The Toledo War

Have you ever really looked at a map of Michigan? How did Michigan end up with its Upper Peninsula? By any stretch of logic, the UP should be a part of Wisconsin, not Michigan. What's that all about?

A little known story in American history is that Michigan and Ohio nearly went to war over that little jog in the border over Toledo. The original border between the Michigan territory and Ohio was defined in 1787 by a line from the southern tip of Lake Michigan directly east to the shore of Lake Erie, placing Toledo south of the line and comfortably in Ohio. In 1818 , a more refined survey revealed that Lake Michigan actually extended 20 miles further south than originally thought, moving the line southward and placing Toledo in the Michigan territory. When Michigan applied for statehood in 1883, the issue came to a head over what became known as the "Toledo Strip". Negotiations between Michigan and Ohio broke down and in 1835 each sent its militia to claim the disputed territory. Both militias got lost in the swamps near Perrysburg OH and never engaged. Ultimately, as a condition of statehood, Congress offered Michigan most the Upper Peninsula if it relinquished its claim to the Toledo strip. Michigan reluctantly accepted, and the rest is, as they say, history. Ironically, Ohio was considered to be the winner of the deal at the time, but it turned out that the natural resources, particularly iron, copper and timber, in the UP were much more valuable than the city of Toledo. Michigan 1, Ohio 0.

The Toledo War Another view And for those with no life one more version.

In our next installment we will reveal how Florida swindled its panhandle from Georgia and Alabama.