Original subtitles

IT HAS THE LONGEST FRESHWATER \h\h\h\h\hCOAST IN AMERICA...

MICHIGAN.

A LAND OF BLUE WATERS,

BRILLIANT SKIES

AND GIANT INDUSTRY.

IT WAS HERE WHERE TIMBER AND STEEL HELPED CREATE

\hONE OF THE GREATEST MANUFACTURING CENTERS

IN THE WORLD...

WHERE ONE MAN‘S PASSION \h\h\h\h\hFOR INVENTION

GAVE BIRTH TO AMERICA‘S \hLOVE AFFAIR WITH CARS,

AND WHERE ICONS OF THAT INDUSTRY STILL STAND TALL.

IT WAS FROM MICHIGAN

THAT BOOTLEGGERS ONCE SUPPLIED \h\hAMERICA WITH ILLEGAL RUM,

\h\h\h\hAND MUSICAL SUPERSTARS FROM STEVIE WONDER TO MADONNA

\h\h\hHEADED OUT TO ENTERTAIN THE WORLD.

\hAERIAL MICHIGAN TELLS THE STORY OF THE WORKERS

WHO BROUGHT AMERICA‘S LARGEST \h\h\h\hINDUSTRIAL CORPORATION

TO ITS KNEES

AND HELPED WIN BATTLES \h\h\hOF WORLD WAR II,

WHERE A HOMETOWN TEAM \h\h\h\hREIGNS SUPREME

IN ONE OF THE BIGGEST RIVALRIES IN AMERICAN SPORTS.

THANKS TO ITS UNIQUE SHAPE,

LOCALS OFTEN CALL THEIR STATE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h"THE MITTEN."

BUT THE REST OF THE WORLD KNOWS THIS MIDWESTERN POWERHOUSE

AS...

MICHIGAN.

THIS ISN‘T YOUR AVERAGE \h\h\hAMERICAN HIGHWAY.

\h\h\h\hIT‘S A WEEKDAY MORNING, BUT ALL OF ITS LANES ARE EMPTY,

EXCEPT FOR ONE TRUCK.

THIS IS WHAT‘S CALLED \h\hA PROVING GROUND--

\h\h\hA PLACE WHERE AMERICA‘S AUTOMAKERS

PUT THEIR LATEST VEHICLES \h\h\hTHROUGH TOUGH TESTS

BEFORE ROLLING THEM OUT \h\hACROSS THE COUNTRY.

\h\hIT WAS THE AUTOMOBILE THAT TRANSFORMED MICHIGAN

INTO ONE OF THE GREATEST \hMANUFACTURING CENTERS

IN THE WORLD.

AND MUCH OF THAT CREDIT BELONGS TO ONE CAR KNOWN AS THE MODEL T.

IT ALL STARTED HERE IN DEARBORN,

JUST A FEW MILES EAST OF DETROIT.

IN 1908, THE FIRST MODEL T

ROLLED OFF HENRY FORD‘S \h\h\h\h\hASSEMBLY LINE.

THIS HORSELESS CARRIAGE WAS \h\h\hTHE FIRST LIGHTWEIGHT,

RELIABLE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, INEXPENSIVE CAR EVER MADE.

\h\hTO HELP CONVINCE ORDINARY FAMILIES TO BUY HIS $850 CARS,

FORD FAMOUSLY OFFERED TO DOUBLE MANY OF HIS OWN WORKERS‘ WAGES

SO THEY, TOO, COULD AFFORD \h\h\hTHE CARS THEY BUILT.

\h\h\h\hTHE MODEL T WAS AN UNIMAGINABLE SUCCESS.

OVER THE NEXT 19 YEARS,

15 MILLION AMERICANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY BOUGHT MODEL Ts,

\h\hAND AMERICA‘S LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE AUTOMOBILE WAS BORN.

THIS MAY BE THE BEST PLACE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO IMAGINE

WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE \hBACK IN THE DAYS

WHEN THE FIRST AUTOMOBILES \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hROLLED OUT

ONTO AMERICA‘S STREETS.

\h\hIT‘S A PLACE KNOWN AS GREENFIELD VILLAGE.

HENRY FORD WASN‘T JUST \hOBSESSED WITH CARS,

\hHE WAS FASCINATED WITH ALL KINDS OF INVENTIONS,

AND CREATED AN ENTIRE VILLAGE \h\h\hJUST TO CELEBRATE THEM.

\hAT THE HEART OF GREENFIELD VILLAGE

LIES THOMAS EDISON‘S \hINVENTION FACTORY.

\h\hIT WAS IN THIS MENLO PARK COMPLEX

WHERE EDISON FIRST DEMONSTRATED HIS INCANDESCENT LIGHT BULB.

\hFORD MOVED THE SURVIVING BUILDINGS FROM NEW JERSEY

AND RECREATED THE REST.

\h\h\h\hNEXT DOOR LIES THE HENRY FORD MUSEUM.

\h\hIT HOUSES ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE AUTOMOBILE COLLECTIONS

IN THE WORLD.

INSIDE THIS VAST COMPLEX \h\h\h\hIS THE LIMOUSINE

IN WHICH PRESIDENT KENNEDY \h\h\h\hWAS ASSASSINATED,

THE BUS IN WHICH CIVIL RIGHTS \h\h\h\h\hACTIVIST ROSA PARKS

REFUSED TO GIVE UP HER SEAT,

\h\h\h\hTHE FIRST FORD MUSTANG, AND THE LAST MODEL T EVER MADE.

BY 1914, 1,000 MODEL Ts

\h\h\h\hROLLED OFF FORD‘S ASSEMBLY LINES EVERY DAY,

\h\h\hWHICH MADE HIM A VERY WEALTHY MAN.

HE BOUGHT 1,300 ACRES OF LAND AND COMMISSIONED A NEW HOME--

FAIR LANE ESTATE.

\hHE WARNED HIS ARCHITECTS THAT HE ONLY WANTED TO SPEND $250,000

ON THIS 56-ROOM HOUSE.

BUT AFTER HUNDREDS OF MASONS, CARPENTERS AND OTHER ARTISANS

WORKED AROUND THE CLOCK FOR TWO STRAIGHT YEARS,

THE FINAL BILL CAME IN AT NEARLY TWO MILLION.

WHAT MADE THE ESTATE UNIQUE

\h\hWAS THAT IT HAD ITS OWN HYDROELECTRIC POWER STATION.

FORD HAD DESIGNED IT

WITH HELP FROM HIS GOOD FRIEND, THOMAS EDISON.

BUILT ON THIS STRETCH \h\hOF THE ROUGE RIVER

THAT RAN THROUGH HIS PROPERTY,

FORD INSTALLED TWO GENERATORS THAT POWERED THE ENTIRE ESTATE

AS WELL AS THE HOMES OF 2,000 \hRESIDENTS OF WEST DEARBORN.

A 300-FOOT-LONG UNDERGROUND \h\h\hTUNNEL CARRIED STEAM,

\hELECTRICITY AND WATER FROM THE PLANT TO HIS RESIDENCE.

\h\h\hODDLY ENOUGH, THE MAN MOST RESPONSIBLE FOR A WORLD OF CARS

\h\hLIVED IN A HOME THAT WAS PRACTICALLY CARBON NEUTRAL.

MEANWHILE, GAS-POWERED VEHICLES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

WERE ROLLING OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINES OF FORD, GENERAL MOTORS,

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOLDSMOBILE, AND OTHER EARLY AUTOMAKERS.

\h\hTHIS NEW INDUSTRY TRANSFORMED MICHIGAN,

AND THERE‘S NO BETTER PLACE \hTO SEE THAT TRANSFORMATION

THAN DOWNTOWN DETROIT.

IN 1927, THE SEVEN \hFISHER BROTHERS,

WHO OWNED THE COMPANY

THAT FIRST MASS-PRODUCED \h\hTHE AUTOMOBILE BODY,

COMMISSIONED THIS SKYSCRAPER FOR THEIR NEW HEADQUARTERS.

\h\h\h\hTHEY GAVE MICHIGAN‘S GREAT ARCHITECT ALBERT KAHN

A BLANK CHECK TO DESIGN A TOWER

THAT WOULD GRACE THE CITY \h\hLIKE NONE HAD BEFORE.

WHEN IT WAS COMPLETED IN 1928,

\h\h\h\hMANY CALLED IT THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BUILDING IN THE WORLD,

A "CATHEDRAL TO COMMERCE."

AT FIRST, REAL GOLD \hCOVERED ITS TOWER,

BUT THAT WAS REMOVED DURING WORLD WAR II

\h\h\h\hFOR FEAR THAT THE FISHER BUILDING WOULD BECOME THE TARGET

OF ENEMY BOMBERS.

AS DETROIT‘S SKYLINE EXPANDED IN THE 1920s, ITS CULTURE THRIVED.

THE FOX THEATRE OPENED ITS DOORS IN 1928.

FUNDED BY MOVIE PIONEER \h\h\h\h\h\hWILLIAM FOX,

IT WAS THE FIRST IN THE WORLD

TO HAVE BUILT-IN EQUIPMENT \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hFOR SOUND.

LATER, IT BECAME A VENUE \h\h\h\hFOR LIVE SHOWS.

SINATRA, ELVIS,

\h\hAND NATIVE DETROITERS THE TEMPTATIONS AND EMINEM

HAVE ALL PERFORMED HERE.

\h\hBY THE 1970s, THE FOX HAD FALLEN INTO DISREPAIR,

BUT A $12.5 MILLION RENOVATION \h\h\h\hHAS RECENTLY RESTORED

THIS ART DECO LANDMARK.

NOT ALL OF DETROIT‘S \hGREAT ARCHITECTURE

FROM ITS HEYDAY IN THE 1920s \h\h\h\h\hHAS BEEN SO LUCKY.

\hTHIS IS MICHIGAN CENTRAL STATION--

OR WHAT‘S LEFT OF IT.

WHEN IT OPENED IN 1913,

IT WAS THE TALLEST RAILWAY \h\hSTATION IN THE WORLD.

ROMAN BATHS INSPIRED THE DESIGN

OF ITS GRAND STATION ON THE LOWER FLOORS.

DURING THE HEYDAY \hOF RAIL TRAVEL,

\hUP TO 200 TRAINS ARRIVED AND DEPARTED FROM HERE EVERY DAY.

\h\hCHARLIE CHAPLIN WASN‘T THE ONLY FAMOUS PASSENGER

TO DISEMBARK HERE.

THREE PRESIDENTS DID, TOO--

ROOSEVELT, HOOVER AND TRUMAN.

\h\hTHE LAST TRAIN LEFT MICHIGAN STATION MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO.

ITS PLATFORMS STAND EMPTY--

PLATFORMS THAT WERE ONCE \h\h\h\h\hTHE LAST STOP

FOR THOUSANDS OF WORKERS \h\h\h\h\h\hSEEKING JOBS

ON DETROIT‘S ASSEMBLY LINES.

\hAND THEY CAME FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.

\hAS THE DEMAND FOR CARS ROSE ACROSS THE COUNTRY,

AUTOMAKERS NEEDED LABOR \h\h\h\h\hTO BUILD THEM.

\h\hTENS OF THOUSANDS FLOCKED TO MICHIGAN LOOKING FOR WORK,

MANY FROM AS FAR AWAY \hAS THE MIDDLE EAST.

TODAY, DEARBORN IS HOME \hTO THE LARGEST MOSQUE

IN THE UNITED STATES.

\hTHAT‘S BECAUSE ONE THIRD OF ALL DEARBORN RESIDENTS

CLAIM ARAB-AMERICAN HERITAGE.

\h\hDEARBORN‘S POPULATION OF IMMIGRANTS FROM LEBANON

AND SYRIA AND OTHER COUNTRIES \h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE MIDDLE EAST

\h\h\h\hGREW RAPIDLY IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY.

MOST WERE CHRISTIAN, BUT LATER,

INCREASING NUMBERS OF MUSLIM ARABS ARRIVED.

AND IN 1963, THE COMMUNITY \h\h\h\hBUILT THIS MOSQUE,

THE ISLAMIC CENTER OF AMERICA.

ALONG WITH LABOR,

THE BIG AUTOMAKERS ALSO \hNEEDED SOMETHING ELSE

TO KEEP THEIR ASSEMBLY LINES \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hMOVING...

RAW MATERIALS.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THESE WAS STEEL.

TO ENSURE HIS FACTORIES \h\hHAD A STEADY SUPPLY,

FORD BUILT THIS PLANT.

\h\h\h\hFIRST FIRED UP NEARLY A CENTURY AGO,

THIS FACILITY ONCE SUPPLIED \h\hTHE STEEL FOR MODEL Ts.

NOW IT‘S BEING UPGRADED

\hTO TURN OUT LIGHTWEIGHT, RUST-RESISTANT BODY PANELS

FOR NEW MODELS OF CARS.

IT‘S OWNED BY SEVERSTAL,

ONE OF RUSSIA‘S LARGEST \h\h\h\hSTEEL COMPANIES.

STEEL IN MICHIGAN REMAINS \hA BURNING HOT BUSINESS.

THIS FIERY LIQUID, CALLED SLAG,

IS A BYPRODUCT OF TURNING \h\h\hIRON ORE INTO STEEL

AND WILL BE USED TO BUILD ROADS.

THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY HAS \hDRIVEN MICHIGAN‘S ECONOMY

FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY.

\hBUT OUT BEYOND ITS ASSEMBLY LINES AND TOWERS OF INDUSTRY,

MICHIGAN IS A VERY \hDIFFERENT LAND,

\h\h\hA LAND DEFINED SINCE ITS EARLIEST BEGINNINGS BY WATER.

IT‘S SAID THAT EVERY RESIDENT \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE STATE

IS LESS THAN 85 MILES

\h\hFROM ONE OF FOUR OF AMERICA‘S GREAT LAKES--

ERIE IN THE SOUTHEAST,

HURON TO ITS EAST,

SUPERIOR TO THE NORTH,

OR MICHIGAN ON ITS WEST COAST.

ONCE THIS AREA WAS COVERED \hBY A GREAT SHEET OF ICE

CALLED THE WISCONSIN GLACIER.

\h\hAFTER THAT ICE MELTED ROUGHLY 14,000 YEARS AGO,

PALEO INDIANS ARRIVED.

\h\hTHEY HUNTED MASTODONS AND MAMMOTHS, CARIBOU AND BEAVER.

MORE RECENTLY, DESCENDANTS \h\hOF THESE EARLY TRIBES

EXPLORED THE AREA‘S WATERWAYS \h\h\h\h\h\hIN DUGOUT CANOES,

FISHING THE MANY INLETS

\h\h\h\hTHAT STILL LINE MICHIGAN‘S COAST TODAY.

FROM THE AIR, THIS IS AS VARIED A SHORELINE

AS ANY IN NORTH AMERICA.

ENDLESS BEACHES,

\h\h\hREMOTE PINE FORESTS THAT REACH RIGHT DOWN TO THE WATER,

MILES OF MARSH,

\h\h\hAND A GIANT WALL OF SAND TOWERING ABOVE LAKE MICHIGAN.

IT‘S CALLED SLEEPING BEAR DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE...

\h\h...AND IS OFTEN RANKED AMONG THE NATION‘S TALLEST SAND DUNES.

BUT THAT‘S NOT QUITE ACCURATE.

THIS ISN‘T A TYPICAL DUNE.

THE SAND ON ITS SURFACE ACTUALLY RESTS ATOP A BLUFF

OF ROCK AND GRAVEL LEFT BY A GLACIER,

WHICH IS WHY IT‘S CALLED \h\h\h\hA PERCHED DUNE.

BUT SCIENTISTS SAY THAT IT MAY NOT BE PERCHED HERE FOR LONG.

WESTERLY WINDS OFF LAKE MICHIGAN ARE MOVING SLEEPING BEAR DUNE

INLAND AT AN AVERAGE RATE \h\hOF TWO FEET PER YEAR.

\hIT‘S 450 FEET HIGH FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.

\hCLIMBING BACK UP CAN BE HARD WORK.

PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING \hAUTHOR CARL SANDBURG

HAS SAID THAT THESE DUNES \h\h\h"ARE TO THE MIDWEST

WHAT THE GRAND CANYON IS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO ARIZONA

AND THE YOSEMITE TO CALIFORNIA--

A SIGNATURE OF TIME \h\h\hAND ETERNITY."

ONCE, NATURAL LANDMARKS LIKE THIS ONE ON MICHIGAN‘S COAST

\h\h\h\hHELPED GUIDE THE NATIVE AMERICANS AND EUROPEAN EXPLORERS

WHO FIRST NAVIGATED \h\hTHE GREAT LAKES,

JUST AS MICHIGAN‘S LIGHTHOUSES \hDO FOR SHIP CAPTAINS TODAY.

THERE ARE MORE THAN \h\h120 LIGHTHOUSES

ON MICHIGAN‘S SHORES.

THAT‘S MORE THAN IN ANY OTHER \h\h\hSTATE, INCLUDING MAINE.

EFFORTS ARE UNDER WAY TO SAVE \h\hTHESE HISTORIC STRUCTURES

SINCE MANY OF THESE BEACONS \hARE NO LONGER IN SERVICE,

AT LEAST FOR SHIPS.

\hTODAY, THIS ONE ON BIG SABLE POINT

\h\h\hIS BEING USED TO POP THE QUESTION.

ONE REASON THERE ARE SO MANY \h\hLIGHTHOUSES IN MICHIGAN

\hIS BECAUSE THIS STATE HAS A VERY LONG COAST--

MORE THAN 3,200 MILES,

\h\h\h\hMAKING IT THE LONGEST FRESHWATER COAST OF ANY STATE.

NOT THE EASIEST SHORELINE \h\h\h\hTO MAP IN A CANOE!

BUT THAT‘S WHAT A FRENCH JESUIT PRIEST TRIED TO DO IN THE 1670s.

\h\hHOPING TO FIND A PASSAGE TO CHINA

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND CONVERT A FEW NATIVE AMERICANS ALONG THE WAY,

FATHER JACQUES MARQUETTE SET OFF WITH A PARTY IN TWO CANOES

TO EXPLORE AND MAP THE SHORES \h\h\h\h\hOF THE GREAT LAKES.

HE NEVER FOUND HIS PASSAGE,

BUT BY THE TIME THE EXPEDITION \hWAS DONE FIVE MONTHS LATER,

HE HAD DOCUMENTED MORE THAN \h2,000 MILES OF SHORELINE.

HE ALSO FOUNDED A JESUIT MISSION

\h\h\hON WHAT‘S NOW THE CANADIAN BORDER

IN THE NORTHERNMOST \hPART OF THE STATE.

\h\h\h\h\hTHAT SETTLEMENT BECAME THE CITY OF SAULT SAINTE MARIE,

WHICH IS AMONG THE OLDEST CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES

AND HOME TO THE SOO LOCKS.

ALL FREIGHTERS SAILING FROM NEW YORK, CHICAGO OR DETROIT

TO LAKE SUPERIOR

\h\h\hHAVE TO TRAVEL THROUGH THESE LOCKS.

THE REASON THE LOCKS \h\h\hARE NECESSARY

\hIS BECAUSE THE WATER LEVEL IN LAKE SUPERIOR IS 21 FEET HIGHER

THAN THAT IN LAKE HURON.

IN THE OLD DAYS, CARGO HAD TO BE CARRIED AROUND NEARBY RAPIDS.

BUT IN 1853,

\hTHE STATE OF MICHIGAN COMMISSIONED THESE LOCKS

SO A SINGLE VESSEL COULD TRAVEL THROUGHOUT ALL THE GREAT LAKES

\hWITHOUT HAVING TO TRANSFER ITS CARGO.

THIS BULK CARRIER, \h\h\hINDIANA HARBOR,

IS ON ITS WAY SOUTH.

\hIT ARRIVED IN THE LOCK AT THE LEVEL OF LAKE SUPERIOR.

NOW WATER FROM THE LOCK \h\h\hIS BEING RELEASED,

LOWERING THE SHIP 21 FEET TO THE SAME WATER LEVEL AS LAKE HURON.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hFROM HERE, THIS 1,000-FOOT-LONG VESSEL

WILL CARRY ITS CARGO OF IRON ORE DOWN TO STEEL PLANTS IN MICHIGAN

AND OTHER MIDWESTERN STATES.

TO LOWER A SHIP THIS SIZE, IT TAKES JUST 12 MINUTES.

AND WORKERS HERE KNOW THAT THERE‘S NO TIME TO WASTE.

10,000 VESSELS PASS THROUGH \hTHE SOO LOCKS EVERY YEAR,

MAKING IT THE BUSIEST LOCKS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE WORLD.

\h\h\h\hTHE SOO LOCKS LIE ON MICHIGAN‘S UPPER PENINSULA,

A PLACE THAT USED TO BE \h\hCOMPLETELY SEPARATED

FROM THE MICHIGAN MAINLAND,

\hUNTIL A REMARKABLE FEAT OF ENGINEERING

BROUGHT THE TWO MICHIGANS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTOGETHER.

IT‘S NOT A TYPICAL MORNING \h\hIN NORTHERN MICHIGAN.

HIGH ABOVE THE STRAITS \h\h\h\h\hOF MACKINAC,

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE \h\h\h\h\h\hARE ON THE MOVE.

BUT THEY‘RE NOT TAKING PART \h\h\h\h\hIN A MASS PROTEST

OR MAKING A MORNING COMMUTE.

THIS IS THE ANNUAL LABOR DAY CROSSING

\h\h\hOF MICHIGAN‘S "MIGHTY MAC" BRIDGE.

EVERY YEAR, THOUSANDS COME \h\hFROM ACROSS THE STATE

TO CELEBRATE THE ROLE \h\h\h\hOF THIS BRIDGE

\h\h\hIN LINKING MICHIGAN‘S UPPER AND LOWER PENINSULAS.

ONCE, THIS DIVIDED STATE WAS \hPART OF A SINGLE LANDMASS

UNTIL IT WAS SEVERED BY RETREATING GLACIAL ICE.

AS SURROUNDING WATERS FLOWED IN,

\h\h\h\h\h\hTHEY FORMED THE STRAITS OF MACKINAC

\h\h\h\hTHAT NOW DIVIDE MICHIGAN INTO TWO VERY DIFFERENT PIECES.

\h\h\h\h\hTHE ONLY WAY TO CROSS THE STRAITS WAS BY AIR OR WATER,

BUT IN 1957, THE MACKINAC BRIDGE WAS COMPLETED.

ITS SPAN MEASURES IN \h\hAT 26,372 FEET,

MAKING IT THE LONGEST \h\hSUSPENSION BRIDGE

IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.

ITS TWO MAIN CABLES ARE \hSUSPENDED FROM TOWERS

THAT SOAR OVER 500 FEET \h\h\h\h\hINTO THE AIR.

G. MENNEN WILLIAMS,

\hTHE MICHIGAN GOVERNOR WHO OVERSAW THE PROJECT,

ANNOUNCED THAT THE BRIDGE "RANKS WITH THE PYRAMIDS,

THE GREAT HYDROELECTRIC DAMS, THE SKYSCRAPERS OF MANHATTAN,

AND THE PANAMA AND SUEZ CANALS."

\hBUT NOT EVERYONE UP HERE IS SO HAPPY ABOUT THE MIGHTY MAC.

\hON THE NORTHERN END OF THIS CONSTRUCTED MARVEL

IS MICHIGAN‘S BELOVED \h\h\h\h\hNATURAL ONE,

THE UPPER PENINSULA,

ALSO KNOWN AS THE U.P.

THE U.P. MAKES UP ALMOST \hA THIRD OF THE STATE,

\h\hBUT IS HOME TO ONLY 3% OF MICHIGAN‘S POPULATION.

U.P. RESIDENTS, WHO CAN \h\hOFTEN BE IDENTIFIED

BY DISTINCTIVE ACCENTS,

REFER TO THEMSELVES \h\h\hAS "YOOPERS."

SOME OF THEM WISH THE BRIDGE \h\h\h\hHAD NEVER BEEN BUILT

\hAND HAVE EVEN CALLED THOSE WHO LIVE BELOW IT "TROLLS."

SOME YOOPERS HAVE EVEN LAUNCHED MOVEMENTS FOR THE U.P.

\hTO SECEDE AND TO ESTABLISH ITS OWN 51st AMERICAN STATE,

\h\hTO BE CALLED "SUPERIOR," AFTER THEIR OWN GREAT LAKE.

IT MIGHT SOUND FAR-FETCHED, \h\h\h\h\h\h\hBUT ACTUALLY,

THE IDEA OF AN INDEPENDENT \h\h\h\h\hUPPER PENINSULA

MAY NOT BE SUCH A CRAZY ONE.

THE FACT IS, MOST OF THE U.P. \hWAS NOT ORIGINALLY INTENDED

TO BE PART OF MICHIGAN.

IN THE 1830s, THE POPULATION \hOF THE MICHIGAN TERRITORY

REACHED 60,000,

WHICH MEANT IT COULD NOW APPLY \h\h\h\h\hFOR U.S. STATEHOOD.

BUT AT THE TIME, MICHIGAN AND \hOHIO WERE IN A NASTY BATTLE

\h\hOVER A PIECE OF LAND SANDWICHED BETWEEN THEM,

WHICH WOULD HAVE GIVEN EACH STATE

\hPOTENTIALLY LUCRATIVE SHIPPING ROUTES TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

THIS PIECE OF LAND IS NOW KNOWN AS THE TOLEDO STRIP.

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT \h\h\hFINALLY AWARDED

THE 468-SQUARE-MILE TOLEDO STRIP TO OHIO,

\h\hAND IN COMPENSATION GAVE 9,000 SQUARE MILES

IN THE UPPER PENINSULA \h\h\h\h\hTO MICHIGAN.

AT THE TIME, MANY HERE THOUGHT THAT THE U.P.

WAS "DESTINED TO REMAIN \hFOREVER A WILDERNESS."

LITTLE DID ANYONE KNOW, THEIR NEW LAND HELD BURIED TREASURE.

JUST FIVE YEARS AFTER MICHIGAN \h\h\h\h\hRECEIVED STATEHOOD,

VAST DEPOSITS OF COPPER \hAND OTHER PRECIOUS ORE

WERE DISCOVERED IN THE U.P.

SOON, THIS FORESTED REGION \h\h\hBUSTLED WITH MINERS

\h\h\hWHO PRODUCED MORE THAN FIVE MILLION TONS OF COPPER

BY THE MID-20th CENTURY.

THOSE DAYS ARE NOW GONE.

THE LAST COPPER MINES \hCLOSED HERE IN 1995.

AND THE FORESTS OF THE U.P. \h\h\h\h\h\hARE QUIET AGAIN.

THE MIGHTY MAC BRIDGE \h\hFINALLY CONNECTED

MICHIGAN‘S TWO PENINSULAS,

BUT JUST A FEW MILES TO THE EAST LIES AN ISLAND

THAT CAN STILL SEEM \h\h\hLOST IN TIME.

SURROUNDED BY WATERS \h\h\h\hRICH IN FISH

\h\h\h\hAND POSITIONED AT THE MOUTH OF THE STRAITS,

\h\hMACKINAC ISLAND WAS FIRST INHABITED BY NATIVE AMERICANS,

THEN FRENCH FUR TRADERS, AND LATER, THE BRITISH,

\h\h\h\hWHO ESTABLISHED THIS FORT HERE IN 1780.

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TOOK CONTROL OF THE ISLAND IN 1796,

BUT THEN LOST IT.

ON THE NIGHT OF JULY 17, 1812,

\h\hTHE 30 AMERICAN TROOPS STATIONED HERE WERE ASLEEP

\hWHEN 300 BRITISH SOLDIERS AND NATIVE AMERICAN ALLIES,

WHO HAD SAILED FROM CANADA,

LANDED ON THE BACKSIDE \h\h\h\hOF THE ISLAND.

\h\h\h\h\hQUIETLY, IN THE DARK, THEY PULLED A CANNON UP THE HILL

AND AIMED IT AT FORT MACKINAC.

WHEN THE AMERICANS AWOKE TO DISCOVER

THAT THEY WERE STARING DOWN \h\h\hTHE BARREL OF A CANNON

AND WERE OUTNUMBERED TEN-TO-ONE,

THEY SURRENDERED WITHOUT A FIGHT.

IT WAS THE FIRST LAND ENGAGEMENT OF THE WAR OF 1812.

\h\h\h\hBUT TWO YEARS LATER, AFTER BRITAIN LOST THAT WAR,

FORT MACKINAC WAS SAFELY RETURNED TO U.S. HANDS.

THE ISLAND‘S RICH HISTORY AND \hISOLATION IS ALSO ITS CHARM.

THE STORY GOES THAT SOMEONE ONCE BROUGHT A CAR TO THE ISLAND,

BUT AFTER IT SCARED THE HORSES \h\h\h\h\hHERE, IT WAS BANNED.

HORSE CARRIAGES AND BICYCLES \hARE NOW THE ONLY VEHICLES

ALLOWED ON MACKINAC‘S STREETS.

PERCHED HIGH ABOVE THE STRAITS \h\h\h\h\hIS THE GRAND HOTEL.

\h\hIT‘S BEEN FULL NEARLY EVERY SUMMER SINCE IT OPENED IN 1887.

\h\h\hMARK TWAIN USED TO OFFER LECTURES TO THE HOTEL‘S GUESTS

FOR $1 EACH.

THE GRAND 660-FOOT-LONG PORCH \hIS THE LONGEST IN THE WORLD.

ONCE IT WAS THE GATHERING PLACE

FOR JUST ABOUT EVERYONE \h\hON THIS TINY ISLAND.

AND IT WAS ON THIS PORCH

WHERE ACTORS CHRISTOPHER REEVE \h\h\h\h\h\h\hAND JANE SEYMOUR

FILMED THE ROMANTIC CULT CLASSIC SOMEWHERE IN TIME.

BUT THIS ISLAND ALSO PLAYED A SMALL ROLE

IN A MUCH MORE EPIC TALE--

THE CREATION OF MICHIGAN‘S \h\h\hGREAT CITY, DETROIT.

IN 1701, A FRENCH COMMANDER

NAMED ANTOINE DE LA MOTHE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hCADILLAC,

WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF \h\hMACKINAC ISLAND,

\h\hHEADED SOUTH AND ARRIVED ON THE BANKS OF THIS RIVER,

WHICH LINKS LAKE ERIE \h\h\hWITH LAKE HURON.

CADILLAC HAD BEEN \hGIVEN PERMISSION

FROM THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT \h\hTO BUILD A FORT HERE.

\hHE WANTED TO KEEP THIS VITAL WATERWAY OUT OF BRITISH HANDS

AND REAP PERSONAL PROFITS \h\hBY CONTROLLING TRADE,

ESPECIALLY TRADE IN RUM \h\hTO NATIVE AMERICANS.

HE CLAIMED HIS NEW FORT WOULD BE "THE PARADISE OF NORTH AMERICA."

\h\hIT WAS NAMED DETROIT AFTER THE FRENCH WORD "LE DETROIT,"

OR "THE STRAIT."

CADILLAC WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME RECOGNIZING THE PLACE TODAY.

AND HE MIGHT BE SURPRISED THAT MOST AMERICANS KNOW HIS NAME.

\h\h\h\hIN 1902, HENRY LELAND FOUNDED CADILLAC AUTOMOBILES,

WHICH GENERAL MOTORS TURNED INTO

\h\h\h\hONE OF AMERICA‘S BEST KNOWN LUXURY CARS.

DETROIT‘S LOCATION ON A MAJOR SHIPPING ROUTE

AND ITS CLOSE PROXIMITY \h\h\h\hTO RAW MATERIALS

LIKE ORE AND TIMBER

HELPED IT GROW INTO AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRIAL AND FINANCIAL CENTER,

ONE THAT RIVALED SAN FRANCISCO, CHICAGO AND NEW YORK CITY.

BUT DURING THE 1920s,

DETROIT HAD SOMETHING \h\h\h\hVERY IMPORTANT

THAT THESE CITIES DIDN‘T.

\h\hIN 1919, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT BANNED THE SALE AND CONSUMPTION

OF ALCOHOL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

\h\h\h\h\h\hA FEW YEARS LATER, PROHIBITION WAS IN FULL SWING,

\h\h\h\hAND DETROIT WAS JUST A STONE‘S THROW FROM CANADA

\h\h\h\h\h\hACROSS THE RIVER, WHERE ALCOHOL WAS STILL LEGAL.

\h\h\hSOON THE CITY CRAWLED WITH LIQUOR SMUGGLERS AND THE MAFIA.

DETROIT HAD NO BRIDGES TO CANADA AT THE TIME,

ONLY THE MACARTHUR BRIDGE, \hWHICH LED TO BELLE ISLE

\hIN THE MIDDLE OF THE DETROIT RIVER,

RIGHT ON THE CANADIAN BORDER.

WHAT MADE BELLE ISLE \h\h\hA PERFECT HUB

FOR THE BUYING AND SELLING \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF LIQUOR

WAS THAT IT WAS ALREADY A POPULAR MEETING PLACE

AND RECREATION CENTER \h\h\hFOR DETROITERS.

IN THE LATE 1800s, DETROIT HAD HIRED FREDERICK LAW OLMSTEAD,

\h\h\h\hTHE DESIGNER OF NEW YORK‘S CENTRAL PARK,

TO PLAN A NEW PUBLIC PARK \h\h\h\h\h\hON BELLE ISLE.

ARCHITECT ALBERT KAHN WAS \h\hCOMMISSIONED TO DESIGN

THIS ELABORATE CONSERVATORY,

\h\h\hWHICH WAS INSPIRED BY PRESIDENT THOMAS JEFFERSON‘S

VIRGINIA ESTATE, MONTICELLO.

IN THE 1950s,

\hTHE CONSERVATORY WAS GIVEN A COLLECTION OF 600 ORCHIDS,

WHICH STILL REMAINS \h\h\hTHE HIGHLIGHT

OF ITS BOTANICAL GARDENS TODAY.

BUT IN PROHIBITION DAYS,

THIS POPULAR ISLAND OFFERED \h\h\h\h\hTHE PERFECT COVER

FOR RUM SMUGGLERS FROM CANADA TO MEET THEIR BUYERS FROM DETROIT.

BUT NOT ALL OF CANADA‘S BOOZE

CROSSED BELLE ISLE‘S \hMACARTHUR BRIDGE.

\h\hVAST QUANTITIES OF RUM, VODKA AND WHISKEY

WERE SMUGGLED IN BOATS OR PULLED ACROSS THE RIVER ON CABLES.

WHEN THE DETROIT RIVER FROZE, \h\h\hSMUGGLERS WALKED ACROSS,

WITH BOTTLES STOWED IN THEIR HIGH BOOTS,

THUS, THE TERM "BOOTLEGGERS."

THERE WAS SO MUCH ILLEGAL LIQUOR FLOWING THROUGH DETROIT,

\h\h\hIT WAS THE SECOND BIGGEST INDUSTRY IN THE CITY AT THE TIME

AFTER AUTOMOBILES.

THE DETROIT RIVER CARRIED \h\h\h\h75% OF ALL LIQUOR

SMUGGLED INTO THE UNITED STATES DURING PROHIBITION.

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWHEN THE NEARBY AMBASSADOR BRIDGE OPENED IN 1929

AND CARS COULD DRIVE ACROSS THE BORDERS,

\h\h\hSMUGGLING ALCOHOL GOT A WHOLE LOT EASIER.

\h\h\hSECRETARIES WERE HIRED TO HIDE IT IN THEIR PURSES.

OTHERS STOWED IT IN FALSE TRUNKS.

ONE MAN WAS EVEN CAUGHT WITH A SHIPMENT OF EGGS,

\hEACH OF WHICH HAD BEEN EMPTIED AND FILLED WITH SCOTCH WHISKEY.

THE TECHNIQUES OF SMUGGLING \h\h\h\hLIQUOR IN THE 1920s

ARE SIMILAR TO THOSE USED BY TODAY‘S DRUG COURIERS.

\h\h\hAND DETROIT‘S PROXIMITY TO CANADA

STILL MAKES IT A HUB \hOF ILLEGAL TRADE.

THE AMBASSADOR BRIDGE IS NOW THE BUSIEST INTERNATIONAL CROSSING

IN THE U.S. FOR GOODS.

SURPRISINGLY, THIS VITAL LINK

\hTO THE UNITED STATES‘ BIGGEST TRADING PARTNER

\h\hIS THE ONLY PRIVATELY OWNED BORDER CROSSING IN THE COUNTRY.

\h\h\h\h\hTHE BRIDGE‘S OWNER IS A BILLIONAIRE TRUCKING MAGNATE.

DETROIT‘S PROXIMITY TO CANADA \h\h\h\hIS ONE OF THE REASONS

THAT IT‘S NO LONGER \hTHE STATE CAPITAL.

AFTER MICHIGAN RECEIVED \hITS STATEHOOD IN 1837,

\h\hLEGISLATORS WANTED A MORE PROTECTED SITE

FOR THEIR CAPITAL CITY.

SO THEY MOVED IT FROM DETROIT TO A LITTLE-KNOWN INLAND SPOT

CALLED THE TOWNSHIP OF LANSING,

WHICH WAS SO SMALL AT THE TIME,

SOME SIMPLY CALLED IT "A HOLE IN THE WOODS."

THE STORY GOES THAT \hLEGISLATORS JOKED

WHEN THEY REACHED \hTHEIR DECISION.

THEY COULDN‘T QUITE BELIEVE THAT THEY HAD CHOSEN THIS TINY TOWN

\hOF FEWER THAN 20 PEOPLE TO BE THE CAPITAL OF THEIR NEW STATE.

\h\hBUT THEIR MORAL BELIEFS COULDN‘T HAVE BEEN CLEARER.

THE FIRST ACT OF THE LEGISLATURE

\h\hWAS TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY,

MAKING MICHIGAN THE FIRST ENGLISH-SPEAKING TERRITORY

IN THE WORLD TO OUTLAW \hCAPITAL PUNISHMENT.

TOLERANCE HAS BEEN A CORE PART \h\h\h\hOF MICHIGAN‘S HISTORY

EVER SINCE.

IN THE 19th CENTURY, IT WAS \hA HAVEN FOR RUNAWAY SLAVES

\h\h\h\h\hFLEEING THE SOUTH ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD.

AND IT HELPS EXPLAIN WHY MICHIGAN IS HOME

TO A TOWN POPULARLY KNOWN \h\h\h\hAS LITTLE BAVARIA.

\h\h\h\hIN THE 19th CENTURY, GERMAN LUTHERAN MISSIONARIES

CALLED TO THEIR BRETHREN \hBACK HOME TO JOIN THEM

IN CONVERTING CHIPPEWA INDIANS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO CHRISTIANITY.

MANY WERE SHOCKED BY THE CONDITIONS HERE.

ONE WROTE HOME SAYING THAT,

"THE MOST MISERABLE VILLAGE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN GERMANY

HAS PALACES BY COMPARISON."

BUT SLOWLY THE LITTLE TOWN, \h\h\h\h\hFRANKENMUTH, GREW

AND NOW LOOKS MORE GERMAN \h\h\h\h\h\hTHAN AMERICAN.

BUT IT DIDN‘T ALWAYS \h\h\hLOOK THIS WAY.

FRANKENMUTH WAS A PRETTY TYPICAL MIDWESTERN COMMUNITY

UNTIL THE 1950s,

WHEN ENTERPRISING TOWNSPEOPLE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hRENOVATED IT

INTO LITTLE BAVARIA.

NOW, THREE MILLION VISITORS \h\h\h\h\h\hA YEAR COME HERE

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTO SOAK UP THE OLD WORLD ATMOSPHERE

AND LOCALLY BREWED GERMAN BEER.

ONE REASON FRANKENMUTH \h\h\h\hIS SO POPULAR

\h\hIS BECAUSE MORE THAN TWO MILLION MICHIGANDERS

CLAIM GERMAN HERITAGE.

\hTHE CROPS THAT GERMANS AND OTHER EARLY SETTLERS

FARMED IN MICHIGAN

HAVE GIVEN THE STATE

\hONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE CROP SYSTEMS IN THE WORLD.

BEANS, CHERRIES, SUGAR BEETS, \h\h\h\hBLUEBERRIES, AND WHEAT

ARE ONLY A FEW OF THE MORE THAN 200 COMMODITIES GROWN HERE.

AT THE TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY, A LOCAL MICHIGAN DOCTOR USED

\hONE OF THE STATE‘S MOST PLENTIFUL CROPS

TO DEVELOP A FOOD EMPIRE.

IN 1876, DR. JOHN HARVEY KELLOGG RAN THIS VAST SANITARIUM

FOR THE SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST \hCHURCH HERE IN BATTLE CREEK.

PATIENTS FILLED ITS ROOMS \h\h\h\hHOPING TO BENEFIT

FROM DR. KELLOGG‘S PRINCIPLES \h\h\h\h\h\hOF HEALTHY LIVING.

"EAT WHAT THE MONKEY EATS," \h\h\h\h\h\h\hHE PRESCRIBED,

\h\h\h\h"SIMPLE FOOD AND NOT MUCH OF IT."

DR. KELLOGG‘S PRESCRIBED REGIMEN INCLUDED ABSTINENCE,

A VEGETARIAN DIET, COLONICS, \h\h\h\h\h\hAND CORN FLAKES.

\h\hMANY FAMOUS PATIENTS CAME FOR KELLOGG‘S CURE,

INCLUDING PRESIDENT WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT,

\h\h\hTHOMAS EDISON AND AMELIA EARHART.

\h\h\h\h\hSEVERAL YEARS EARLIER, DR. KELLOGG AND HIS BROTHER WILL

HAD DEVELOPED A METHOD \hOF PRODUCING FLAKES

FROM WHEAT AND CORN

BY FIRST STEAMING IT,

AND THEN USING HEAVY ROLLERS \hTO FLATTEN IT INTO FLAKES.

TIRED OF THEIR OLD PORRIDGE,

HIS PATIENTS LOVED IT,

AND KELLOGG‘S CORN FLAKES \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWAS BORN.

WILL WENT ON TO FOUND \hTHE KELLOGG COMPANY.

TODAY, IT‘S ONE OF THE WORLD‘S \h\h\hMOST RECOGNIZED BRANDS,

AND IT‘S STILL HEADQUARTERED \h\h\h\h\h\hIN BATTLE CREEK,

WHICH IS ALSO KNOWN \h\hAS CEREAL CITY.

LOCAL LEGEND HAS IT THAT WHEN \h\hTHE BUILDING‘S ARCHITECTS

SURVEYED KELLOGG EXECUTIVES,

MOST SAID THEY WANTED \h\h\hA CORNER OFFICE,

\h\h\h\h\h\hWHICH IS HOW THE KELLOGG HEADQUARTERS

GOT ITS UNIQUE SHAPE.

\h\h\h\h\hTHE CORN FOR KELLOGG‘S CORN FLAKES

NO LONGER COMES FROM MICHIGAN.

AND THESE DAYS, MICHIGAN FARMERS ARE EXPERIMENTING

WITH A NEW KIND OF CROP,

ONE THAT DR. KELLOGG WOULD MOST CERTAINLY DISAPPROVE OF.

THIS IS MICHIGAN WINE COUNTRY.

THERE ARE NOW 14,600 ACRES OF VINEYARDS IN THE STATE.

MOST GROW JUICE GRAPES,

\h\hBUT SOME 100 VINEYARDS NOW PRODUCE MICHIGAN WINE.

VINTNERS HERE ON THE OLD MISSION PENINSULA LIKE TO POINT OUT

THAT THEIR VINEYARDS LIE \hON THE 45th PARALLEL--

\h\hTHE SAME LATITUDE AS SUCH CELEBRATED FRENCH WINE REGIONS

AS ALSACE, BORDEAUX \h\h\hAND BURGUNDY.

FOR NOW, MOST WINEMAKERS HERE \h\h\h\h\h\hONLY SELL LOCALLY,

BUT THEY‘RE HOPING THAT WILL CHANGE.

MICHIGAN WINE COUNTRY ALSO LURES DETROITERS

AND OTHER CITY DWELLERS SEEKING A SUMMER ESCAPE.

AND WHEN THEY DO, THERE‘S NO RUSH TO GET BACK HOME.

IN MICHIGAN, SUMMER HOLIDAYS \h\h\h\h\h\hARE SO TREASURED

THEY‘VE EVEN BEEN WRITTEN INTO LAW.

\h\h\hTHE NAME "MICHIGAN" IS A NATIVE AMERICAN WORD

MEANING "BIG LAKE."

BUT THAT DOESN‘T JUST REFER \h\hTO THE FOUR GREAT LAKES

THAT BORDER THE STATE.

\hIT ALSO REFERS TO MICHIGAN‘S MORE THAN 11,000 INLAND LAKES,

LIKE THIS ONE.

THESE ARE THE TURQUOISE WATERS \h\hOF THE LONGEST AND DEEPEST

INLAND LAKE IN THE STATE.

TORCH LAKE HAS BEEN CALLED ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL

IN THE WORLD.

IT‘S ONE REASON MICHIGANDERS \h\h\h\hSPEND THEIR SUMMERS

RIGHT HERE AT HOME.

THEY PARAGLIDE OVER THE SHORE \h\h\hBLUFFS OF BENZIE COUNTY

\hAND RIDE THE DUNES OF SILVER LAKE STATE PARK.

\h\h\hSUMMER HOLIDAYS ARE SO IMPORTANT IN THIS STATE

\hTHAT THE MICHIGAN LEGISLATURE WEIGHED IN AND MADE IT OFFICIAL.

\h\h\hSCHOOLS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO START CLASSES BEFORE LABOR DAY.

AND JUST BEFORE SCHOOL BEGINS,

TENS OF THOUSANDS LEAVE \hTHEIR HOLIDAYS BEHIND

\h\hAND GATHER FOR AN ANNUAL LABOR DAY WEEKEND RITUAL...

THE OPENING GAME

OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN‘S WOLVERINES FOOTBALL TEAM.

NO UNIVERSITY, AND NOT EVEN \h\h\h\hANY TEAM IN THE NFL,

CAN BEAT MICHIGAN‘S BIG HOUSE--

THE LARGEST FOOTBALL STADIUM \h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE COUNTRY.

FOR YEARS, THE BIG HOUSE AND PENN STATE‘S BEAVER STADIUM

BATTLED FOR THAT TITLE.

BUT IN 2010, THE UNIVERSITY OF \hMICHIGAN SPENT $226 MILLION

TO MAKE THEIR STADIUM \h\h\h\h\hEVEN BIGGER,

\hAND SUCCESSFULLY BEAT OUT PENN STATE‘S BY 3,329 SEATS.

OFFICIAL SEATING CAPACITY \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIS 109,901,

BUT ATTENDANCE AT MOST GAMES \h\h\h\h\h\h\hTOPS 110,000.

TODAY, ALL SEATS FOR THIS GAME \h\h\hAGAINST WESTERN MICHIGAN

ARE SOLD OUT,

WHICH IS WHY TICKETS WERE BEING SCALPED FOR UP TO $4,000.

WHAT MAKES THIS STADIUM \hSO UNIQUE FOR ITS SIZE

IS ITS UNDERSTATED DESIGN--

THERE‘S NO GIANT DOME \hOR RETRACTABLE ROOF.

THE BIG HOUSE WAS BUILT IN THE 1920s

ON LAND THAT CONTAINED AN UNDERGROUND SPRING.

DURING CONSTRUCTION,

THE MOIST, UNSTABLE EARTH \h\h\h\hSWALLOWED A CRANE,

WHICH, ACCORDING TO LEGEND,

STILL REMAINS BURIED \hBENEATH THE FIELD.

TODAY‘S PLAYERS ARE FOLLOWING \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN THE FOOTSTEPS

OF FOOTBALL LEGENDS TOM BRADY, \hTOM HARMON, DESMOND HOWARD,

AND EVEN PRESIDENT GERALD FORD,

\h\h\hWHO PLAYED CENTER FOR THE WOLVERINES IN THE 1930s.

\h\h\hPAST ATTENDEES COULD HAVE INCLUDED

GOOGLE CO-FOUNDER LARRY PAGE, \h\h\hACTOR JAMES EARL JONES,

THE LATE DR. JACK KEVORKIAN, \h\h\h\h\h\hOR EVEN MADONNA,

ALL FORMER STUDENTS \h\h\hAT THE U OF M.

BUT FOOTBALL HASN‘T BEEN \hTHE ONLY HISTORY-MAKER

ON THIS CAMPUS.

IN THE BEGINNING OF THE 1960s,

A MUCH SMALLER GROUP OF MICHIGAN STUDENTS

GATHERED ON THESE STEPS \h\hOF THE STUDENT UNION

TO HEAR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE \h\h\h\h\h\h\hJOHN F. KENNEDY

DURING A MIDNIGHT CAMPAIGN STOP.

\h\hHE URGED THEM TO CONTRIBUTE PART OF THEIR LIVES TO AMERICA,

A PLAN THAT LATER BECAME \h\h\h\hTHE PEACE CORPS.

DURING THE VIETNAM WAR YEARS,

THE CAMPUS WAS ALIVE \h\hWITH GATHERINGS

AND PROTESTS FOR PEACE.

\h\h\h\h\hMICHIGAN FACULTY LED THE COUNTRY‘S FIRST "TEACH-IN"

IN 1965.

TWO YEARS LATER,

HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS OCCUPIED \hTHE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING,

\h\h\h\h\h\hIN OPPOSITION TO THE UNIVERSITY‘S DEFENSE CONTRACTS.

THE STUDENTS WERE TAKING A CUE \hFROM MICHIGAN‘S AUTOWORKERS,

WHOSE OWN SIT-DOWN STRIKE \h\h\h\h\h31 YEARS EARLIER

\h\hHAD BROUGHT ONE THE WORLD‘S BIGGEST INDUSTRIAL CORPORATIONS

TO ITS KNEES.

IT HAPPENED IN THE AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING CENTER OF FLINT,

\h\h\h\hABOUT 57 MILES NORTHWEST OF DETROIT.

THIS NOW-ABANDONED BUILDING \h\h\h\h\h\h\hWAS ONCE PART

OF GENERAL MOTORS‘ FISHER \h\hBODY PLANT NUMBER ONE,

\h\h\hWHERE WORKERS ASSEMBLED GM‘S CARS.

AND IT WAS HERE ON THE EVENING \h\h\h\hOF DECEMBER 30, 1936,

\hTHAT THOSE WORKERS LOCKED THEMSELVES IN AND SAT DOWN.

DAY AFTER DAY, THEY REFUSED \h\h\h\hTO WORK OR TO LEAVE,

\hDEMANDING BETTER PAY AND UNION RECOGNITION.

\h\h\h\hSTRIKES SPREAD QUICKLY THROUGHOUT OTHER GM FACTORIES,

AND ASSEMBLY LINE WORKERS \h\h\hAND POLICE BATTLED.

44 DAYS LATER,

\h\hAFTER ITS ASSEMBLY LINES HAD STOPPED ALTOGETHER, GM GAVE IN.

THE COMPANY SIGNED AN AGREEMENT

\h\h\h\h\h\hRECOGNIZING THE UNITED AUTO WORKERS

AS THE SOLE BARGAINING AGENT \h\h\h\h\hFOR ITS EMPLOYEES,

\hUSHERING IN A NEW ERA FOR LABOR AND INDUSTRY.

BUT WITHIN THREE YEARS, MANY OF AMERICA‘S UNIONIZED AUTOWORKERS

WEREN‘T MAKING CARS, BUT MACHINES OF WAR.

IN 1940, PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT \h\h\h\h\hORDERED AUTOMAKERS

TO RETOOL THEIR ASSEMBLY LINES FOR TRUCKS, TANKS AND BOMBERS.

\h\h\h\h\hAT THE TIME, THIS PLANE, THE B-17,

\h\hWAS ONE OF AMERICA‘S MOST ADVANCED AIRCRAFT.

\hTO HANDLE PRODUCTION OF A NEW, LONGER-RANGE B-24,

HENRY FORD BUILT A REVOLUTIONARY ASSEMBLY PLANT--WILLOW RUN.

IT WAS THE WORLD‘S LARGEST \h\h\hFACTORY AT THE TIME,

TURNING OUT ONE B-24 EVERY HOUR, AT ITS PEAK.

\h\h\h\hEACH NEW PLANE TOOK ITS FIRST FLIGHT FROM HERE,

THE WILLOW RUN AIRFIELD \h\h\h\h\hIN YPSILANTI.

BY THE WAR‘S END,

WILLOW RUN HAD TURNED OUT \hMORE THAN 8,000 PLANES.

BOTH B-24s AND B-17s, \h\h\h\hLIKE THIS ONE,

\h\h\h\h\hSERVED AS AMERICA‘S FRONT-LINE BOMBERS IN EUROPE.

FIVE YEARS EARLIER,

THE UNITED AUTO WORKERS‘ \hLEADER WALTER REUTHER

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hHAD ARGUED THAT AMERICA‘S BATTLES "CAN BE WON

ON THE ASSEMBLY LINES \h\h\h\h\hOF DETROIT."

AND WORLD WAR II PROVED \h\h\hTHAT HE WAS RIGHT.

DETROIT QUICKLY ADOPTED \h\h\h\h\hTHE NICKNAME,

"THE ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY."

\h\h\h\hIN THE 1950s, BUSINESS BOOMED AGAIN,

AT LEAST FOR THE BIG THREE \h\h\h\h\h\h\hAUTOMAKERS.

\h\hFORD, GENERAL MOTORS AND CHRYSLER FLOODED THE MARKET

WITH STYLISH, CHEAPER MODELS,

AND SOLD 60 MILLION CARS \h\hIN ONE DECADE ALONE.

BUT DETROIT‘S SMALLER CARMAKERS STRUGGLED.

THIS VAST INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

WAS ONE OF THE MOST ADVANCED \h\h\hFACTORIES IN THE WORLD

WHEN IT WAS BUILT IN 1903.

NOT ONLY DID IT PRODUCE SOME OF AMERICA‘S MOST LUXURIOUS

AND SOUGHT-AFTER CARS \h\h\h\hOF THE 1930s,

BUT IT ALSO INTRODUCED THE WORLD TO AN ARCHITECT

\h\h\h\h\h\hWHO WOULD TRANSFORM DETROIT‘S SKYLINE--ALBERT KAHN.

KAHN, A GERMAN IMMIGRANT,

EMPLOYED THE REVOLUTIONARY \h\h\h\hBUILDING TECHNIQUE

OF REINFORCED CONCRETE,

\h\h\hINSTEAD OF STRENGTHENING ITS STRUCTURE WITH WOOD ALONE.

\h\h\hTHE RESULTING FACTORY WAS STURDY, SPACIOUS AND EFFICIENT.

THE LEGENDARY PACKARD BROTHERS

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSTOPPED PRODUCING THEIR LUXURY CARS HERE IN 1956,

UNABLE TO STAY COMPETITIVE \h\h\hWITH THE BIG THREE.

THEIR NEARLY MILE-LONG PLANT \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hHAS BECOME

ONE OF THE MOST VISIBLE SYMBOLS OF DETROIT‘S DECLINE.

BUT WHILE DETROIT COMPANIES LIKE PACKARD WERE STARTING TO FALTER,

MUSIC BEGAN TO THRIVE.

MOTOR CITY WAS REBORN AS MOTOWN.

IN 1959, A YOUNG COMPOSER AND ENTREPRENEUR NAMED BERRY GORDY

BOUGHT THIS UNASSUMING HOUSE \hON DETROIT‘S GRAND AVENUE.

HE TURNED IT INTO \hTHE HEADQUARTERS

OF HIS NEW MOTOWN RECORDS.

SOON, HISTORY WAS BEING MADE \h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN "STUDIO A,"

A CONVERTED BASEMENT

WHERE ROUND-THE-CLOCK \h\hRECORDING SESSIONS

PRODUCED THE DISTINCTIVE \h\h\h\h\hMOTOWN SOUND.

A STUNNING ARRAY OF LOCAL TALENT SANG AND SOCIALIZED HERE--

\h\h\h\h\h\hSMOKEY ROBINSON, DIANA ROSS AND THE SUPREMES,

\hTHE TEMPTATIONS, AND STEVIE WONDER.

GORDY‘S STUDIO, ALSO CALLED \h\h\h\h\hTHE "HIT FACTORY,"

PRODUCED MORE THAN 100 \h\h\hTOP TEN SINGLES.

TODAY, THESE HISTORIC STUDIOS

HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO \h\hTHE MOTOWN MUSEUM,

AND THE MOTOWN LABEL IS NOW \hHEADQUARTERED IN NEW YORK.

GORDY SOLD IT TO MCA RECORDS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hIN 1988.

THE POPULAR SOULFUL TUNES \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hOF MOTOWN

\h\h\h\h\h\hECHOED ACROSS AN EVER-CHANGING DETROIT.

\h\h\hBY THE END OF THE 1960s, UNEMPLOYMENT WAS ON THE RISE.

NEWCOMERS LOOKING FOR WORK \hFACED HOUSING SHORTAGES.

\h\h\h\hWHITE POLICE ABUSE IN AFRICAN AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOODS

FUELED EXISTING RACIAL TENSIONS.

BY 1967, IT HAD ALL REACHED \h\h\h\h\h\h\hA FEVER PITCH.

AND THEN, ON A HOT JULY NIGHT, \h\h\h\h\h\hTHE CITY EXPLODED.

\h\hIT STARTED HERE AT THIS INTERSECTION

AT CLAIRMOUNT AVENUE \h\hAND 12th STREET,

\hJUST BLOCKS FROM THE MOTOWN STUDIO.

\h\hDOZENS OF PEOPLE HAD GATHERED AT A SMALL BAR

\h\h\hFOR AN AFTER-HOURS PARTY TO CELEBRATE TWO VIETNAM VETS.

BUT THE POLICE RAIDED \h\h\h\hTHE GATHERING

AND VIOLENCE BROKE OUT.

A RIOT BEGAN.

BUSINESSES WERE LOOTED, \h\h\hBUILDINGS BURNED,

AND THE VIOLENCE QUICKLY SPREAD.

\hEVEN THE NATIONAL GUARD WAS UNABLE TO BRING ORDER.

\hBY THE TIME THE FAMOUS DETROIT RIOTS SUBSIDED FIVE DAYS LATER,

\h43 PEOPLE WERE DEAD AND THOUSANDS INJURED.

IT‘S BEEN MORE THAN 40 YEARS \h\h\h\h\h\hSINCE THE RIOTS,

BUT DETROIT STILL STRUGGLES WITH UNEASY RACE RELATIONS,

POVERTY, AND CRIME--

PROBLEMS THAT ARE SYMBOLIZED BY ONE FAMOUS CITY STREET--

8 MILE.

\hTHIS LONG, STRAIGHT ROAD IS A LITERAL DIVIDING LINE

\h\hTHAT MARKS THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE CITY OF DETROIT

AND ITS NORTHERN SUBURBS.

IT‘S ALSO THE BOUNDARY

\h\hBETWEEN THE CITY‘S POORER AFRICAN AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOODS

AND IT‘S RICHER, WHITER \h\h\h\h\hSUBURBAN ONES.

\h\h\hMANY KNOW 8 MILE TODAY AS THE TITLE OF A 2002 FILM

\hSTARRING THE DETROIT HIP-HOP ARTIST EMINEM.

BORN MARSHALL MATHERS,

EMINEM LIVED JUST NORTH OF \h\h8 MILE AS A TEENAGER,

BUT CROSSED THIS BOUNDARY

TO TAKE PART IN DETROIT‘S \h\hFREESTYLE RAP BATTLES.

\h\h\h"MUSIC," EMINEM SINGS, "IS THE ONLY WAY THAT I KNOW

HOW TO ESCAPE FROM THIS 8 MILE ROAD."

EMINEM‘S SUCCESS DID ENABLE HIM TO BREAK FREE FROM 8 MILE.

BUT HE DIDN‘T GO FAR.

HE NOW LIVES IN THIS 29-ROOM \hHOME NEAR ROCHESTER HILLS

JUST OUTSIDE OF TOWN.

EMINEM HASN‘T BEEN THE ONLY \h\h\hFAMOUS MICHIGAN ARTIST

TO EXPLORE HIS STATE‘S \h\h\h\h\hUGLY TRUTHS.

IN THE 1980s, A SCRAPPY MICHIGAN FILMMAKER ARRIVED IN DETROIT

AND TURNED HIS EXPLORATION \h\h\h\hOF CORPORATE GREED

INTO A CULT CLASSIC.

IN 1988, DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hMICHAEL MOORE,

ARMED WITH A CAMERA, KNOCKED ON THE GROUND FLOOR ENTRANCE

OF THIS 39-STORY TOWER--

\hTHE HEADQUARTERS OF GENERAL MOTORS.

HE WAS HOPING TO HAVE A MEETING WITH GM‘S CHAIRMAN, ROGER SMITH.

BUT INSTEAD, HE WAS ESCORTED OUT AGAIN AND AGAIN,

WHICH BECAME THE STORY \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hROGER AND ME.

GM‘S HEADQUARTERS, KNOWN AS \h\hTHE RENAISSANCE CENTER,

WAS ORIGINALLY SPEARHEADED \h\h\hBY HENRY FORD‘S SON

TO HELP PULL DETROIT UP AFTER \hITS DEVASTATING 1967 RIOTS.

\h\h\hBUT BY THE TIME MICHAEL MOORE ARRIVED,

\h\h\hMICHIGAN‘S AUTO INDUSTRY WAS ITSELF FACING HARD TIMES,

OR AT LEAST ITS WORKERS WERE.

THINGS WERE PARTICULARLY BAD IN MOORE‘S HOMETOWN, FLINT,

WHERE GM WAS BORN.

FLINT HAD LOST 40,000 AUTO JOBS

\hAS CARMAKERS MOVED THEIR WORK OVERSEAS,

WHILE GM ITSELF WAS RECORDING \h\h\h\h\h\h\hRECORD PROFITS.

ON TOP OF THIS GIANT \h\hSLAB OF CONCRETE

WAS ONCE THE BUICK \h\hASSEMBLY LINE.

IT HOUSED 28,000 WORKERS \hDURING PEAK PRODUCTION

IN THE MID-1980s.

\hNOW, THE ONLY EVIDENCE OF THIS PLANT IS THE GREEN LAWN

\hTHAT GREETED EXECUTIVES AS THEY ARRIVED FOR WORK.

MOORE NEVER GOT THE MEETING \h\h\hHE WANTED WITH ROGER,

\h\h\h\h\hBUT HE DID SUCCEED IN HIGHLIGHTING THE CORPORATE GREED

THAT LED TO THE LAYOFFS,

AND TURNED ONCE-THRIVING FACTORIES LIKE THIS ONE

INTO TOXIC CLEANUP SITES.

AND FLINT HASN‘T BEEN THE ONLY \hPLACE IN MICHIGAN TO SUFFER.

\h\h\hWITH THE DECLINE OF THE AUTO INDUSTRY,

DETROIT HAS LOST NEARLY \h\hA MILLION RESIDENTS

IN THE LAST 60 YEARS.

AND THE EXODUS CONTINUES.

BETWEEN 2000 AND 2010,

\hMICHIGAN WAS THE ONLY STATE IN AMERICA TO LOSE POPULATION.

\h\h\h\h\hTHE VAST FACILITIES OF THE AUTOMAKERS ARE DISAPPEARING

OR BEING REBORN.

THE PACKARD PLANT IS \hNOW A GIANT CANVAS

\h\hFOR SOME OF THE WORLD‘S BEST-KNOWN GRAFFITI ARTISTS.

AFTER ONE, KNOWN AS BANKSY, \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTAGGED HERE,

A LOCAL GALLERY OWNER \h\h\hCUT OUT HIS WORK

FROM THE PACKARD PLANT‘S WALL,

SO HE COULD SHOW IT \h\hIN HIS GALLERY.

ENTIRE CITY BLOCKS HAVE BEEN VACATED.

AND EMINEM HAS FEATURED \h\h\h\hDETROIT‘S RUINS

IN HIS MUSIC VIDEOS AND MOVIE.

BUT, DESPITE THE DECAY,

THERE ARE MANY WHO WOULD \h\hNEVER LEAVE DETROIT

NO MATTER HOW HARD TIMES GET...

\h...LIKE DIEHARD FANS OF THE DETROIT TIGERS,

WHO PLAY HERE AT COMERICA PARK.

FOR YEARS, THIS PARK ALSO \h\h\h\hHAD THE REPUTATION

OF BEING A RIGHT-HANDED HITTER‘S NIGHTMARE.

PLAYERS AND FANS ALIKE \h\h\h\h\h\hCOMPLAINED

ABOUT THE FARTHER-THAN-USUAL \h\h\h\h\h\hLEFT FIELD WALL.

\h\h\h\h\h\hSO IN 2002, THE TEAM MOVED THE WALL

25 FEET CLOSER TO HOME PLATE,

AND THAT YEAR, THE TIGERS \h\hHIT 77 MORE HOME RUNS.

BUT THE NEXT YEAR, THEY HAD AN IMPRESSIVE LOSING STREAK,

\h\h\h\h\h\hONE OF THE WORST IN AMERICAN LEAGUE HISTORY.

BUT THAT DOESN‘T SEEM TO STOP \h\h\hTIGER FANS FROM COMING.

\h\hAND THERE ARE THOSE WHO LIVE FOR THE CITY‘S ANNUAL JAZZ FEST,

\h\h\h\hONE OF THE LARGEST FREE JAZZ GATHERINGS IN THE COUNTRY.

TODAY, MICHIGAN‘S ECONOMY \h\hIS STILL STEP IN STEP

\h\h\h\h\hWITH THE REVENUES OF ITS AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY.

AND THESE DAYS,

\h\h\h\h\hTHOSE FORTUNES DEPEND INCREASINGLY ON SALES OVERSEAS,

\h\hIN EUROPE, CHINA AND OTHER EMERGING MARKETS.

BUT PRODUCTION AT HOME \h\h\h\h\h\hCONTINUES.

\hEVERY DAY, AT FORD‘S DEARBORN TRUCK PLANT,

\h\h\hUP TO 800 F-150s ARE LOADED ONTO TRAINS

AND SHIPPED ACROSS THE U.S.

\h\h\h\h\hTHE F-150 REMAINS THE BEST-SELLING VEHICLE IN AMERICA,

34 YEARS RUNNING.

OUT ON THE PROVING GROUNDS,

NEW VEHICLES ARE PUT TO THE TEST EVERY YEAR.

THEIR QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE \h\h\h\hMAY HAVE A BIG IMPACT

ON MICHIGAN‘S FUTURE \hFOR YEARS TO COME.

BUT THERE‘S ALWAYS BEEN MUCH MORE TO THE WOLVERINE STATE

THAN THE AUTOMOBILE...

\hTHE TOWERING DUNES THAT LINE ITS COAST,

\hTHE PRISTINE WATERS OF ITS INLAND LAKES...

THE BRILLIANCE OF ITS SKIES.

\h\hAND MICHIGAN‘S PEOPLE, WHO TRANSFORMED THIS ANCIENT LAND

\hWITH THE SIMPLE TOOLS OF WATER, TIMBER, STEEL,

AND A SPIRIT THAT‘S \hSTILL ALIVE TODAY,

HIGH ABOVE ITS MACKINAC STRAITS,

CELEBRATING THE LAND THAT IS...

MICHIGAN.