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#    Entered Union   Year Settled

26th       Jan. 26, 1837       1668

 

Nickname

Great Lakes State

 

Rank      Population

8th          10,003,422

 

Rank      Square Miles

11th       96,716

 

State Bird

American Robin

 

State Flower

Apple Blossom

Dwarf Lake Iris (state wildflower)

 

State Tree

Eastern White Pine

 

State Motto

Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice     If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you

 

Michigan was the 26th state, admitted into the Union in 1837. Called the "Great Lakes State" because its shores touch four of the five Great Lakes, Michigan gets its name from an Ojibwa (Chippewa) Indian word meaning "large lake."

 

Michigan has an unusual geography, as it consists of two land masses--the Upper Peninsula and the mitten-shaped Lower Peninsula. Detroit, its largest city, is known worldwide as the center of the American auto industry. Lansing is the capital.

 

Say "Ojibwa" (O-'jib-way) quickly and it might just sound a little like "Michigan." Michigan derived its name from the Indian word "Ojibwa" which means "large lake." Four of the five Great Lakes, the largest lakes in the United States, border Michigan. Even before Michigan became a state, large towns grew up along the edge of the lakes.

 

In 1835, the Michigan territory enacted its first constitution, but statehood was delayed until 1837. The reason for the delay was because the territory was involved in what was known as the Toledo War, a boundary dispute with Ohio. The dispute was settled when Michigan gave up its claim to the mouth of the Maumee River at Toledo, Ohio.

 

On January 26, 1837, President Andrew Jackson signed a bill making Michigan the nation's 26th state. Additional land was given to Michigan, the part of the state known as the Upper Peninsula, making it the state with the most area bordering the shores of the Great Lakes.

 

Motor City

Do you know why Detroit is known as "Motor City?"

 

Long recognized as the historic heart of the American automotive industry, Detroit took on the nickname "Motor City." The state's automotive industry provided the model for mass production that other industries later adopted.

 

Henry Ford pioneered the use of the assembly line in manufacturing automobiles. Using conveyor belts, factory workers put different parts together quickly and relatively inexpensively -- like a mechanical puzzle. Ford's Model-T was the first car produced in this fashion, and it could be assembled more quickly and consistently than had ever been possible before. Do you know why?

 

Each person who works on an assembly line is responsible for doing the same job on each car. For example, someone might be responsible only for attaching the rearview mirror. This person would do the task so many times that he or she would become an expert at it and be able to do it very quickly.

 

Automobile Manufacturer Henry Ford

Born on July 30, 1863, on his family's farm in Dearborn, Michigan, Henry Ford enjoyed tinkering with machines from the time he was a young boy. His work on the farm and a job in a Detroit machine shop allowed him many opportunities to tinker and experiment. By 1896, Ford had constructed his first horseless carriage, but he wanted to do even more!

 

"I will build a car for the great multitude," Ford proclaimed. At first the automobile had been a luxury item only for the wealthy. Henry Ford wanted to create a car that ordinary people could afford, and in October 1908, he did it. The Model T sold for $950. In nineteen years of manufacture, Ford lowered the price to $280 and sold 15,500,000 in the U.S. alone.

 

How did he make the Model T so inexpensive?

 

Ford invented the modern assembly line. He doubled his workers' wages and cut the workday from nine to eight hours. Ford did this to ensure quality work and allow a three-shift workday. As a result, the company was able to make Model T's twenty-four hours a day!

 

The automobile altered American society forever, changing where and how we lived. As more Americans owned cars, the organization of cities changed. The United States saw the growth of the suburbs and the creation of a national highway system. Americans were thrilled with the possibility of going anywhere, anytime.

 

Ford witnessed many of these changes during his lifetime. In his later years, he spent most of his time working on Greenfield Village, a restored rural town modeled after his memories of Dearborn during his youth. Next time you are out on the road, try to imagine life without cars. Ask your family and friends how different they think the world would be.