Early Michigan history is defined by the Indian tribes
who inhabited the region for thousands of years. Modern
Michigan history would begin with the French, who were
the first Europeans to move into the territory. Étienne
Brulé was the first Frenchman to enter what is
now known as Michigan around the year 1618. Other French
explorers would eventually follow Brulé, including
Jacques Marquette, Louis Joliet and Sieur de la Salle.
The first permanent settlement they would establish would
be Sault Ste. Marie,
in 1668. However, Great Britain
would take over control of the Michigan area in 1763,
following the French and Indian Wars. The United States
would begin attempts to oust the British after the Revolutionary
War, with ongoing turmoil in the region continuing between
the British and the U.S. forces and their respective Indian
allies, through the War of 1812.
During the ongoing British and U.S. disputes, the U.S.
had originally established The Michigan Territory in 1805,
and Detroit was designated as
the seat of government for the new territory. William
Hull was appointed governor of Detroit, which would soon
be destroyed by fire. Michigan history would continue
to be defined much by British and native-led control,
and in 1812 Detroit and Fort Mackinac were surrendered
to the British. Around 1813, Michigan state history would
begin to change as American forces would re-enter Detroit
and appoint Lewis Cass military and civil governor of
The Michigan Territory. In 1819, The Treaty of Saginaw
gave Michigan settlers almost 6 million acres of Indian
lands, forever changing Michigan state history in terms
of dominance over the region, and Michigan sent its first
delegate to Congress. Michigan would be denied its entry
into the Union for a brief time, due to The Toledo War,
which began in 1835. This war was the result of Michigan
not surrendering a claim over the region of Toledo,
Ohio. However, Michigan would soon agree to an exchange
of the Toledo strip for the western section of the Upper
Peninsula. Michigan state history would see the territory’s
admittance into the Union in 1837, as the 26th state,
and in 1847 Lansing would be
designated as the state capital due to the need to oversee
development of the western regions of the state and for
easy defense from British soldiers stationed in Windsor,
Ontario. The Michigan state capitol building in Lansing
is a popular attraction for visitors and an important
piece of history in Michigan.
As far as industry was concerned in Michigan in the
1800's, copper was king and the shipping industry was
alive. In 1842, the Chippewa Indians had ceded all claims
to 30,000 square miles of the Upper Peninsula to the United
States Government. The Copper Rush began in 1843 when
thousands came to the copper rich Copper Harbor. In 1855,
the Soo Locks were opened, increasing immigration, commerce
and cheaper copper shipping connections to industrial
markets farther east. The Soo Locks at Sault Ste Marie,
Michigan remain the busiest in the world today. By 1900,
the mining shafts had reached maturity and were no longer
profitable. As for the shipping industry, the Michigan
lakes were always a popular shipping route in the 1800's
and the lighthouse found on S. Manitou Island off the
shores of Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore was a welcome
beacon to ships looking for ice and wood for their burners.
The Maritime Museum found there, and the Maritime Museum
in South Haven depict the
shipping history in Michigan and these coastal points’
importance as a haven for ships looking for refuge from
Lake Michigan storms.
Around Lake Michigan beachtowns, the lumber industry was
an important part of western Michigan’s economy
and at South Haven you’ll find exhibits based around
the old shipping routes and trades. While shipping remains
strong on the Great Lakes, there was a new industry about
to define history in Michigan.
Around the turn of the century, automotive pioneers began to make Michigan the automotive center of the world. In 1896, Charles King becomes the first person to test drive a gasoline-powered automobile in Detroit. Three months later Henry Ford would test his gasoline-powered quadricycle. Important among Michigan facts, it was actually Ransom E. Olds of Lansing who would start the first Michigan auto company, and not Ford. He also developed his own gasoline-powered engine and opened the nation’s first automotive factory in 1900. By 1905, his company, Olds Motor Works, was manufacturing cars at about 6,500 a year. Ford began the production of his cars in 1903, and in 1908 he began manufacturing the Model T. It was in 1913 that Michigan history, and global history, saw the industrial scene forever change when Ford introduced the assembly line. He was now producing 250,000 model T’s a year. William Durant, who organized General Motors in 1908, had a different strategy of merging existing auto companies to introduce various models. With investment capital, a large amount of raw materials, and an increasing market, Michigan history is defined as it becomes the auto capital of the world. By 1914, Michigan is producing 78% of the nation’s automobiles. You can learn about the history of these men and the automotive industry of Michigan at the Henry Ford Museum, and the next door Automotive Hall of Fame.
