If The U.P. Became It’s Own State, Here’s What It May Be Named
I always wondered what name you would give the Upper Peninsula if they broke off from being Michigan and established themselves as a separate state. During the fight between Michigan and Ohio over the Toledo Strip in the 1700's, Congress interjected, according to wpr.org, and proposed this compromise:
Michigan could become a state if it gave this strip of land up to Ohio. In return, it would get all of the Upper Peninsula. At the time, Michigan territory included part of the eastern portion of the UP. The compromise would give it statehood if it took the western portion, as well.
Shortly after the fighting would end, Michigan took control of the western half of the U.P. and the rest is history. A lot of people still look at the U.P. as a part of Canada or Wisconsin and almost consider it a different entity all on its own. So I asked Kalamazoo what name the U.P. would have if it finally did break a part from Michigan. The answers were spot on: