Growing Michigan

By Ellie, Alex, and Nataly

• on June 18, 1855, the boat, Illinois was the first to pass through The Soo Locks.

• When a boat goes through, the gate opens and the ship enters.

• Water is pumped into the lock.• Ship enters second lock.• Second lock opens.• Ship leaves.

• Immigrants came to the Upper Peninsula.• Especially the, Cornish, Irish, Swedes, Finns.• William Austin Burt found the first IRON ORE

in the Upper Peninsula.• The first mine was the Jackson Mine near

Negaunee

• Michigan and Ohio both claimed Toledo to be part of their state/territory

• The so-called “war” was nothing except for a lot of shouting.

• In the end, Ohio got Toledo.• But in return from the government, Michigan

got, the western part of The Upper Peninsula.

Lumber

In the 1840s Michigan had the country’s biggest lumber industry. A person who worked at cutting down trees was called a lumberjack. Michigan’s lumberjacks were paid good money but the work was dangerous. River hogs guided logs down rivers to sawmills. They stood on moving logs on the river and held on for dear life. The lumber was then shipped all over the country from the great lakes. The lumber industry helped create cities like Saginaw. In 1847, Michigan’s capital was moved from Detroit to Lansing. It was closer to the center of the state and to the lumber industry.

Statehood and Governor

To become a state, Michigan had to have a written constitution. There also had to be at least 60,000 people. An event that slowed them from becoming a state was the Toledo War. You learned about the War in slide #4.

The first governor elected was Stevens T. Mason. Michigan finally became a state on January 26, 1837.

• Doulas Houghton was the first one to find copper in the Upper Peninsula.

• This happened in 1841.• In 1913 miners went on strike.• It lasted 10 months.• Big Annie Clemenc was helping the strikers.• She had a holiday party for the striker’s children.• At the party, someone who was against the strike yelled “FIRE!!!!”• There wasn’t actually one though.• Everybody was going down the stairs and everybody fell over on

top each other.• Most of the people died from suffocation.