On This Day in History

Bridging Nations Some landmarks do not just connect places, they connect people, histories, and entire nations. One such landmark opened to traffic on October 31, 1962: the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, linking Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Spanning the St. Marys River, this bridge is more than steel and concrete. It is the only vehicular crossing between Michigan and Ontario for nearly 300 miles. The bridge serves as the northern terminus of Interstate 75 (I-75). In fact, it remains the tenth, busiest passenger crossing on the Canada–U.S. border, making it a vital connection between the… Read More »

On October 31, 1936, on the shores of Lake Gogebic in northern Michigan, what began as a day out on the water turned into a heartbreaking tragedy. A motorboat carrying seven men and a 12-year-old boy capsized in deep water roughly 600 feet from shore. The waves were about two feet high, the water cold, and the boat overturned in water some 20 feet deep. One by one, the men and boy struggled to hold on to the overturned hull. Two men drowned while swimming toward shore, and a third lost his grip and was pulled under when the boat… Read More »

October in Northern Michigan is a month of vivid colors, crisp air, and a surprising number of historic milestones. From the rise of copper mining and political firsts to national parks, epic concerts, and feats of engineering, the stories of this month remind us that Michigan’s past is as rich and varied as its autumn landscapes. Here are some key events that shaped Northern Michigan history in October. October in Northern Michigan History October 3, 1980 – Somewhere in Time Premiers The movie Somewhere in Time, filmed on Mackinac Island, opened in theaters nationwide. Starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, and… Read More »

📞 From Rockland to the World When you think of the first independent telephone company in Michigan, you might assume it started in a big city—Detroit, Grand Rapids, maybe Ann Arbor. But in fact, it all began in Rockland, a small town of a few hundred residents in Ontonagon County in the Upper Peninsula. And it started thanks to the vision of one man: Linus Stannard. Stannard had been inspired after witnessing Alexander Graham Bell demonstrate his groundbreaking invention at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. Excited about the potential of this strange new device, he returned home and… Read More »

Keweenaw National Historical Park officially established on October 27, 1992. This preserved one of Michigan’s most fascinating and enduring stories, the history of copper mining in the Keweenaw Peninsula. This northern stretch of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is home to the largest known deposit of pure native copper in the world. A resource that has shaped cultures, industries, and communities for thousands of years. Keweenaw Copper The copper of the Keweenaw Peninsula is unique. Unlike most copper ores, it occurred here in an incredibly pure form, up to 97% pure. The purity of the copper allowed it to be hammered directly… Read More »

Carving Out Michigan’s North On October 26, 1818, Michigan’s map looked very different than it does today. Territorial governor Lewis Cass proclaimed the creation of Michilimackinac County. This was a massive jurisdiction that originally stretched across nearly the entire Upper Peninsula and the northern reaches of the Lower Peninsula. At the time, the Michigan Territory was still young, and leaders were busy shaping its counties out of enormous wilderness tracts. Michilimackinac County was one of the first counties in the territory and reflected the region’s historical importance. Long before its official creation, the Straits of Mackinac area had been a… Read More »

⚡ Powering the Soo When people think of great hydroelectric plants, Niagara often comes to mind. But on this day in history, the spotlight was on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where Francis Clergue unveiled a hydroelectric marvel in Sault Ste. Marie. After four years of construction, the Soo Hydropower Plant was ready to light up the region—and Clergue made sure it opened with a bang. Clergue spared no expense in celebrating his achievement. Spending over $50,000 (a staggering amount at the time) on fireworks, bands, parades, and food, he turned the opening into a spectacle. Invitations went out to state officials,… Read More »

On this day, October 21, 1970, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, home to massive sand dunes along Lake Michigan and North and South Manitou Islands, was officially established. Administered by the National Park Service, the park preserves nearly 72,000 acres of stunning shoreline, dunes, forests, and islands. In 2011, Good Morning America even named it “The Most Beautiful Place in America.” Cultural Roots The area has deep cultural roots, including a captivating Anishinaabek legend. According to the story, a mother bear and her two cubs fled a Wisconsin forest fire by swimming across Lake Michigan. Exhausted, the cubs drowned, and… Read More »

Tragedy, Survival, and Rebuilding in Presque Isle County On this day in history, October 15, 1908, a series of massive fires swept through the pine forests of Presque Isle County, Michigan. Fueled by strong winds and dry conditions, the flames spread rapidly, engulfing the village of Metz. The fire continued eastward, threatening Rogers City, reaching the outskirts of Alpena, and even jumping across Grand Lake before finally burning out along the Lake Huron shore. While it became known as “The Metz Fire” due to its severe impact on the village, its destruction extended far beyond Metz itself. The Detroit &… Read More »

 A Tragic Day in Michigan History On October 15, 1900, the quiet shores of Burt Lake in northern Michigan’s “Tip of the Mitt” region became the scene of a tragic and little-known chapter in American history. That morning, sheriff Fred Ming and his deputies, acting at the behest of a local land developer, burned down the Burt Lake Band’s village. The eviction, now referred to as the Burt Lake Burn-Out, forcibly displaced nineteen families of Ottawa and Chippewa heritage. The village, located on a peninsula known as Indian Point, had existed for centuries. Archaeological evidence shows pottery fragments and charcoal… Read More »

Douglass Houghton and Michigan’s Copper Discovery On this day in history, October 14, 1845 Dr. Douglass Houghton died at just 36 years old. He was Michigan’s pioneering state geologist and the man often called the “father of copper mining in the United States.” In 1840, Houghton conducted a detailed survey of the Upper Peninsula’s mineral resources. His 1841 report included more than 27 pages on copper and copper ore, famously noting that “the copper ores are not only of superior quality, but also that their associations are such as to render them easily reduced.” He even observed that the ore… Read More »

It’s not every day that a rock band becomes part of high school history, but for Cadillac, Michigan, that day came in October 1975. KISS, the larger-than-life rockers known for their makeup, platform boots, and fiery performances, visited Cadillac High School for an unforgettable homecoming. The story began a year earlier when the CHS Vikings football team turned to the band’s music to turn their season around—and it worked. KISS In 1974, the Vikings, coming off a perfect season, hit a rough patch with two early losses. Assistant coach Jim Neff suggested playing KISS in the locker room, pointing out… Read More »