The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that comprise the state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as simply "the Upper Peninsula", "the U.P.", or "Upper Michigan", and more casually as the land "above the Bridge". It is bounded on the north by Lake Superior, on the east by Sy. Mary's River, on the south by Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and on the west by Wisconsin.
The Upper Peninsula contains almost one-third of the land area of Michigan but just 3% of the total population. Residents are known as Yoopers, a corruption of "U.P.-ers", and have a strong regional identity. It is the only part of the United States where a plurality of residents state their ancestry as Finnish. The largest towns are Marquette, Escanaba and Sault Ste Marie. The land and climate are not very suitable for agriculture, although the economy has occasionally thrived from logging andmining. Most mines have closed since the "golden age" from 1890 to 1920, and the land is now heavily forested. Logging remains a major industry. The Upper Penisula is bordered by Northern Wisconsin, Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan
History
The first known inhabitants of the Upper Peninsula were the Anishinabe people roughly around the year 800, who subsisted largely off of fishing. Etienne Brule' of France was probably the first European to visit the peninsula, crossing theSt. Marys River around 1620 in search of a route to the Far East.
The first Europeans to claim the land were theFrench who established missions and fur trading posts beginning in the late 17th century. Following the end of the French and Indian War in 1763, it became British territory.
Before long, Native Indian tribes who had been allies of the defeated French found themselves increasingly dissatisfied with the British occupation and the new policies imposed by the victors. While the French had long cultivated alliances among the Indians, the British post-war approach was essentially to treat the Indians as a conquered people. The resulting Pontiac's Rebellion included the capture of Fort Michilimackinac, near present-day Mackinaw City, Michigan, which was then the principal fort of the British in the Michilimackinac region.
Although the Upper Peninsula nominally became United States territory with the 1783 Treaty of Paris, the British did not give up control until 1797 under terms of the Jay Treaty. As an American territory, the Upper Peninsula was still dominated by the fur trade.John Jacob Astor founded the American Fur Company on Mackinac Island in 1808; however, the industry began to decline in the 1830s.
When the Michigan Territory was first established in 1805, it included only the Lower Peninsula and the eastern portion of the Upper Peninsula. In 1819 the territory was expanded to include the remainder of the Upper Peninsula, all of Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota (previously included in the Indiana andIllinois Territories). But when Michigan was preparing for statehood in the 1830s, the boundaries proposed corresponded to the original territorial boundaries, with some proposals even leaving the Upper Peninsula out entirely. Meanwhile, the territory was involved in a border dispute with the state of Ohio in a conflict known as theToledo War . The people of Michigan approved a constitution in May 1835 and had elected state officials in late autumn 1835. Although the state government was unrecognized by theUnited States Congress, the territorial government effectively ceased to exist. A constitutional convention of the state legislature refused a compromise to accept the full Upper Peninsula in exchange for ceding the Toledo Strip to Ohio. A second convention, hastily convened by Governor Stevens Thomson Mason consisting primarily of Mason supporters, finally agreed to accept the U.P. in exchange for the Toledo Strip in December 1836.
In January 1837, theU.S. Congress admitted Michigan as a state of the Union. At the time, Michigan was considered the losing party in the deal because the land in the Upper Peninsula seemed much less valuable than the land in the Toledo strip, and was described in a federal report of the time as a "sterile region on the shores of Lake Superior destined by soil and climate to remain forever a wilderness".
This feeling was reversed when rich mineral deposits (primarilycopper and iron) were discovered in the 1840s. Though not initially profitable, the Upper Peninsula's mines would eventually produce more mineral wealth than theCalifornia Gold Rush , especially after shipping was simplified with the opening of the Soo Locks in 1855 and docks in Marquette in 1859. The Upper Peninsula supplied 90% of America's copper by the 1860s. It would be the largest supplier of iron ore by the 1890s, though mining declined sharply after peaking in the 1920s. The last copper mine closed in 1965, though some iron mining continues near Marquette.[1]
Thousands of Americans and immigrants moved to the area during the mining boom, prompting the federal government to create Fort Wilkins nea rCopper Harbor to maintain order. The first wave were the Cornish, with centuries of mining experience, followed by Irish, Germans and French Canadians. Finnish immigrants began settling there in large numbers during the 1890's. Even in the early 20th century, 75% of the population was foreign-born
Geography
The Upper Peninsula contains 16,452 square miles (42,610 kmē), almost one-third of the land area of the state; it is about the size of Denmark and is larger than Maryland. The maximum east-west distance in the Upper Peninsula is about 320 miles (515 km), and the maximum north-south distance is about 125 miles (200 km). It is bounded on the north by Lake Superior, on the east by St. Mary's River, on the south by Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and on the west by Wisconsin and (counting the water border on Lake Superior) by Minnesota. It has about 1,700 miles (2,700 km) of continuous shoreline with the Great Lakes. There are about 4,300 inland lakes, the largest of which is Lake Gogebic, and 12,000 miles (19,000 km) of streams.[3]
The peninsula is divided between the flat, swampy areas in the east, part of the Great Lakes Plain, and the steeper, more rugged western half, called the Superior Upland, part of the Canadian Shield. [4] The rock in the western portion is the result of volcanic eruptions and is estimated to be at least 3.5 billion years old (well older than the eastern portion) and contains the region's ore resources. A considerable amount of bedrock is visible. Mount Arvon, the highest point in Michigan, is found in the region, as well as the Porcupine and Huron Mountains. All of the higher areas are the remnants of ancient peaks, worn down over millions of years by erosion and glaciers.
The Keweenaw Peninsula is the northernmost part of the peninsula. It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States, part of a larger region of the peninsula called Copper Country.
About one third of the peninsula is government owned recreational forest land today, including the Ottawa National Forest and Hiawatha National Forest. Although heavily logged in the 19th century, the majority of the land was forested with mature trees by the 1970s.
Climate
The Upper Peninsula has an extreme temperate climate, and the Great Lakes have a huge impact on most of the peninsula. Winters tend to be long, cold, and snowy for most of the peninsula, and because of its northern latitude, the daylight hours are decreased--around 8 hours between sunrise and sunset in the winter. Lake Superior has the greatest effect on the area, especially the northern and western parts. Many areas get in excess of 100 inches (250 cm) of snow per year--especially in the Keweenaw Peninsula and Baraga, Marquette and Alger counties. Records of 300 inches (760 cm) of snow or more have been set in many communities in this area.
The area along the Wisconsin border has a more continental climate since most of its weather does not come across the lakes. Summers tend to be warmer and winter nights much colder. Coastal communities have temperatures which are tempered by the Great Lakes. In summer, it might be 10 degrees cooler at lakeside than it is inland, and the opposite effect is seen in winter. Lake effect snow can cause blinding whiteouts in just minutes, and some storms can last days. Snow can fall as early as late September and as late as June.
Transportation
The Upper Peninsula is separated from the Lower by the Mackinac Straits, five miles (8 km) across at the narrowest, and is connected to it by the Mackinac Bridge at St. Ignace, one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. Until the bridge was completed in 1957, travel between the two peninsulas was difficult and slow (and sometimes even impossible during winter months). Car ferries ran between the two peninsulas, and at the busiest times of year the wait was several hours. In winter, travel was only possible over the ice after the straits had solidly frozen.
The bridge carries Interstate 75, the only interstate in the Upper Peninsula. I-75's northern terminus is in Sault Ste. Marie, where it becomes a 2-lane road to cross Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge into Canada. US 2 runs from St. Ignace west into Wisconsin, and US 41 enters at Menominee and goes north to Copper Harbor on the northern tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
There are five airports: Delta County Airport in Escanaba, Houghton County Memorial Airport northeast of Hancock, Ford Airport west of Iron Mountain, Chippewa County International Airport south of Sault Ste. Marie, and Sawyer International Airport near Marquette.
Economy
The Upper Peninsula is very rich in mineral deposits including iron, copper and silver. Small amounts of gold have also been discovered and mined. In the 19th century, mining dominated the economy, and the U.P. became home to many isolated company towns. Some mines are still active, though on a much smaller scale. Logging continues to be an important industry. Because of the highly seasonal climate and the short growing season, agriculture is limited in the Upper Peninsula, though potatoes, strawberries and a few other small fruits are grown. Tourism is the main industry. The peninsula has large tracts of state and national forests, eastern arborvitae swamps, coastline, over 150 waterfalls, and very low population densities. Because of the camping, boating, fishing, snowmobiling, hunting, and hiking opportunities, many Lower Peninsula and Wisconsin families spend their vacations in the U.P.
State prisons are located in Baraga, Marquette, Munising, Newberry and Kincheloe.
Indian Casinos have become popular in the U.P. One of the first Indian casinos in the country was started in Baraga County by the Ojibwa nation. Originally the casinos were simple, one-room affairs. Some of the casinos are now quite elaborate.
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan has three state universities: Northern Michigan University in Marquette; Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie; and Michigan Technological University in Houghton. Appropriate with the region's history, Michigan Tech was founded as a school of mines, targeting those seeking professional degrees in the excavation industry critical to the region.
In 2006, the U.P. was named to a list of the top ten travel destinations in the world, in a MSN.com article. The U.P. was number 10 on the list.
The Porcupine Mountains, the oldest mountains in North America Major Attractions of the Upper Peninsula.:
o The Soo Locks
o Tahquamenon Falls
o Copper Harbor
o Mackinac Island
o Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
o The Porcupine Mountains
o Isle Royale National Park
o National Ski Hall of Fame
o Au Train Falls
o Michigan Technological University, Huskies
o Lake Superior State University, Lakers
o Northern Michigan University, Wildcats
o Fayette Historic State Park
Culture
The Upper Peninsula is the only part of the United States where a plurality of residents state their ancestry as Finnish.
Early settlers included multiple waves of people from Nordic countries. There are still active Swedish- and Finnish-speaking communities in many areas of the Upper Peninsula today. People of Finnish ancestry make up 16% of the peninsula's population. The U.P. is home to the highest concentration of Finns outside Europe. Some aspects of Finnish culture, such as the sauna and the concept of sisu, have been adopted generally by residents of the Upper Peninsula. The television program Finland Calling, filmed at Marquette station WLUC-TV, is the only Finnish-language television broadcast in the United States; it has aired since March 25, 1962. America's only college with Finnish roots, Finlandia University, is located in Hancock, Michigan.[9]
Upper Peninsula natives speak a dialect influenced by Scandinavian and Canadian speech. A popular bumper sticker, a parody of the "Say YES to Michigan" slogan promoted by state tourism officials, shows an outline of the Upper Peninsula and the slogan, "Say ya to da UP, eh?"
The Upper Peninsula has a distinctive local cuisine. The pasty, a kind of meat turnover originally brought to the region by Cornish miners, is extremely popular among locals and tourists alike. Many restaurants serve cudighi, a spicy Italian meat. Finnish immigrants contributed nisu, a cardamom-flavored sweet bread); pannukakku, a variant on the pancake with a custard flavor; viili, (sometimes spelled "fellia"), a stretchy, fermented Finnish milk; and korppu, hard slices of toasted cinnamon-bread, traditionally dipped in coffee. Thimbleberry jam and maple syrup are highly prized local delicacies. Fresh Great Lakes fish, such as the lake trout and whitefish, are commonly eaten, despite concerns of PCB contamination and elevated mercury concentrations. Smoked and pickled fish are also popular.
Regional identity
Today, the Upper Peninsula is home to 328,000 people--only about 3% of the state's population--living in almost one-third of the state's land area. Residents are known as Yoopers, (from "U.P.ers") and many consider themselves Yoopers before they consider themselves Michiganders. (People living in the Lower Peninsula are commonly called "trolls" by Upper Peninsula residents, as they live "Under da Bridge.") This regionalism is not only a result of the physical separation of the two peninsulas, but also the history of the state.
Residents of the western Upper Peninsula take on some of the cultural identities of both Wisconsin and Michigan. In terms of sports fandom, residents often gravitate toward the nearby Wisconsin teams, particularly the Green Bay Packers. This is a result of both proximity and the broadcast and print media of the area. However, the typical high school graduate from the U.P. will likely look first to local universities, and then to the Lower Peninsula schools, rather than to Wisconsin schools (mainly because of the considerable tuition difference for in-state students).
A trip downstate is often rather difficult: a trip from Ironwood to Detroit is roughly 600 miles (960 km) long, more than twice the distance to Minneapolis and almost as long as a trip to St. Louis. Commonly, people of the western U.P. will go to Minneapolis or Wisconsin for trips, but they have managed to retain identity with Michigan. Residents of the northeastern part of the U.P. may cross the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge to Canada more often than they cross the Mackinac Bridge to the Lower Peninsula, and they often associate themselves as closer to Northern Ontario. Additionally, although they are not physically a part of the Peninsula, Isle Royale and Mackinac Island are regarded as parts of it.
