Jason’s babblings.

Now, for this week’s Tuesdays with Flannel I will be sharing the epic story of The Toledo War.

Before 1833, Ohio had already established itself as a state, and Michigan was growing in population. The ‘observed border’ (there was no *official* border because Michigan wasn’t a state) between them was established from inaccurate maps. The border was supposed to run from the south tip of Lake Michigan, directly west, but the line on the map was 8 miles too far north on the east and 5 miles too far north on the west. This 468 square mile “gray area” - known as the Toledo Strip - was the cause of this particular war.

When Michigan applied to become a state, the surveyors realized their mistake and the proposed area that was to become the State of Michigan included the Toledo Strip. Ohio didn’t want to give up the land, so Congressmen lobbied to prevent Michigan from becoming a state unless they gave up the land. The Toledo War began when the Ohio Governor turned the Toledo strip into a county named after himself - Lucas County - and appointed his own sheriff and judge. The governor of Michigan had enough, and sent troops down toward Ohio.

In the end, it turned out to be a silly war - a series of pissing contests, rather than actual battles. The only casualty of this war was when an Ohio native stabbed a Michigan sheriff in a bar fight. Eventually President Jackson stepped in and said, “Knock it off!” Even after the petty battle between Ohio and Michigan, Congress wouldn’t let Michigan become a state unless they gave up the Toledo Strip. Michigan set up a state government anyway.

In 1837, Michigan ended up becoming an official state. They gave up the Toledo strip, and they were given the western three quarters of the Upper Peninsula instead. That’s OK because the UP is awesome and Toledo is a shithole.