Northern Border

Michigan's borders have a history of being fluid, being traded and being occupied by changing nations. Its international borders are even more so, dividing this northern state from Canada in the liquid form of Lake Superior and Lake St. Clair. The water, the trees and the minerals beneath the land have shaped the history of its peoples, whose stories are told here, with a focus on the Upper Peninsula. Meet the immigrants fighting for fair working conditions in the iron and copper...
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Michigan's borders have a history of being fluid, being traded and being occupied by changing nations. Its international borders are even more so, dividing this northern state from Canada in the liquid form of Lake Superior and Lake St. Clair. The water, the trees and the minerals beneath the land have shaped the history of its peoples, whose stories are told here, with a focus on the Upper Peninsula. Meet the immigrants fighting for fair working conditions in the iron and copper mines; the 19th century soldiers stationed at an isolated outpost; the "shackers" who remained long after the loggers left; and the dedicated worshippers who have kept a church parish alive for five centuries. There are also the WWII-era Detroit factory workers lobbying for the right to smoke; a widow making a living at a lingerie factory; the modern-day deer hunters meditating in their blinds; the writers who have found inspiration in the U.P.'s splendor; and more. Come on in and explore the Northern Border. A festschrift in honor of Northern Michigan University Historian Dr. Russell Magnaghi