MICHIGAN FACTS Name Origin: Derived from the Indian word Michigama, meaning great or large lake. Capital: Lansing, since 1847; prior to that, Detroit. State Motto: Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice, which translates, “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.”
Why is a Michigan called a Michigan?
The word Michigan originally referred to a clearing on the lower peninsula and was derived from the Chippewa Indian word “majigan” which means clearing. Lake Michigan was named after this clearing by European explorers in the area in the 1670’s.
What did Michigan originally mean?
large water
Michigan (/ˈmɪʃɪɡən/ ( listen)) is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. Its name derives from a gallicized variant of the original Ojibwe word ᒥᓯᑲᒥ (mishigami), meaning ‘large water’ or ‘large lake’.
Is Michigan a French word?
The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning “large water” or “large lake”.
Which was named First Lake Michigan or Michigan?
(The Winnebago Indians were called Puans by the French explorers.) On a 1688 map, Lake Michigan is called Lac des Illinois. An Indian name for Lake Michigan was “Michi gami” and through further interaction with the Indians, the lake received its final name of Michigan.
Are wolverine’s native to Michigan?
While wild wolverines exist in Oregon, Montana, Washington, Colorado, Wyoming, California, and parts of Canada, there are no wild wolverines in Michigan. All the wolverines necessary can be found on the fields, courts and rinks of Ann Arbor.
Were there Wolverines in Michigan?
There are currently no wolverines in the Wolverine State (other than a few in Ann Arbor). The last known specimen is in the stuffed animal collection of Gary Kaberle of Traverse City; it was killed in the 1860’s. As far as is known, there is no evidence that wolverines were ever commercially trapped in Michigan.
What does Michigan mean in Native American?
Michigamme – Ojibwe word “mishigamaa” meaning “great water“, also etymology for state of Michigan.
What Indian tribes were in Michigan?
Michigan’s three largest tribes are the Ojibwe (also called Chippewa), the Odawa (also called Ottowa) and the Potawatomi (also called the Bode’wadmi).
Why is it called Grand Rapids?
Grand Rapids gets its name from the Grand River and the rapids that used to help the local furniture industry with the transport of logs. In the early 1900s flood walls were installed in the river to remove the rapids in order to help manage flooding.
Which US states have French names?
Fifteen state names are either French words / origin (Delaware, New Jersey, Louisiana, Maine, Oregon, Vermont) or Native American words rendered by French speakers (Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Wisconsin).
What states are Native American names?
The United States of America contains 50 states, and 27 state names are based in American Indian languages: Alabama (Choctaw), Alaska (Aleut), Arizona (O’odham), Arkansas (Illinois), Connecticut (Algonquian), Hawaii (from the indigenous language of Hawai’i), Idaho (Apache), Illinois (Algonquian language group, probably
What does Gitche Gumee mean?
Big Sea
Today in Ojibwe language class, thanks to dialectic differences, you are more likely to see gichi-gami, gitchi-gami or kitchi-gami for Lake Superior. Loosely, it does indeed mean “Big Sea” or “Huge Water,” but just about always refers to Lake Superior.
Why is Michigan lake so blue?
The blue in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron is sediment brought to the surface when strong winds churned the lakes. The green in Lake Erie and in Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay is algae, which builds on the surface when winds are calm.
Which Great Lake is the deepest?
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the world’s largest freshwater lake by area (31,700 mi2 /82,100 km2). It is also the coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes, with a maximum depth of 406 meters (1,332 feet). By most measures, it is the healthiest of all the Great Lakes.
Are there mountain lions in Michigan?
Is there a population of wild cougars in Michigan? Cougars, also called mountain lions, were originally native to Michigan, but were extirpated from Michigan around the turn of the century. The last known wild cougar legally taken in the state occurred in 1906 near Newberry.
Are there any wolves in Michigan?
The state Department of Natural Resources says there are around 600 gray wolves in Michigan.
What is a female wolverine called?
A male wolverine, (a female wolverine being called an angeline).
Are there moose in Michigan?
Moose are currently found in two areas of the Upper Peninsula: the reintroduced population in Marquette, Baraga and Iron counties, and a smaller remnant population in the eastern UP, found primarily in Alger, Schoolcraft, Luce and Chippewa counties.
Are there bears in Michigan?
The black bear (Ursus americanus) is the only species of bear found in Michigan. In Michigan, most black bears have black or extremely dark brown fur.
Are there Bobcats in Michigan?
“We’ve documented bobcats in every county in Michigan,” said Adam Bump, the bear and furbearer specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “Over the last decade, we have seen an increase in people reporting sightings of bobcats in the Lower Peninsula.