LANSING — The Michigan House of Representatives unanimously approved House Resolution 207 today to mark the 183rd birthday of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on Dec. 14, 2019. In 2016, over one hundred citizens and historians gathered together to approve a measure declaring Dec. 14, the date of the historic Frostbitten Convention of 1836, as the official birthday of the U.P. Introduced by state Rep. Sara Cambensy (D-Marquette), the resolution commemorates that date as a statewide celebration.
“When Michigan traded the Toledo strip for the rugged and untamed Upper Peninsula, I don’t think they knew that they were gaining one of the richest iron ranges in North America, a wealth of timber resources, lucrative shipping routes, and one of the most beautiful places in the world,” said Cambensy. “The precious fresh water, economic vitality, immeasurable splendor, cultural impact and general grit that the Mitten’s ‘Upper Hand’ has contributed to our state truly cannot be quantified. I am proud to call myself a Yooper and grateful to my colleagues for helping me honor Dec. 14 as the official Birthday of the U.P.”
In an attempt to end an ongoing dispute between officials from the territory of Michigan and the state of Ohio, President Andrew Jackson and the United States Congress proposed a compromise that would grant Ohio ownership of the land known as the Toledo Strip in exchange for the territory that would become the U.P. On Dec. 14, 1836, Michigan delegates gathered at the Frostbitten Convention to approve the new proposed territorial boundaries, setting up the pathway for Michigan’s statehood a few weeks later.
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