Category Archives: The Michigan Pages: History: Magazine

Slavery in the Northwest Territory

August 3, 2006 – 5:58 pm

As the Continental Congress discussed the Northwest Ordinance, a Massachusetts delegate suggested adding a provision banning slavery in the Northwest Territory, which included the future states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. The Ordinance, including this measure, was adopted on July 13, 1787. It was the first time the federal government set limits on [...]

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Battling for the County Seat

July 24, 2006 – 5:54 pm

The designation of governmental centers (called county seats) in most of Michigan's 83 counties has gone smoothly and without controversy. Not so in Wexford County.
A decade-long struggle for the county seat peaked on April 4, 1882, when voters chose whether to leave the county seat in Manton or move it Cadillac. Twelve months earlier, the [...]

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Michigan in Stamps

July 13, 2006 – 5:52 pm

On a number of occasions, the name "Michigan" or a clear representation of the geographical outline of the state has appeared on a United States postage stamp.
In 1935, the 3-cent, dark lilac Michigan Centenary stamp was issued to commemorate the state's centennial. The Michigan Centenary stamp includes the state seal, which highlights the state's motto: [...]

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A Boy at Mackinac

July 10, 2006 – 7:12 pm

The son of a military surgeon, Harold Corbusier lived on Mackinac Island from age ten to twelve, and again when he was nineteen. As a boy he spent his free time sailing, fishing, ice skating, and exploring the island. He kept a journal about his daily activities. The journal was a birthday gift, and [...]

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Michigan's Four Flags City

July 5, 2006 – 7:03 pm

In some ways the American Revolution was a world war. Shortly after the French joined the American cause, the Spanish also joined the Americans. Spain claimed the land west of the Mississippi River and, like the French, saw the British as rivals they hoped to defeat.
In early 1781, a Spanish raiding party left St. Louis [...]

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Rolling Out the White Carpet

July 5, 2006 – 7:00 pm

They may look like white carpet, but they're rolls of cotton. Because of an overproduction of cotton during the Great Depression, the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) looked for ways to increase the consumption of American cotton. At the same time, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) looked to create jobs for the unemployed. In 1935 [...]

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The Brown Bomber Strikes

July 5, 2006 – 5:14 pm

Hours before his second fight with Germany's Max Schmeling, Joe Louis was asked how he felt. "I'm scared," he said.
"Scared?" asked his trainer.
"Yes, I'm scared I might kill Schmeling tonight," Louis declared.
Two years earlier, Schmeling had beaten Louis. This rematch was more than a fight between two boxers. Schmeling came from Germany and German [...]

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A Tale of Two Forts

July 5, 2006 – 5:08 pm

During the later years of the American Revolution, the British feared that the American colonists, especially George Rogers Clark, might attack Michigan. Although the Americans never attacked the British outposts at Detroit and the Straits of Mackinac, these fears led the British to build new, stronger forts at both settlements.
In late 1778, Captain Richard [...]

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Mabel's Magic Mixes

June 3, 2006 – 4:57 pm

Even though I've seen the movie
by Holly Helterhoff
Muffins, brownies, and buttermilk pancakes are just a few of the Jiffy Mix brand foods that make their way into thousands of kitchens every day. It is a success story that began because one widowed father could not make good biscuits.
One day in 1930, Horace and Dudley Holmes [...]

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Isle Royale

May 26, 2006 – 4:54 pm

Isle Royale is one of the largest islands in the Great Lakes. Located in the northwest corner of Lake Superior, Isle Royale is actually an archipelago (a series of islands). The largest island is called Isle Royale. The entire island chain is 45 miles long and 9 miles wide at its widest point. Because Isle [...]

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