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MICHIGAN
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MICHIGAN , a See also:north central See also:state of the See also:United States, situated between latitudes 41° 44' and 470 30' N.1 and longitudes 82° 25' and 90° 31' W., and consisting of two peninsulas—the upper or See also:northern and the See also:lower or See also:southern—separated by a strait . The upper or northern See also:peninsula is bounded N. by See also:Lake See also:Superior; E. by lakes Superior, See also:George, See also:Huron, and Michigan, and by St See also:Mary's See also:River, which separates it from the See also:Province of See also:Ontario, See also:Canada; S. by lakes Huron and Michigan and the Straits of Mackinac, which See also:separate it from the lower peninsula; and S. and W. by See also:Wisconsin, and the See also:Menominee, See also:Montreal and Brule See also:Rivers, which separate it in See also:part from Wisconsin . The lower or southern peninsula is bounded N. by lakes Michigan and Huron and the Straits of Mackinac, E. by lakes Huron, St Clair and See also:Erie, and the St Clair and See also:Detroit Rivers, which separate it from Ontario; S. by See also:Ohio and See also:Indiana, and W. by Lake Michigan . In See also:size Michigan ranks eighteenth among the states of the See also:Union, its See also:total See also:area being 57,980 sq. m., of which 500 sq. m. are See also:water See also:surface ? See also:Physical Features.-Physiographically the See also:history of the state is similar to that of See also:Minnesota . The northern part is rugged mountainous " old See also:land," not completely worn down by erosion; and the southern part is a portion of the old coastal See also:plain, whose layers contain See also:salt, See also:gypsum and some inferior See also:coal . Lake Huron on the See also:east and Lake Michigan on the See also:west of the lower peninsula are each 5811 ft. above See also:sea-level, and Lake Superior on the north of the upper peninsula is 6o2 ft. above sea-level . For the most part the surface of the state is gently undulating and at a slight See also:elevation above the lakes, but See also:low See also:marsh lands are See also:common to many sections; the north part of the lower peninsula is occupied by a See also:plateau of considerable dimensions, and the north-west part of the upper peninsula is rugged with hills and mountains . See also:Crossing the lower peninsula from See also:Saginaw See also:Bay west by See also:south through the valleys of the Saginaw, See also:Maple and See also:Grand rivers, is a depression—the former channel of an old glacial river—in which elevations for a considerable area are less than too ft. above the lakes . To the south-east of this depression a water-parting with summits varying from about 400 to 600 ft. above the lakes extends from a point between Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron south by west to the south border of the state and beyond . The east slope descends quite rapidly to a low See also:flat See also:belt from g to 40 M. wide along the east border of the state south from Lake Huron . From Lake Huron to the south-east See also:shore of Saginaw Bay a wide sandy See also:beach is followed northward by precipitous shores abounding in rocks and bluffs .
West of the See also:divide and south of the depression, south-west Michigan is occupied by, the valleys of the St See also:Joseph, See also:Kalamazoo and Grand rivers, by the gently See also:rolling uplands that See also:form the parting divides between them, and by See also:sand See also:dunes, which here and there rise to a height of from too to 200 ft. or more along the shore of Lake Michigan, and are formed on this See also:side (but not on the Wisconsin side) of the lake by the,prevailing west winds
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The north and north-west portions of the lower peninsula—including the counties of See also:Roscommon and Missaukee, parts of See also:Wexford and Ogemaw, and those to the north and north-west of these—are occupied by a rolling plateau which attains an elevation at its highest point, north of its centre, of upwards of ttoo ft. above Lake Michigan; to the south of this plateau the land slopes gently down to the depression and to the low shores of Lake Michigan and Saginaw Bay
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The surface of the upper
1 This is the northernmost point of the mainland; the most northerly of the islands north-east of Isle Royal and belonging to Michigan is more than 40' further north
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2 In addition, within the boundaries of Michigan, are approximately 16,653 sq. m. of Lake_ Superior, 12,992 sq. m. of Lake Michigan, 9925 sq. m. of Lake Huron and 46o sq. m. of lakes St Clair and Erie
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peninsula is more irregular than that of the lower peninsula
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A portion extending through the See also:middle from east to west and south, from west of the centre to See also:Green Bay, is either flat and even swampy or only gently undulating
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Eastward from Green Bay are two ranges of hills: the one lining the south shore and ranging from too to 300 ft. in height, the other See also:close to or touching the north shore and reaching in places an elevation of 600 ft. above Lake Superior
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.The famous Pictured Rocks in See also:Alger See also:county on the lake shore, east of Munising, form the west portion of this north range; they are of See also:sandstone formation, extend for several See also:miles along the See also:coast, rise almost perpendicularly from the water's edge, and display an interesting diversity of shapes as well as a See also:great variety of tints and hues, especially of See also:
Extending in a See also:general north-east and south-west direction through Keweenaw peninsula to the Wisconsin border and beyond is the middle of three approximately parallel ranges, separated from,'each other by flat lands, with here and there an isolated peak (in the Porcupine Mountains) having an elevation of from 900 to 1400 ft. above the lake
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The north portion of these ranges, together with Isle Royale some distance farther north, which is itself traversed by several less elevated parallel ridges, contains the Michigan See also:copper-bearing rocks; while to the south, along the Wisconsin border, is another iron district, the Gogebic
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The rivers of the entire state consist of numerous small streams of clear water
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In the interior of the upper peninsula, along the east border of the Iower peninsula south from Lake Huron, and in Saginaw valley, they are rather sluggish; but many of the larger streams of the lower peninsula have sufficient fall to furnish a large amount of water-See also:power, while the small streams that flow into Lake Superior from the central portion of the upper peninsula as well as some of the larger ones farther west, have several falls and rapids; in places also they are lined with steep, high See also:banks
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Most of the larger rivers of the state—the See also:Muskegon, Grand, St Joseph, See also:Manistee and Kalamazoo—are in the west portion of the lower peninsula
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Several thousand lakes of clear water, formed by glacial See also:action, dot the surface of the state, and many of them are lined with picturesque woodland shores
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Islands in lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron are scarcely less numerous
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See also:Fauna and See also:Flora.—Michigan, especially the north portion, still abounds in See also:game
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The mammals include See also:black See also:bear, See also:deer, See also:lynx,
porcupine, See also:fox, squirrels, See also:hares, rabbits, See also:musk rats, minks, weasels, skunks and woodchucks
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Among the game birds are quails (" Bob See also: The speckled trout thrives in many of the streams . Before it was settled by the whites the area now included in Michigan was a See also:forest, except in the south-west, where there were a few small prairies, possibly cleared by the See also:Indians . The See also:remainder of the south part of this area for about 6o m. along the southern boundary was a part of the great hardwood forest of the Ohio See also:Basin with See also:woods varying with See also:soil and drainage: on the drier See also:gravel lands were See also:oak forests consisting of red, black and white oak, See also:hickory, ash, See also:cherry, basswood and See also:walnut; in depressions there were maple, See also:elm, ash, See also:beech, sycamore, See also:poplar and See also:willow; and in the south-east there were a few chestnuts and See also:tulip trees . North of this southern hardwood forest there were See also:pine forests on the sandier land, mixed hardwoods and conifers on the See also:loam and See also:clay, and tamaracks and See also:cedar in the swamps . The sandy lands were in part burnt over by Indians, and there was. a growth of scrub oak, aspens and See also:huckleberry bushes . The tamarack and cedar swamps now have a growth, especially on their edges, of spruce, See also:balsam, white pine, soft maple, ash and aspens . In 1909 about 25 % of the area was " cut over " or " burned over " lands, mostly the old pine woods, the region of the old hardwood forest was almost entirely farmland, and about 40 % of the state was still in woods . Red oak, See also:birch, elm, ash, white cedar, See also:hemlock, basswood, spruce, poplar, balsam, See also:fir and several other kinds of trees are found in many sections; but a large portion of the merchantable See also:timber, especially in the lower peninsula, has been cut' Among forest shrubs are the willow, See also:hazel, See also:alder, See also:shrub maple, birch, See also:hawthorn, See also:dogwood, elderberry, See also:viburnum and snowberry . Yews are common in the north, and See also:dwarf See also:juniper in the south . In 1900 the woodland area, including stump lands, was estimated at 38,000 sq. m., or nearly two-thirds of the entire state . Huckleberry, See also:blackberry and rasp-See also:berry bushes are common in the north sections . Smilax, See also:clematis, See also:honeysuckle and woodbine are the commoner forest vines . Under the revised constitution of 1908 the legislature is authorized to provide for the reforestation of state lands . Soil.—The soil of south-west and south-east Michigan is for the most part a dark clay loam or muck; in the north central part of the lower peninsula it is a See also:light sandy loam, along the Huron shore it is heavy with blue clay, in the See also:mining districts of the north-west the rocks are usually either barren or very thinly covered; and else-where in the state the soil is generally See also:rich in a variety of See also:mineral elements, and varies chiefly in the proportions of See also:vegetable loam, sand or gravel, and clay . See also:Climate.—Although the temperature of the entire lower peninsula is considerably influenced by the lakes, yet, the prevailing winds being See also:westerly, it is in the west portion of that peninsula that the moderation is greatest, both the summer and See also:winter isotherms being there deflected more than See also:half the length of the peninsula . On the other See also:hand, the prevailing winds of the upper peninsula being north-westerly, the lakes have little effect on the temperature there; and so, while in the south-west the extremes are not great, in the See also:rest of the state they have ranged within two years from 104° F. at points in the south-east to 490 F. in the north-west . Throughout the state See also:July is invariably the warmest See also:month, See also:February the coldest, the mean See also:annual temperature is about 45° F . The mean annual precipitation is not far from 31 in., a little more than one-half of which falls during the five growing months from May to See also:October; the See also:rain is evenly distributed over all parts of the state, but the See also:snow is exceptionally heavy along the north shore of the upper peninsula . Productions.--Of the total land surface of the state in 1900 18.08 % (in 1904, 47'1 %) was included in farms and 67.2 % (in 1904, 66'9 %) of the See also:farm land was improved; the total number of farms was 203,261 (in 1904, 189,167), of which 143,688 contained less than See also:loo acres, 54,556 others contained less than 26o acres, and 136 contained See also:tow acres or more, the See also:average size being 86'4 acres (in 1904, 91'5 acres) . Of the total number of farms 168,814 were operated by the owners (in 1904, 161,037 by owners and 914 by managers), 22,482 (in 1904, 19,525) by See also:share tenants, 9731 (in 1904, 7685) by See also:cash tenants; and 312,462 of the inhabitants of the state, or 34' 5 %of all who were engaged in gainful occupations, were farmers . Of the total acreage in 1900 of all crops 58'3 % was in cereals and 28'8 % in See also:hay and See also:forage; of the acreage of cereals 40'8 % was in See also:wheat, 31 ' 8 %inIndian See also:corn, 21'6%in oats and3'7% in See also:rye . In 1907 the See also:buckwheat See also:crop was 852,000 bushels; rye, 5,452,000 bushels; the hay crop, 3,246,000 tons; oats, 30,534,000 bushels; See also:barley, 1,496,000 bushels; wheat 12,731,000 bushels; and See also:Indian corn 57,190,000 bushels . Of livestock, See also:sheep are the most numerous (2,130,000 in 1907), and Michigan's See also:wool clip in 1907 was 14,080,500 lb . The number of neat See also:cattle in 1907 was 1,852,000 (849,000 See also:dairy cows) . The number of hogs was 1,388,000; and of horses 704,000 . Michigan produces the bulk of the See also:peppermint crop of the United States, and it is in the front See also:rank as a See also:fruit-producing state . Barley and buckwheat are grown chiefly in the east part of the lower peninsula south of Saginaw Bay . Potatoes are grown in considerable quantities in the north-west part of the lower peninsula in the vicinity of Grand See also:Traverse Bay as well as throughout the southern portion of the state; the largest crops of beans are grown in the south central part of the lower peninsula, and of peas in the counties bordering on Lake Huron . Kalamazoo, See also:Jackson, Washtenaw, Lenawee, See also:Ingham, Bay and Muskegon are the leading See also:celery-producing counties; the peppermint district is in the south-west corner of the state; and See also:market gardening is an important See also:industry both in the south-west and in the south-east counties . All the See also:principal fruits are grown in largest quantities in what is commonly known as the fruit belt in the south-west, particularly in Berrien, the corner county . The fresh-water fish caught in the Great Lakes by residents in Michigan exceed in value those caught by residents of other states, and in 1907 the catch was valued at $1,806,767 . Nearly one-half both in quantity and value are taken from Lake Michigan, and, although as many as twenty kinds are caught in considerable quantities, more than 90 % of the value of the catch consists of trout, herring, white fish and perch . Both the state See also:government and the See also:national government have established hatcheries within the state, and state See also:laws protect the industry by regulating the size of mesh in the nets used, prescribing the size of fish that may be taken and kept, establishing close seasons for several kinds of fish, and by other limitations . Minerals.—Of the mineral products (for which the state is noted) iron is the most valuable . This mineral was discovered in the Marquette district along the shore of Lake Superior See also:early in the 18th See also:century, but active operations for mining it did not begin until 1845; in 1877 mining of the same mineral began farther south in the Menominee district, and seven years later farther west along the Wisconsin border in Gogebic county . The annual product steadily increased from 3oo0long tons in 1854 to 11,830,342 in 1907; from 1890 to 1901 Michigan ranked first in the union as an iron-producing state, but after 1901 its product was exceeded by that of Minnesota . Up to 1909 it was estimated that 380,417,085 tons of ore were shipped from the Lake Superior region . Next in value among the mineral products is copper; there are about twenty copper mines in Keweenaw peninsula and its vicinity . The See also:Calumet and Hecla mine, in the central part of that peninsula, is probably the most profitable copper mine in the See also:world; up to 1909 it had paid about $107,850,000 in dividends . Copper mining in the state began about the same See also:time as iron mining, and the quantity See also:mined increased from 12 See also:long tons in 1845 to 102,543 in 1906 (in 1907, 97,175 long tons) . From 1847 to 1887 the product of Michigan exceeded that of any other state; from 1847 to 1883 its copper product was more than one-half that of all the states, but after 1887 (except in 1891) more of that mineral was mined in See also:Montana than in Michigan, and in 1906 and in 1907 the yield in both See also:Arizona and Montana was greater than in Michigan . See also:Fields of bituminous coal extend over an area of over 10,000 sq. m. in the central portion of the lower peninsula; but its quality is inferior . The mining of coal began in Jackson county in 1835 and there was a slow increase in the output until 1882 (135,339 See also:short tons) ; then there was a tendency to decrease until 1897, from which time the product increased from 223,592 short tons to 2,035,858 short tons in 1907, The principal mines are in Saginaw, Bay, .See also:Eaton, Jackson, Huron and Shiawassee counties . Salt See also:wells are numerous in the middle and south-east sections of the lower peninsula; the first successful one was drilled in Saginaw county in 1859 and 1860 . For a number of years See also:prior to 1893 Michigan was the leading salt-producing state, and, though her output was subsequently (except in 1901) exceeded by that of New See also:York, it continued to increase up to 1905, when it was 9,492,173 barrels; in 1907, the product was 10,786,630 barrels . Gypsum is obtained from deposits along the banks of the Grand river in See also:Kent county and in the vicinity of See also:Alabaster along the shore of Lake Huron in Iosco county . Operations on the See also:deposit near Grand Rapids were begun in 1841, and although that near Alabaster was opened in 1862, it was not until 1902 that it became of much importance; in that See also:year the output of the state was 208,563 short tons; in 1907 317,261 short tons were mined . See also:Marl is found in the south part of the state; See also:limestone most largely in the north part of the lower peninsula, and the east part of the upper peninsula; and the See also:production of See also:Portland See also:cement increased rapidly from 77,000 barrels in 1898 to 3,572,668 in 1907 .
Besides limestones and See also:dolomites, the only See also:building See also: Communications.—The building of See also:railways in Michigan began in 183o, but little progress had been made in 1837 when the state began the construction of three railways and two canals across the south half of the lower peninsula . The Michigan Central was completed from Detroit to See also:Ypsilanti in See also:January 1838, a portion of the Michigan Southern was in operation in See also:November 1840, and considerable work was done on the proposed Michigan Northern and the two canals . By 1846, however, the state had proved itself incompetent to carry on the work and sold its interests to private companies . In 1850 there were 342 m. completed, and from then until 188o the mileage increased to 3938; but the great period of railway building in Michigan was in the.See also:decade from 188o to 1890, when the mileage was increased to 7108.48 . By the close of 1908 it had further increased to 8629'35 . The principal lines are the Michigan Central, the Pere Marquette, the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, the Grand Rapids & Indiana, the See also:Ann Arbor, the Grand See also:Trunk, the See also:Chicago & North-Western, the See also:Duluth South Shore & See also:Atlantic, the Minneapolis, St See also:Paul & Sault Ste . See also:Marie, and the Chicago, See also:Milwaukee & St Paul . A See also:board of railway commissioners, which in 1907 succeeded a See also:commissioner (whose See also:office was created in 1873) hears complaints, has power to issue various orders and permits of See also:minor importance to railway companies, and reports annually to the See also:governor.2 The legislature is empowered to appoint a See also:commission to See also:fix transportation rates for railways and See also:express companies . Besides railway communication Michigan has a coast See also:line of about 1600 rp., along which vessels of 2000 tons can See also:sail and find several See also:good harbours, the water communication having been extended and improved by several canals, among which are the Sault Ste . Marie, which passes the rapids of St Mary's River; the St Clair Flats, at the north end of Lake St Clair, by which a deeper channel is made through shallow water; and the See also:Portage Lake, in the copper district, which connects that lake with Lake Superior . The state undertook to construct that at Sault Ste . Marie in 1837 but little had been accomplished in 1852 when the national government granted 750,000 acres of land to the state in aid of the enterprise, and three years after that the See also:canal was completed . 
Since its completion, the national government has enlarged its locks so as to make it navigable for vessels See also:drawing 21 ft. of water
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The national government constructed the canal at the St Clair Flats in 1871 and contributed land for aid in the construction of that connecting lakes Portage and Superior, which was completed in 1873 and passed under national See also:control in 1891
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See also:Population.—The population of Michigan in 188o was 1,636,937; in 1890 it was 2,093,889, an increase of 27.9% within the decade; in 1900 it was 2,420,982, a further increase of 15.6% and in 191o, according to the preliminary returns of the U.S. census, it was 2,810,173
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Of the total population in 190o, 2,398,563 or 99.07% were whites, 15,861 were negroes, 6354 were Indians, 240 were See also:Chinese, and 9 were See also:Japanese
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1,879,329 or 77.6% were native See also:born and 541,653 were See also:foreign-born, 184,398 of the foreign-born being natives of Canada (151,915 See also:English; 32,483 See also:French), 125,074 of See also:Germany, 43,839 of See also:England, and 30,406 of See also: |