My 16 year old cousin and I are very close and in reality she's basically like a sister to me. She was given this fun quiz by her humanities teacher about state nicknames such a Illinois, "Land of Lincon" state, Maine "The Pine Tree state" etc. She always thought Michigan was the Wolverine state which is what I thought but it turns out the accepted nickname is the Great Lakes state? Where did the Wolverine State orginiate from? I don't listen to wikipedia anymore so I'd rather hear it from a source who lives there.
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OT: Is Michigan the Wolverine State or the Great Lakes State?
but then they got popular.
/hipstered
Yeah, I only like the old stuff.
Probably from a Michigan Wolverines fan
What is your 16 year old cousin's phone number, I will give her the whole backstory. FYI, She is legal at that age in our great state!
Sorry, I dont have a sister. Just a 26 year old brother and I really don't think he cares about the backstory.
There is an old story going back to the Toledo War that, in the 10-minute conflict, Ohioans described Michiganians to be "as bloodthirsty as wolverines", hence "The Wolverine State". In more recent times, however, it has been "The Great Lakes State". That's my understanding.
I had thought the expression came from Custer in the Civil War. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Brigade). Also, I remember an very old timer at a Michigan game telling me that it once was tradition for all of the students to wear black hats to games in honor of the Michigan brigade (which should totally be brought back).
This is another one that is of contention. I grew up with it being Michiganders and never heard the term Michiganian until the History Channel started their history of states type shows. How long has this name been around? I am from southwest Michigan so is it regional to the state?
We were the Wolverine State first. "Great Lakes State" is what the MSU lobby has been pushing in recent years.
Looks like we have a true controversy. I had always thought officially we were the Wolverine state and Great Lake State was just a marketing tag like Water Winter Wonderland, etc.
Actually MSU textbooks list us as Wolverine State. Had helped a niece with some course work she has at MSU. (I know, poor kid, we all feel sorry for her. But she got a full ride, and she is still “blue” on the inside.) It was an upper level geography class with the textbook online:
GEO 333 - Geography of Michigan and the Great Lakes Region (link )
Other facts
Statehood: Jan. 26, 1837, the 26th state.
State abbreviations: Mich. (traditional); MI (postal).
State capital: Lansing, Michigan's capital since 1847. Detroit served as capital from 1837 to 1847.
State motto: Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam, circumspice (If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you).
Popular name: The Wolverine State.
State song (unofficial): "Michigan, My Michigan." Words by Douglas M. Malloch.
However, State of Michigan (in the Michigan State Facts section) officially lists itself as “Great Lake State” first:
Michigan.gov – Official web site for the sate of Michigan – States the opposite.
Michigan's State Facts ( link )
· The name Michigan is derived from the Indian words "Michi-gama" meaning large lake.
· The State Nickname is the "Great Lake State." Others include "Wolverine State" or "Water Winter Wonderland."
In summation, we have a lot of facts but no real conclusion. I guess we really don’t know what we are. /s
(Also the GEO333 text has some interesting and humorous items though understandably most look at wolverines fairly derogatorily in “Why are we supposed to be wolverines?”. link )
Shamelessly copy/pasted from the DNR's website.
Michigan has long had an unofficial nickname: "The Wolverine State." However, evidence seems to show that wolverines in Michigan would have been rare. We don't know exactly how the state got the nickname, but two stories attempt to explain it.
Some people believe that Ohioans gave Michigan the nickname around 1835 during a dispute over the Toledo strip, a piece of land along the border between Ohio and Michigan. Rumors in Ohio at the time described Michiganians as being as vicious and bloodthirsty as wolverines. This dispute became known as the Toledo War.
Another reason given for the nickname is a story that has Native Americans, during the 1830s, comparing Michigan settlers to wolverines. Some native people, according to this story, disliked the way settlers were taking the land because it made them think of how the gluttonous wolverine went after its food.
Another nickname for Michigan is the "Great Lake State." Michigan's shores touch four of the five Great Lakes, and Michigan has more than 11,000 inland lakes. In Michigan, you are never more than six miles from an inland lake or more than 85 miles from a Great Lake. From 1969 to 1975 and from 1977 to 1983, Michigan's automobile license plates featured the legend, GREAT LAKE STATE.
Some references to Michigan during the early 20th century also called the state "The Peninsula State."
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-54463_54466_20829-54118--,00.ht...
We have literally twice as many peninsulas as Florida.
Actually, believe it or not, it's way more than that. Something like 8 to 3, in favor of Michigan.
We're clearly talking big peeninsulas here, Beeks. We don't count little peens.
You have to count those sub-peninsulas. But Florida does look like a Wang peeing on Cuba. So they got that.
...on panhandles.
Ha. Take that urban Meyer!
Saw a T-shirt that was blue and yellow that had an outline of Florida and it said "The Southern Peninsula"
Four out of Five Great Lakes want nothing to do with Ohio
I'd say both and you can choose given the context of the situation. It's definitely not the Spartan State. =)
Great Lakes State since we really don't have Wolverines.
I always thought the Great Lake State, especially since it was plastered on every license plate. When I was a little kid the plates said "Winter Wonderland."
[Edit.- Oops; see license plate tour below...]
I remember 66-68 plates saying "Winter Wonderland"!
It was Wolverine State at the time we were called Michiganders!
Ever since we've been called Michiganians it has been called the Great Lake State!
What's on the Michigan License Plates now a days?
The best plates were the Bicentennial Plates '75-80! In '78, my first junk car had these Bicentennial plates.
Are there any neat alum plates for U of M?
we'll always be Michiganders
Yes.
All I know is that when George Armstrong Custer led the Michigan Cavalry against a Confederate cavalry force on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, he yelled "Come on, you Wolverines!"
I was taught in elementary school that we're the Wolverine state. The only time I've heard us called anything else is by Kirk Heirbstreet in NCAA 13... so... yeah.
either one, as long as its not the spartan state.
Since when do nick names have to make perfect sense? Just because Michigan doesn't have Wolverines doesn't mean it can't be the Wolverine state.
We don't necessarily have no wolverines, just very few.
it would be obligatory to make a "how close are you?" comment.
Good thing I didn't.
I always thought it was a civil war Michigan cavalry thing
The nickname of "Wolverine" for Michigan residents predates the Civil War by a quarter century or so, and probably even predates Michigan's statehood by a few years. By the time the Civil War started, every existing state had a pretty well-established nickname, including the familiar Buckeyes, Hoosiers, Badgers and Tar Heels, but also including the currently unknown "Suckers" for residents of Illinois and "Pukes" for residents of Missouri.
Are you Alton Brown?
No.
I found an article about the word Hoosier that includes a quote from a Boston newspaper dated September 1834 that refers to Michigan residents as "Wolverines":
http://www.indiana.edu/~librcsd/internet/extra/hoosier.html
Unfortunately it doesn't explain how the nickname attached itself to Michigan.
I've been told it was attributed to Ohio residents referring to Michigan residents coveting Toledo.
Although this is true to a certain extent, the nickname even predates statehood or the two years or so that we had to argue with the dummies down south about official boundaries. Unofficially the nickname was given to the seemingly stupid early residents who came to the territory. The territory was often advertised to those heading west as a dreadful place full of mosquitos and swamps. Those who were nuts enough to come to the desolate forested swamp were given the nickname do to their brash and gritty, backcountry toughness. Similar monikers are often associated with those who traveled and lived West
of the Mississippi during the first decades of the nineteenth century. Ex. Andrew Jackson and Tennessee.
Michigan residents did not covet Toledo. Ohio residents wanted that strip of land becuase it had the mouth of the Maumee River. The linking up of many river systems in Indiana in a canal system that ended with boat/goods coming out onto the Maumee River, then moving futhur up the Great Lakes and into New York. This was huge business, the state of Ohio wanted this land even though it was not inside of Ohio. As a state, they got the US government to redraw the lines so that it was. The residents of the time did not want to be part of Ohio, they were part of the Michigan territory. Ohio was the state that was coveting. They were the ones that wanted to have a "war" to get the territory, but Michiganders fought as hard as wolverines to keep it.
Since the University of Michigan predates the Civil War.
But the school did not field sports teams (and thus had no need for a nickname) until the 1870s or so.
I always liked Water Winter Wonderland.
Michigan is "The Great Beer State"
The Superior State
YOOPER! Just outed yourself, man.
I prefer Michigan being called "The Best State"
The brand, the brand, the brand. None of this "the...state" crap. We are "Pure Michigan".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_pP_K6yiXM&list=PL499140826F007759&feature=plpp_play_all
Before that, it was "Yes, Michigan!"
No one believe a word of this thread. This is simply Roll Damn Tide. Up to the old antics.
This poster registered in 2010, so I'll give him (her?) the benefit of the doubt.
She signed up right after the huskers joined the conference to ask questions about Michigan. I'm pretty sure she's legit.
The OP registered on the site before you did...
The proper state nickname IS of course "The Wolverine State".
It's not the Spartan state. That would instead describe the required fiscal policy of the state.
No, my theory is that "great lake state" stuff was pounded into people's skulls decades ago by the use of auto licenses plate mottos.
Up until 1954 Michigan automobile license plate had just "MICHIGAN" or "MICH" on it.
In 1954 they pulled this off: A yellow and blue plate with "MICHIGAN" and "WATER WONDERLAND" on it:
1965 Michigan changed the license plate to "WATER-WINTER WONDERLAND". Like the colors dude, but aaarggh make up your mind, Mr. State Secretary of State!
Then in 1968, more blue and yellow "aggression that will not stand, man" for MSU fans:
Then bell-bottoms and groovy "Spirit of '76" took over the state. Like far out:
Then 1979 hit and we stopped going perpetually to the Rose Bowl (where we always lost). Next thing we know, we're 8-4 and losing to North Carolina in the Gator Bowl.
I always admired Nebraska for keeping things simple:
Patriotic...
And...what's for dinner?
Just like Iowa is the Hawkeye State, not the Great Plains State. Iowa State fans constantly try to remove the state nickname. When I was raised in MI, it was the same way. MSU fans hated with green, putrid, envy the fact that MI was called the Wolverine State.
I teach both. Historically the moniker 'Great Lakes state' has been attributed for obvious geographic reasons. However, the residents have long been referred to as wolverines. Probably the most accurate and recent survey of the state's history written but Dunbar & May has the title ' Michigan a history of the wolverine state'.
site on the internet called Google. its really pretty cool. You type in your question and lots of different sources come up with your answer. you should try it some time. Oh, by the way, there is another cool site called Facebook...
Facebook sucks. Its just a way for old girlfriends to contact you so that you wife sees and gets pissed off about it.
Except that the word Michigama referred to Lake Michigan, not the two peninsulas bordering it. To use that as a justification for "Great Lakes State" is a reach. In the name of political correctness, the state now is pushing the "Great Lakes State" moniker, but "Wolverine State" has the most historical legitimacy.
Most state nicknames apply to their residents. Look up Wolverine in the dictionary and you will see something like "a native or resident of the state of Michigan." When we needed a nickname for our athletic teams, we did the same thing most other state flagship schools did - we took the existing state nickname. In contrast, no one has ever referred to an inhabitant of this state as a "Great Lake."
You are conflating the term Michigan with the nickname "Great Lakes State." Two different things. No one is disputing what the name of the state is.
The nickname "Great Lakes State" was not commonly used until the 20th century. If it had been our state nickname all along, U-M's sports teams would probably be called the Lakers. We named our teams after the nickname already well-established for residents of this state - Wolverines.
"Michigan" comes from the Indian word Michigama, meaning "great lake" or "big lake."
That's some sloppy work by the state government there. First, there is no single "Indian" language. Second, the name comes from two separate Ojibwe words (misi and gauma, IIRC) that are more properly translated as "big water."
back when dinosaurs roamed the planet, thomas jefferson told joseph smith that university of michigan is the place where wolverines were genetically engineered from bear and wolf dna. When his good friend plato was killed by an escaped wolverine he decreed that no man should ever be subject to that kind of fate, so to warn others, he called it the wolverine state. This part of history was lost during the ice age, but the name persists.
In my world it is k1400's Wolverine Kingdom of Badassery.
To hell with Wikipedia, history, Google, and Notre Dame.
The Bobcat State? Longhorn State? Golden Bear State? The Gator State? The Duck State?
...how about The Gamecock State?
Who gets "The Huskie State"...Washington or Connecticut? I'm so confused!!!
Nebraska is indeed the Cornhusker State. And California is the Golden State, as the NBA franchise attests (although the state flag does have a big grizzly bear on it).
Not every flagship university went with the state nickname for its sports teams, but many did. Ohio is the Buckeye State, Indiana is the Hoosier State, Tennessee is the Volunteer State, North Carolina is the Tar Heel State, Iowa is the Hawkeye State, and so on.
Nothing personal but I've gotta go with Great Lakes state.
It is the Enchanted Mitten, whether you're in the U.P. or a troll, as in those living under the bridge.
as the overall population of the wolverines in our state. The nickname "wolverine state" came from the Indians when speaking about the early settlers and the way the ate their food, not unlike the ravenous wolverines that actually did reside in the state until many of the great forests had been leveled. The wolverines were restricted in large part to the upper penninsula and even today, there are more wolverines in neighboring Canada and in other parts of the US than in Michigan, but there was, at some point, a viable wolverine population.
They are rarely seen in the lower section of the state, and they are an incredible animal. Although a 40 lb wolverine would be considered large, they are considered, pound for pound, one of the most feroucious fighting animals on the planet. A photographer lucky enough to capture a picture of one near Whitehall, about 15 miles inland from Lake MI caught a photo of a "large" wolverine, about the size mentioned above, sprinting over a snow covered field. One of the most incredible attributes of the wolverine is that they are so light on their feet, this particular animal was photographed in a dead sprint but left no prints to follow in a snow covered field.
I always look for the license plate and in MI the plate says The Great Lake State. However, OK's plate says Oklahoma is OK, using a play on the abbrev of the state,but most know it as the Boomer State. Another nickname for Mi is the water wonderland, for the obvious reasons.
was how the ohio soldiers referred to the michigan militia in the toledo war.
Actually learned about this in Geology today. Wolverines no longer live in Michigan because of deforestation. When we take trees down, we put up ones that aren't in the region and wolverines cannot adapt to the new trees.
This is Michigan FERGODSAKES.
Someone might have to verify but I believe the territory now known as the Upper Peninsula was "given" to Michigan as a consolation for the US handing Toledo over to the silly little state to our south. I'd say we won that deal.
The western two-thirds of it was awarded as compensation. (The eastern third was always part of the Michigan Territory.)