So, you’ve lived here your whole life, have you? You have deep Michigan roots, right? Well have you stopped to consider what many of the places you’ve encountered your entire life mean? You probably know that Michigan has a long history with French and Native American culture. So it should come as no surprise that many of the places were know and love here have names with roots in either (or both) of those rich heritages.
- Allegan
Scot Rumery/Flickr This is one of those Henry Schoolcraft creations and signifies a lake or river.
- Cheboygan
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/FLickr This native word at first applied to the river and is believed to originally have been “Chabwegan,” meaning “a place of ore.”
- Kalamazoo
Michigan Municipal League/Flickr A native word that went something like this: “Ke-Ken-a-ma-zoo,” meaning boiling water, otter tail, or reflected water.
- Lansing
Michigan Municipal League/Flickr The New York revolutionary war hero John Lansing had a NY city named after him, but when he later settled in Michigan, he named that town after his home town back east. Make sense?
- Leelanau County
Jim Sorbie/Flickr Created by Henry Schoolcraft, he gave this name to some of the native women in his stories.
- Manistee
Jim/Flickr Named after the county’s principal river, it is a native language word that means “river at whose mouth there are islands.”
- Cadillac
Wystan/Flickr This city was named after the French settler, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, who was the founder of Detroit.
- Ontonagon
Ann Fisher/Flickr This village gets its name from the river of the same name, which flows into Lake Superior.
- Charlevoix
C Hanchey/Flickr This place was named for the French Jesuit missionary Pierre Francois Xavier de Charlevoix, who traveled the Great Lakes in 1721.
- Detroit
Bryan Debus/Flickr Detroit is named after the river it sits aside. It’s a French word for “strait.”
- Grand Rapids
Keith Macke/Flickr French fur trader Louis Campau gave this city its name when he established it as a trading post and later bought the land for $90.
- Keweenaw Peninsula
Randy Watson/Flickr This peninsula is said to have been first known as Chippewa Keewaynan, which stands for “a portage, or a place where a portage is made,” by the people native to the land.
- L’Anse
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr L’Anse comes from the French word for cove or inlet.
- Mackinac Island
Monika Simpkins/Flickr The word Mackinac derives from a Native language word “mitchimakinak,“which means big turtle, for the supposed turtle shape of the island.
- Traverse City
Joey Lax-Salinas/Flickr The name, of course, comes from the Grand Traverse Bay. The name originates from French traders, who called the region La Grand Traverse, or long crossing.
Nice little history lesson, eh? Tell us, are there any here that surprised you? Or are there places that you think we should add to our list? Let us know!
Scot Rumery/Flickr
This is one of those Henry Schoolcraft creations and signifies a lake or river.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/FLickr
This native word at first applied to the river and is believed to originally have been “Chabwegan,” meaning “a place of ore.”
Michigan Municipal League/Flickr
A native word that went something like this: “Ke-Ken-a-ma-zoo,” meaning boiling water, otter tail, or reflected water.
Michigan Municipal League/Flickr
The New York revolutionary war hero John Lansing had a NY city named after him, but when he later settled in Michigan, he named that town after his home town back east. Make sense?
Jim Sorbie/Flickr
Created by Henry Schoolcraft, he gave this name to some of the native women in his stories.
Jim/Flickr
Named after the county’s principal river, it is a native language word that means “river at whose mouth there are islands.”
Wystan/Flickr
This city was named after the French settler, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, who was the founder of Detroit.
Ann Fisher/Flickr
This village gets its name from the river of the same name, which flows into Lake Superior.
C Hanchey/Flickr
This place was named for the French Jesuit missionary Pierre Francois Xavier de Charlevoix, who traveled the Great Lakes in 1721.
Bryan Debus/Flickr
Detroit is named after the river it sits aside. It’s a French word for “strait.”
Keith Macke/Flickr
French fur trader Louis Campau gave this city its name when he established it as a trading post and later bought the land for $90.
Randy Watson/Flickr
This peninsula is said to have been first known as Chippewa Keewaynan, which stands for “a portage, or a place where a portage is made,” by the people native to the land.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr
L’Anse comes from the French word for cove or inlet.
Monika Simpkins/Flickr
The word Mackinac derives from a Native language word “mitchimakinak,“which means big turtle, for the supposed turtle shape of the island.
Joey Lax-Salinas/Flickr
The name, of course, comes from the Grand Traverse Bay. The name originates from French traders, who called the region La Grand Traverse, or long crossing.
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