Michigan’s Lucky Break: The Untold Story of the Upper Peninsula

Michigan is cool for a lot of reasons but one of the best is that we're the only state that has two peninsulas.

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The crazy thing is that Michigan didn't want it, and and ended up getting it to settle a dispute and prevent things between Michigan and Ohio from getting out of control.

This is the story behind Michigan getting the Upper Peninsula.

Read More: 25 Things Michigan Is Known And Famous For

Back in 1835 Ohio and Michigan were arguing fiercely over a small, fertile strip of land called the Toledo Strip.

Both wanted it, as it was seen as crucial for trade and transportation (especially access to the Great Lakes)

The U.S. Government stepped in to settle the dispute and Ohio, which had been around longer as a state than Michigan, ended up getting the Toledo Strip.

In exchange for Ohio getting Toledo, Michigan was given the Upper Peninsula which at the time felt like Michigan was getting the bad end of the deal but as it turns out the U.P. had a lot to offer.

As people started to explore the new part of Michigan they soon found that it was rich in three important things: Timber, Iron Ore and Copper.

These natural resources ended up being in high demand as our country started to grow and expanded.

Michigan went from feeling like they got ripped off when Ohio got the Toledo Strip to realize how lucky we were to get the U.P.