This is a project of collecting postcards from all over the world.
Showing posts with label USA - Michigan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USA - Michigan. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
USA - Michigan - State Bird
Michigan's State Bird - Robin.
Sent by Karyn, a WiP partner from USA.
"The robin was designated the official state bird of Michigan in 1931 after an election held by the Michigan Audubon Society. The legislation noted that "the robin redbreast is the best known and best loved of all the birds in the state of Michigan." The robin is also the state bird of Connecticut and Wisconsin.
Robins were named by early settlers after the familiar robin red-breast of Europe (a bird with similar markings that is not closely related to the American Robin). The most widespread thrush in North America (because of its adaptation to human-modified habitats), robins are a familiar backyard bird often observed pulling up earthworms on suburban lawns. The American robin has many vocalizations - rich songs composed of long phrases and "whinny" and "tut" calls. The female is muted in color compared to the male.
The robin's claim to the title of official state bird of Michigan has come under fire however. In late 2003 a group of 3rd, 4th, & 5th graders arrived at the state capital to lobby for the Kirtland's Warbler as the state bird of Michigan. Some of their reasons: the Kirtland's Warbler nests exclusively in Michigan, it is the rarest warbler in North America, and has recovered from near-extinction (expected to be removed from endangered species list soon) thanks to conservation efforts to preserve their only habitat , Michigan's Jack Pine Barrens."(Source)
Sunday, February 20, 2011
USA - Michigan - Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Sent by Becki, a postcrosser from Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA.
This is from Wikipedia : The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. More casually it is known as the land "above the Bridge" (above the Mackinac Bridge linking the two peninsulas). It is bounded on the north by Lake Superior, on the east by the St. Mary's River, on the southeast by Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and on the southwest by Wisconsin.
The Upper Peninsula contains almost a quarter of the land area of Michigan but just three percent of its total population. Residents are frequently called Yoopers (derived from "U.P.-ers") and have a strong regional identity. It includes the only counties in the United States where a plurality of residents claim Finnish ancestry. Large numbers of Finnish, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian emigrants came to the Upper Peninsula, especially the Keweenaw Peninsula, to work in the mines, and they stayed on and prospered even after the copper mines closed.
Ordered by size, the peninsula's largest cities are Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, Escanaba, Menominee, Iron Mountain, and Houghton. The land and climate are not very suitable for agriculture because of the long harsh winters. The economy has been based on logging, mining and tourism. Most mines have closed since the "golden age" from 1890 to 1920. The land is heavily forested and logging remains a major industry.
The first known inhabitants of the Upper Peninsula were tribes speaking Algonquian languages. They arrived roughly around AD 800 and subsisted chiefly from fishing. Early tribes included the Menominee, Nocquet, and the Mishinimaki. Étienne Brûlé of France was probably the first European to visit the peninsula, crossing the St. Marys River around 1620 in search of a route to the Far East.
French colonists laid claim to the land in the 17th century, establishing missions and fur trading posts such as Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace. Following the end of the French and Indian War (part of the Seven Years' War) in 1763, the territory was ceded to Great Britain.
American Indian tribes formerly allied with the French were dissatisfied with the British occupation, which brought new territorial policies. Whereas the French cultivated alliances among the Indians, the British postwar approach was to treat the tribes as conquered peoples. In 1763 tribes united in Pontiac's Rebellion to try to drive the British from the area. American Indians captured Fort Michilimackinac, near present-day Mackinaw City, Michigan, then the principal fort of the British in the Michilimackinac region, as well as others and killed hundreds of British. In 1764 they began negotiations with the British which resulted in temporary peace and changes in objectionable British policies.
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 as beaver and other game were overhunted.
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 and Illinois Territories). 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 the Toledo War.
The people of Michigan approved a constitution in May 1835 and elected state officials in late autumn 1835. Although the state government was not yet recognized by the United 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, agreed in December 1836 to accept the U.P. in exchange for the Toledo Strip.
In January 1837, the U.S. Congress admitted Michigan as a state of the Union. At the time, Michigan was considered the losing party in the compromise. The land in the Upper Peninsula was described in a federal report as a "sterile region on the shores of Lake Superior destined by soil and climate to remain forever a wilderness."
This belief changed when rich mineral deposits (primarily copper and iron) were discovered in the 1840s. The Upper Peninsula's mines produced more mineral wealth than the California Gold Rush, especially after shipping was improved by 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 was the largest supplier of iron ore by the 1890s, and production continued to a peak in the 1920s, but sharply declined shortly afterward. The last copper mine closed in 1995, although the majority of mines had closed decades before. Some iron mining continues near Marquette.
Thousands of Americans and immigrants moved to the area during the mining boom, prompting the federal government to create Fort Wilkins near Copper Harbor to maintain order. The first wave were the Cornish from England, with centuries of mining experience; followed by Irish, Germans, and French Canadians. During the 1890s, Finnish immigrants began settling there in large numbers, forming the population plurality in the North-Western half of the peninsula. In the early 20th century, 75% of the population was foreign-born.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
USA - Michigan - State Flower
Monday, November 22, 2010
USA - Michigan - Detroit
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
USA - Michigan
GREETINGS FROM MICHIGAN
The lovely state of Michigan is one of America's favorite travel and vacation states.
Pictured : Mackinac Bridge, State Capitol Building at Lansing, Tahquamenon Falls in the Upper Peninsula, Grand Haven Lighthouse on Lake Michigan and Detroit's Renaissance Center.
Sent by Kylie from Michigan, USA.
Friday, June 25, 2010
USA - Michigan - State Wildflower
Dwarf Lake Iris, Iris lacustris, is Michigan's state wildflower. It is an endangered species found nowhere in the world except the Great Lakes region, almost exclusively in Northern Michigan near the Lake Huronand Lake Michigan shorelines. It's delicate blue flowers grow on a miniature plant only several inches tall.
Sent by Emily, a postcrosser from Michigan.
This is from Wikipedia : The Dwarf Lake Iris (Iris lacustris) is a beardless rhizomatous iris (genus Iris, subgenus Limniris) native to the northern shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
In 1998 it was designated the state wildflower of Michigan, where the vast majority of populations exist. The dwarf lake iris is also found on the Door Peninsula of Wisconsin and the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island in Ontario, as well as on smaller islands in both lakes. Iris lacustris is designated a threatened species by federal, state and provincial laws throughout its range.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
USA - Michigan - State Bird
The Robin or American Robin - Michigan's State Bird.
Sent by James from Macomb in Michigan, USA.
This is from Wikipedia : The American Robin or North American Robin (Turdus migratorius) is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. It is named after the European Robin because of the male's bright red breast, though the two species are not closely related. The American Robin is widely distributed throughout North America, wintering south of Canada from Florida to central Mexico and along the Pacific Coast. It is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin. It has seven subspecies, but only T. m. confinis in the southwest is particularly distinctive, with pale gray-brown underparts.
The American Robin is active mostly during the day and assembles in large flocks at night. Its diet consists of invertebrates (such as beetle grubs and caterpillars), fruits and berries. It is one of the first bird species to lay eggs, beginning to breed shortly after returning to its summer range from its winter range. Its nest consists of long coarse grass, twigs, paper, and feathers, and is smeared with mud and often cushioned with grass or other soft materials. It is among the first birds to sing at dawn, and its song consists of several discrete units that are repeated.
The adult robin is preyed upon by hawks, cats and larger snakes, but when feeding in flocks, it is able to be vigilant and watch other birds for reactions to predators. Brown-headed cowbirds lay eggs in robin nests (see brood parasite), but robins usually reject the cowbird eggs.
USA - Michigan - State Capitol
USA - Michigan - State Flower (2)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
USA - Michigan - State Flower (1)
State flowers of Michigan - Apple blossoms are a beauty to behold as they add their delicate color and fragrance to the springtime season.
One of my wishlists is postcards of national or state flowers. So, we are very happy receiving this from jwhite, a postcrosser from Saginaw in Michigan.
Thanks to jwhite for a long letter, Michigan trivia and also those beautiful stamps.
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