of British America showing the original boundaries of the Province of Quebec and its Quebec Act of 1774 post-annexation boundaries (from Michigan)
Image 42Cranbrook Kingswood School, one of the leading college preparatory boarding schools in the country (from Michigan)
Image 43The Pointe Mouillee State Game Area, one of the 221 state game and wildlife areas in Michigan. It encompasses 7,483 acres of hunting, recreational, and protected wildlife and wetland areas at the mouth of the Huron River at Lake Erie, as well as smaller outlying areas within the Detroit River. (from Michigan)
Image 44Detroit, c. 1837, after a sketch by Frederick Grain (from History of Michigan)
Image 45The Mackinac Bridge, a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the Upper and Lower peninsulas of Michigan (from Michigan)

Topics

Symbols

Animate insignia
Bird	American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
Fish	Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
Flower	Apple blossom (Malus domestica)
Game animal	White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Mammal	Wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus) (unofficial)
Reptile	Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)
Tree	Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
Wildflower	Dwarf Lake Iris (Iris lacustris)

Inanimate insignia
Fossil	Mastodon (Mammut americanum)
Gemstone	Isle Royale greenstone or Chlorastrolite
Motto	"Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice" Latin for "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you"
Nicknames	Wolverine State Great Lakes State Mitten State Winter Water Wonderland
Soil	Kalkaska Sand
Songs	My Michigan
Stone	Petoskey stone

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