Archives

September has always been a month of transformation and milestones in Northern Michigan. From early explorations and territorial changes to the founding of schools and traditions that still thrive today, this month captures a rich slice of the region’s story. Whether it’s the peaceful transfer of Mackinac Island to American control or the birth of beloved fairs and institutions, September’s history reflects the resilience, innovation, and community spirit that define Northern Michigan. September in Northern Michigan History September 1, 1796 – Mackinac Island becomes part of U.S. On this day, British forces finally evacuated Fort Mackinac after holding it for… Read More »

Going to the Fair, Going to the Fair, Going to the Northwest Michigan Fair Every year, thousands flock to the Northwestern Michigan Fair to enjoy the sights, sounds, and tastes of Northern Michigan’s agricultural heritage. But how did this beloved event begin? On this day in history, September 29, 1908, the very first official Northwestern Michigan Fair opened its gates. This marked the start of a tradition that has lasted more than a century. The inaugural fair ran from September 29 through October 2, 1908. Admission was priced at just twenty-five cents per day. The first annual premium book featured… Read More »

Nuclear Power Plant Begins Operation When you think of Michigan history, you might not immediately picture a pioneering nuclear power plant or a dramatic military aviation tragedy. But on this day back in 1962, Consumers Power—now Consumers Energy—started up Big Rock Point Nuclear Power Plant. The plant was Michigan’s first and the nation’s fifth nuclear plant. Nestled near Charlevoix, this plant marked a big step in the state’s energy future. It left a lasting legacy in both power generation and medical technology. Big Rock Point was no small feat. With a boiling water reactor built by General Electric, it could… Read More »

Coho Season September 23, 1967, started as an exciting day for thousands of anglers along Michigan’s Lake Michigan shoreline. Coho salmon fishing was at a peak, drawing fishermen from across the Midwest eager to take advantage of the highly anticipated fall salmon run. What followed was a tragic and unforgettable event—the 1967 Coho Salmon Fishing Disaster. There was a sudden, fierce squall that capsized over 150 small fishing boats, caused at least eight deaths, and left dozens injured. The story of this disaster begins a few years earlier. In 1965, Michigan stocked rivers feeding into Lake Michigan with coho salmon… Read More »

Charting the Unknown On this day in history, September 22, 1688, French explorer Louis-Armand de Lom d’Arce, Baron de Lahontan, set out from Fort Michilimackinac on a daring journey into the uncharted west. His mission? To explore the waterways beyond the Great Lakes and, perhaps, uncover a route to the Pacific. Armed with a detachment of men and five seasoned Ottawa hunters, Lahontan embarked on a voyage that would be remembered for centuries. Partly for its adventurous spirit, partly for its enduring mysteries. From Michilimackinac, his route took him across Lake Michigan, into Green Bay (then called Baie des Puants)…. Read More »

The 1844 Discovery That Built Michigan’s Mining Legacy On September 19, 1844, William Austin Burt and his surveying crew were trekking through the rugged Upper Peninsula wilderness when their compasses began acting strangely. The needles wavered and swung off course and not because of supernatural forces. But because they were standing atop one of the richest deposits of iron ore in North America: the Marquette Iron Range. The following year, the Jackson Mining Company opened the Jackson Mine, and with it, the foundation for the city of Negaunee, Michigan. Before long, Ishpeming followed. While the California Gold Rush of 1848… Read More »

🎡 From 50 Cents to a U.P. Tradition: If there’s one thing the Upper Peninsula knows how to do, it’s throw a fair that celebrates hard work, community pride, and just the right amount of fried food. On September 17, 1928, Escanaba welcomed visitors to the very first Upper Peninsula State Fair. It was a celebration born out of a 1927 law signed by Governor Fred W. Green to promote agriculture and industry in the region. Tickets cost just 50 cents for adults (a bargain even back then) and dropped to 25 cents after 6 p.m. The fair is an… Read More »

NMC’s First Day of Classes in 1951 On September 17, 1951, a bold dream took flight—quite literally—at Cherry Capital Airport. That morning, 65 students and six staff members gathered in a borrowed, vacant airport terminal for the very first classes at Northwestern Michigan College (NMC). It wasn’t a grand opening in a gleaming new building. It was a grassroots victory for a community determined to bring higher education home to the Grand Traverse region. “In every way, the Northwestern Michigan College is a people’s college,” declared the Traverse City Record-Eagle on opening day. And it truly was. Born out of… Read More »

Spanning Nations On this day in history, work began on one of North America’s most impressive feats of cross-border engineering — the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge. Stretching across the St. Marys River, this steel truss arch bridge connects Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario — known affectionately as the “Twin Soos.” Before the bridge, the only way to cross between these two border towns was by ferry. The ferry service dated back to 1865. The dream of a fixed crossing took decades of planning. When construction finally began in 1960, the project moved swiftly toward a… Read More »

Michigan Tech, Then Called Michigan Mining School, Holds First Classes On September 15, 1886, the future of higher education in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula began… in a fire hall. That’s right — the first classes of the Michigan Mining School (today’s Michigan Technological University) were held in the Houghton Fire Hall, with just four faculty members and 23 students eager to learn the science and engineering of mining. The school’s founding was the result of determined lobbying by Jay Abel Hubbell, a local politician who convinced the state legislature to establish a school to train mining engineers for the booming copper… Read More »

The Six-Foot Strike Leader Who Defied Calumet Police in 1913 On September 10, 1913, a tall, determined woman named Anna “Big Annie” Clemenc made national headlines. She refused to step aside during a tense miners’ strike in Calumet, Michigan. Standing over six feet tall, carrying herself with quiet but unwavering strength, Big Annie became a symbol of labor resistance in the Copper Country Strike of 1913–1914. Married to a miner Annie was deeply connected to the struggles of the Western Federation of Miners. Annie threw her support behind the fight for better wages and safer working conditions. On that September… Read More »

The Legacy of America’s First Finnish College On this day in history, September 8, 1896, a groundbreaking institution opened its doors in Hancock, Michigan — Suomi College, the first Finnish college in the United States. With just 27 students in rented quarters, the small school had an ambitious mission: to train Lutheran ministers and preserve Finnish language and culture in America. The driving force behind this mission was J.K. Nikander, a Finnish immigrant and pastor with the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (the Suomi Synod). Nikander saw the influx of Finnish settlers to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula — many drawn… Read More »