A Field Guide to Michigan State History

Hardcover with Dust Jacket - Bounded by four of the five Great Lakes - Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior - Michigan boasts the largest freshwater shoreline in the world. No matter where you stand in Michigan you're nver more than six miles from a lake or river. SO it comes as no surprise that Michigan took its name from the Chippewa word Michi-gama meaning "great waters". This lusha nd fertile region attracted Native Americans from as early as 500 BC. The chippewa, Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes who settled here found Michigan to be the perfect base for hunting, fishing and trapping as well as for growing corn, beans and squash. Rich in natural resources, Michigan was an equally enticing prospect for the first European explorers. Following the arrival of Etienne Brule and Jean Nicolet, Michigan was colonized shortly afterwards by the French, who established forts, trading posts and missions. The British wrested control from the French in 1763 and were in turn defeated by the U.S. Army in 1796. In 1837 Michigan was admitted to the United States as the 26th state. . . . Nearly every page boasts color and b/w photos, graphics and maps. Rich resource of Michigan History. Oversize.