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Farewell to Michigan’s Summer Passenger Trains In the golden age of American railroads, the journey north to Michigan’s summer paradise wasn’t just about the destination — it was about the ride. For decades, the “Fishing Line” of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad (GR & I) whisked vacationers from bustling cities to the cool breezes of the Straits of Mackinac. But on this day in 1961, the Northern Arrow — the last summer-only passenger train on the Pennsylvania Railroad system in Michigan — rolled out of Mackinaw City for the final time, ending a chapter of northern tourism history. The… Read More »

The Day Michigan Changed Hands (Sort Of) On September 3, 1783, Great Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris, officially ending the Revolutionary War. Among its many consequences, it ceded Michigan—and the rest of the Northwest Territory—to the United States. Sounds neat and tidy, right? Well, not exactly. Britain, eager to keep its profitable fur trade alive, refused to give up its military or political strongholds in Michigan for another thirteen years. In fact, British troops didn’t pack up and leave until after Jay’s Treaty in 1796. Their influence still lingered until after the War of 1812…. Read More »

History isn’t always about grand battles or dramatic speeches — sometimes, it’s about the quiet but powerful moment when one flag comes down and another rises. That was the scene on Mackinac Island on September 1, 1796, when the British finally left Fort Mackinac, handing it over to the United States. The transfer marked the end of over a decade of lingering British control after the American Revolution. The story begins much earlier. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 officially ended the Revolutionary War and ceded Mackinac Island to the newly formed United States. But the British didn’t pack up… Read More »