At the Cutting Edge: Michigan in 1817

A Founder's Day celebration

When the University of Michigan was founded in 1817, much of the Michigan Territory was still in the hands of Native American nations. Euro-American settlement was found only in the Southeast and at the Straits of Mackinac. The formal surveying of Michigan would not begin for another year. And, only five years earlier, Detroit and Mackinac had been captured and occupied by the British during the War of 1812. 

Brian Dunnigan, Curator of Maps, will describe what the territory of Michigan was like when U-M first opened its doors to scholars. Using images of original maps, art, architecture, and letters from the amazing collections at the Clements Library, he will transport you back to the Michigan of 200 years ago.