On This Day in History

Mio records record temperature of 112 degrees In the middle of the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, the summer of 1936 brought with it an unforgiving heat wave that left much of North America sweltering. And on July 13, 1936, a small Northern Michigan town etched its name into the weather history books. That day, Mio, Michigan—tucked in the Au Sable River valley—hit an unbearable 112 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the record for Michigan’s hottest day. 🌞 And Mio wasn’t alone. That same day, Saginaw sizzled at 111°F, while other cities weren’t far behind: Kalamazoo – 109°F Grand Rapids –… Read More »

Up in Flames In the early days of Alpena, Michigan, the booming lumber industry brought both prosperity and danger. The city’s rapid growth, wooden structures, and proximity to sawdust-laden mills made it a tinderbox waiting for a spark. That spark came on July 12, 1872, when a catastrophic fire consumed the heart of Alpena, leaving destruction and resilience in its wake. Fire of 1871 Just over a year earlier, Alpena had officially incorporated as a city on March 29, 1871. Within weeks, fire struck the business district on the north shore of the Thunder Bay River, prompting the formation of… Read More »

🎩 Grand Visions & Ghost Stories The Grand Hotel, a Victorian marvel officially opened its doors to a curious and growing number of tourists on Mackinac Island. Built in a record-breaking 93 days, this now-iconic structure quickly became the crown jewel of Michigan tourism. From its opening on July 10, 1887 to today, it still holds court over the Straits of Mackinac today. But its story isn’t just about style and leisure. The hotel was built on a foundation literally steeped in mystery. According to local legend, during construction, workers unearthed hundreds of human skeletons. There were so many that… Read More »

👑 James Strang’s Reign Begins In 1843, James Jesse Strang took the first steps toward becoming one of the most unusual figures in American religious and political history. That year, he settled in Burlington, Wisconsin, and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Ambitious, intelligent, and charismatic, Strang would soon find himself at the center of a power struggle. That struggle would see him crowned as the only King in U.S. history. Just one year after his conversion, Mormon leader Joseph Smith was murdered. While most followers chose Brigham Young to lead them westward, Strang claimed to have… Read More »

Barrels of Change In the early days of the mining boom, the iron ore buried beneath the rugged wilderness held promise. But little practicality, transportation was a nightmare. Mule teams, makeshift plank roads, and schooners only getting the job halfway there. The dreaded St. Marys River rapids brought things to a halt. But on July 7, 1852, a tiny but mighty shipment changed all of that. That day, the Marquette Iron Company shipped six barrels of Lake Superior iron ore to New Castle, Pennsylvania. This marked the first time iron ore made the full journey via the Great Lakes from… Read More »

🚫 No Cars Allowed Imagine a place where the hum of engines is replaced by the rhythmic clip-clop of hooves, where streets smell of lilacs and fudge instead of exhaust, and where your morning traffic jam might be a few wayward tourists learning to steer a bike. Welcome to Mackinac Island, Michigan. The island is a unique, car-free haven where time feels like it took a detour around the motor age. And it all began on July 6, 1898, when the Mackinac Island Village Council officially banned “horseless carriages” from its peaceful streets. The ban wasn’t just whimsical nostalgia—it was… Read More »

🎸 Rock Concerts, Dairy Cows & French Castles In the charming lakeside town of Charlevoix, there’s a stone castle. The castle has been a farm, an art gallery, a raucous concert venue, and today, a fairytale wedding destination. Castle Farms is more than just a picturesque structure — it’s a place that has reinvented itself again and again since its birth in 1918. On this day, we take a look back at the multifaceted history of one of Northern Michigan’s most iconic landmarks. It all began with Albert Loeb, acting president of Sears, Roebuck & Co. He was a man… Read More »

💡 Lighting the Way North Tucked in the remote waters of Lake Superior, just off the northeastern tip of Isle Royale, Passage Island Lighthouse blazed to life for the first time on July 1, 1882. It stands as the northernmost lighthouse in the United States. The lighthouse’s powerful beam served as a crucial guidepost for ships navigating the narrow, treacherous passage between Isle Royale and the Canadian shore. But the story of how this iconic light came to be is as rugged and resilient as the rocky outcrop it rests upon. In the late 1860s and early 1870s, copper and… Read More »

June in Northern Michigan is more than beach days and budding cherry trees. June is a month packed with historic firsts, cultural shifts, and bold moments that shaped our region. From Native leadership and colonial pageantry to ship launches, state symbols, and epic political showdowns, this month has seen some unforgettable chapters written into the Great Lakes story. Each event listed below carries its own legacy, showcasing the diversity of people, ideas, and actions that have defined life “up north” for centuries. June in Northern Michigan History June 1, 1849 The Founding of Waukazooville Chief Waukazoo led his Ottawa band… Read More »

On this day in history, June 30, 1805, the Michigan Territory officially came into being. Signed into existence months earlier by President Thomas Jefferson on January 11. This act marked a pivotal moment for what would eventually become the Great Lakes State. At the time, Michigan was carved out of the larger Indiana Territory, with Detroit named as the new capital. Michigan’s Identity This wasn’t just a bureaucratic reshuffling—it was the beginning of Michigan’s own identity. The region that would become Michigan had long been home to Native American tribes like the Ottawa, Potawatomi, Ojibwa, and Wyandot,. The land was… Read More »

Michigan’s State Stone Has Fossilized Charm A Legendary Backstory Every now and then, nature hands us a souvenir that’s equal parts beauty, science, and legend. For Michiganders, that’s the Petoskey Stone. It is a fossilized coral with a stunning six-sided pattern that’s been shaped over hundreds of millions of years and polished by glaciers. And on June 28, 1965, it was officially crowned Michigan’s State Stone. Choosing the Petoskey stone celebrated not just geology, but deep roots in Native American history and Michigan’s unique identity. What Makes the Petoskey Stone Special? A Petoskey stone isn’t just a pretty roc. It… Read More »

A Bridge to Celebrate In the summer of 1958, the state of Michigan came together in a big way to celebrate a monumental achievement: the formal Mackinac Bridge dedication. Though the bridge had opened to traffic on November 1, 1957, the official ribbon-cutting and celebration took place over four glorious days, June 25–28, 1958. And what a party it was! The celebration started on June 25th with the first Governor’s Walk across the bridge. The next 3 days were a series of events and celebrations. Celebrations North and South of Bridge The festival didn’t just happen on the bridge. It… Read More »