National Michigan Day Date in the current year: January 18, 2025

Michigan is located in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. It consists of two peninsulas and borders four of the five Great Lakes (Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior), hence Michigan’s nickname, the Great Lake State. It is also known as the Wolverine State (the origins of this association are unclear, as wolverines are actually rare in Michigan), the Mitten State due to its shape, and the Water-Winter Wonderland.

When the first Europeans arrived in the area, the most populous Native American tribes in Michigan were the Algonquians, especially the Ojibwe. The first European explorer to visit Michigan was the Frenchman Étienne Brûlé in the early 1620s. The area was claimed by France as part of Canada; the first colonial settlement in Michigan was Sault Ste. Marie, founded by French Jesuit missionaries in 1668. In 1701, French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded a fort that would become the city of Detroit.

In 1763, Great Britain, France, Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Paris, ending the Seven Year’s War. Under the terms of the treaty, France ceded its lands in New France east of the Mississippi River to Great Britain, including what is now Michigan. Although Great Britain formally ceded the territory that is now Michigan to the United States after recognizing the independence of the U.S. in 1783, it maintained control of Detroit and other posts in Michigan until 1796.

The region that became Michigan was originally part of the Northwest Territory and then the Indiana Territory. The Michigan Territory was created in 1805. It was temporarily occupied by Great Britain during the War of 1812; the Americans recaptured Michigan in September 1813.

By the 1830s, Michigan Territory had enough residents to apply for statehood and have its application approved. In 1835, Michigan officially applied for statehood and had its state constitution approved. However, its admission to the Union was delayed due to a boundary dispute with Ohio known as the Toledo War.

In the end, Michigan dropped its claim to the Toledo Strip in exchange for control of the entire Upper Peninsula as a concession. With the territorial dispute settled, Michigan was formally admitted to the Union as a free state on January 26, 1837.

National Day Calendar introduced the National State Days project in 2017 to honor the distinctive history, culture, heritage, and spirit of each U.S. state. Instead of marking the anniversary of each state’s admission to the Union, the project celebrates one state per week, following the order of their admission to the Union.

The celebration cycle begins with Delaware on July 13, the week after the Fourth of July, and continues throughout the year, pausing for Thanksgiving and Christmas. As part of this sequence, National Michigan Day is observed on January 18.