Eastern Upper Peninsula

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 »

🎡 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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

On August 21, 1984, the legendary Chief Wawatam retired after more than seven decades of faithful service across the icy waters of the Straits of Mackinac. But her story begins long before that—on August 26, 1911, when she was launched into the waters of Toledo, Ohio, by the Toledo Shipbuilding Company. By October 18, she was hard at work for the Mackinac Transportation Company. A joint venture created by three railroads: the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway, the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad, and the Michigan Central Railroad. These rail lines relied heavily on the Chief to ferry train… Read More »

End of an Era: On this day in history, August 21, 1984, a storied chapter in Michigan’s maritime legacy came to a close. The Chief Wawatam, the last hand-fired, coal-burning vessel on the Great Lakes, sailed across the Straits of Mackinac one final time. This marked the end of railroad car ferry service between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas. For over seven decades, the Chief defied the elements and carved paths through frozen water. She delivered passengers, cars, and railcars across one of the most critical and treacherous waterways in the Midwest. Launched August 26, 1911, the 338-foot Chief Wawatam… Read More »

The Vagabonds Land in the U.P. On this day in history—August 17, 1923—three of America’s most iconic innovators set foot in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. They arrived for a camping trip that was anything but rustic. Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone, along with their wives, friends, and an entourage of staff, arrived in Escanaba aboard Ford’s massive luxury yacht, Sialia. The group, known as “The Vagabonds,” wasn’t just on a vacation—they were making history. The Sialia, a 300-foot sea-going vessel equipped with every modern safety and comfort feature, cruised through dense fog across Lake Michigan after a tour of… Read More »

A Deadly 1770 Encounter In the summer of 1770, Mackinac Island was more than a scenic outpost on the Great Lakes—it was a thriving hub of commerce, diplomacy, and survival. Known then as Michilimackinac, the island sat at a cultural crossroads between British soldiers, French traders, Indigenous nations, and a booming fur trade. Justice on the frontier? It wasn’t always about courtrooms and gavels—it was often about who had the most canoes, muskets, and men. One particularly brutal example of “frontier justice” made its way into The Pennsylvania Gazette on August 16, 1770. The article painted a vivid picture of… Read More »

Evolution of Michigan’s Legal Boundaries August 9, 1842, marked a turning point in Michigan’s map—and the map of the entire U.S.—when the Webster-Ashburton Treaty was signed, settling several long-standing border disputes between the United States and Great Britain. Among the many results of this treaty was the decision that Sugar Island (then known to Canadians as St. George’s Island) in the St. Mary’s River would become part of Michigan and the United States. At the heart of the treaty were the efforts of U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster and British diplomat Lord Ashburton to put an end to growing… Read More »

🚗🚢 Michigan’s First State Ferry Service Ariel made her maiden voyage Before the Mackinac Bridge connected Michigan’s peninsulas, crossing the Straits of Mackinac was a challenge. This was true especially for the growing number of automobile owners in the early 20th century. On July 31, 1923, the State of Michigan stepped in to solve this problem by launching a state-operated ferry service. The ferry service would soon become an essential lifeline for travelers and commerce alike. A week after the service was officially established, on August 6, 1923, the first car ferry—the wooden-hulled Ariel—made her maiden voyage across the straits…. Read More »

America’s Failed 1814 Invasion On this day in history—August 4, 1814—the quiet shores of Mackinac Island erupted with the sounds of war. Determined to reclaim the island from British control during the War of 1812, American forces launched an ambitious invasion that would ultimately end in defeat. The British had seized Mackinac Island two years earlier, in 1812. The Americans, smarting from the loss, devised a plan to take it back. The strategy: land troops on the island’s northwest shore and establish a foothold to “annoy and starve out” the British forces stationed at Fort Mackinac. Fleet from Detroit Under… Read More »