Heavens Angels Around The World

Nickz Angel Angel Humm

Michigan:
Almost surrounded by four of the fresh water Great Lakes, Michigan is a unique state, divided into two peninsulas, and joined together by a suspension bridge, that spans the Straits of Mackinac.

This ancestral land of many American Indian tribes, was literally sculptured into its present shape by massive Ice Age glaciers.

Europeans began arriving in the 17th century, and for decades, the British, French and local Indian forces struggled for control. In 1783, the Treaty of Paris, finally awarded Michigan to the new United States.

The upstate logging and mining industries, and the automobile giants of Detroit, were built around the shipping lanes of the Great Lakes, and this tranquil Midwestern state became an economic powerhouse in the 20th Century.

The Upper Peninsula is a beautiful, rugged, sparsely populated place, where severe winters are commonplace. The Lower Peninsula, home to most of the people, is dotted by small towns, large cities and fertile farmland in all directions.

The shorelines of Michigan are covered by over 115 lighthouses - their mission is to warn mariners of possible danger, and they do their job well. They also stand as proud beacons to the Michigan success-story, and this state's vital relationship with the wonders of the Great Lakes.

Michigan

The current version of Michigan's state flag was officially adopted in 1911. It displays (on a dark blue field), the 1832 state arms representation.

Those arms include an elk and moose supporting the official shield. That shield displays a man indicating friendship. He stands on a peninsula, next to a lake, with the morning sun rising. A bald eagle sits on top of the shield.

Three mottos are included: "E Pluribus Unum" (From Many, One), "Tuebor" (I Will Defend), and "Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspace" (If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you).

Official name: Michigan
Capital: Lansing
Statehood: Jan. 26, 1837 the 26th state
State nickname: The Wolverine State
Name for residents: Michiganders
State motto:
Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice
(If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you)
Abbreviation: MI

Michigan's Historical Event's:

about 1618 French explorer Étienne Brûlé first reaches Michigan soil.
1668 Father Jacques Marquette establishes the first permanent settlement at Sault Sainte Marie.
1701 Fort Pontchartrain (now Detroit) is founded to protect the French fur trade.
1763 All of New France is ceded to the British by the Treaty of Paris. Pontiac's rebellion and siege of Detroit take place.
1783 Under the treaty ending the Revolutionary War, Britain cedes Michigan to the United States but continues to occupy its forts there.
1796 The U.S. flag is raised over Detroit after the British withdraw under the terms of Jay's Treaty.
1805 The Territory of Michigan is formed.
1812 The British capture Fort Mackinac and Detroit in the War of 1812.
1813 United States soldiers are killed by British and Native Americans in the Battle of Raisin River, the bloodiest battle fought on Michigan soil. American naval forces defeat the British fleet in the Battle of Lake Erie.
1835-1836 Michigan and Ohio dispute possession of an area near Toledo, Ohio. Settlement of the Toledo War gives the area to Ohio but grants Michigan a larger area of the Upper Peninsula.
1837 Michigan becomes the 26th state in the Union (January 26).
1842 Native Americans give up the last of their lands in Michigan to the U.S. government under the Treaty of La Pointe.
1843-1844 Copper and iron ore are discovered on the Upper Peninsula, beginning the Michigan mining industry.
1847 The capital is moved from Detroit to Lansing.
1855 The construction of the Sault Sainte Marie, or Soo, Canals is completed at Sault Sainte Marie.
1897 The Olds factory, the first in Michigan for building automobiles, is established.
1903 Industrialist Henry Ford founds the Ford Motor Company and by 1908 begins producing the Model T.
1920 Detroit is shown in the U.S. census to be the fourth largest city in the United States.
1935 The United Automobile Workers of America is founded in Detroit.
1936-1937 The UAW conducts a successful sit-down strike against General Motors in Flint and wins recognition as the bargaining agent for most American auto workers.
1943 A race riot in Detroit causes 34 deaths.
1963 The fourth state constitution is adopted.
1967 A riot in Detroit causes 43 deaths and millions of dollars in property damage.
1973 Coleman Young is elected the first black mayor of Detroit.

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