Lions Michigan History

Michigan Milestones For The Lions

Melvin Jones

John Noel

1917 - Lions Clubs International is established by Founder Melvin Jones.

1919 - District 10 (Upper Peninsula) is the first Lions district formed in the state of Michigan, with the organization of the Marquette Lions Club in October. District 11 (Lower Peninsula) is formed when the Grand Rapids Lions Club charters in November.

1920 - Detroit Lions Club sponsors the Windsor, Ontario Lions Club; this sponsorship creates Lions Clubs International.

1923 - John Noel becomes the first Lions Clubs International President from Michigan.

1925 - Helen Keller challenges Lions to become "Knights of the Blind".

1932 - White Cane is "born" in Michigan in the East Side Detroit Lions Club.

1936 - Michigan Legislature passes the "White Cane Law."

1939 - Leader Dog School is launched in Rochester.

1940 - Leader Dog becomes a state project of Michigan Lions. Karl Sorrick from Springport becomes the second Lions International President from Michigan.

1941 - The Lower Peninsula is divided into two (2) sub-districts and becomes Multiple District 11.

1946 - Multiple District 11 is divided into four (4) sub-districts.

1952 - Multiple District 11 is divided into five (5) sub-districts. Welcome Home for the Blind becomes a state project of the Lions of Michigan.

1953 - S. A. Dodge is elected as the third Lions International President from Michigan.

1956 - Multiple District 11 is divided into seven (7) sub-districts.

1957 - The Ann Arbor Lions Club and Dr. John Henderson start the Michigan Eye Bank.

1962 - Michigan Braille Transcribing Service begins at a Southern Michigan Prison.

1971 - Michigan Eye Bank becomes a state Lions project.

1974 - The Upper Peninsula is divided into two sub-districts and becomes Multiple District 10. The districts are 10-A (West) and District 10-B (East).

1976 - Michigan Multiple District 11 is divided into ten (10) sub-districts.

1978 - Ralph Lynam is elected as the fourth International President from Michigan. The Lions of Michigan All-State Band is established.

1982 - The Michigan Past District Governors Association is organized.

1984 - Michigan Lions Service Foundation begins in District 11 B-1.

2001 - Multiple District 10 combines District 10-A and 10-B into Single District 10.

2003 - Bear Lake Camp becomes an official project of Multiple District 11.

2007- Connie Shelton becomes District 11-A2's first female Vice District Governor

2008- Connie Shelton becomes District 11-A2's first female Governor

Michigan State Facts:

Name Origin: Derived from the Indian word Michigama, meaning great or large lake.

Nicknames: Great Lakes State, Wolverine State

Statehood: Jan. 26, 1837 (26th)

Capital: Lansing, since 1847; prior to that, Detroit.

State Motto: Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice, which translates, "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you."

Population: According to the 2000 census, the population of Michigan is 9,938,444 (8th). The cities with the largest population:

1. Detroit	951,270
2. Grand Rapids	197,800
3. Warren	138,247
4. Flint	124,943
5. Sterling Heights	124,471
6. Lansing	119,128
7. Ann Arbor	114,024
8. Livonia	100,545

Area:

Michigan is the 10th largest state in the Union (combined land and water area).

58,110 square miles of land

1,305 square miles of inland water

38,575 square miles of Great Lakes water area

3,288 miles of Great Lakes shoreline

Length: 456 miles

Width: 386 miles

Distance from northwest to southeast corner: 456 miles

11,037 inland lakes

Members in the U.S. Congress: 17

State Senators: 38

State Representatives: 110

Selected Dates In Michigan History

1622: French explorers Étienne Brulé, and his companion Grenoble, are probably the first white men to see Lake Superior.
1668: Fathers Jacques Marquette and Claude Dablon establish the first mission at Sault Ste. Marie.
1701: Detroit is founded as Fort Pontchartrain by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.
1715: The French establish Fort Michilimackinac at the Straits of Mackinac.
1760: The French surrender Fort Pontchartrain to the British, ending French rule in Detroit.
1763: During the Indian wars in the area, Pontiac leads a 135-day siege of Detroit. Indians capture all the forts in Michigan, except Detroit.
1787: The (Northwest) Ordinance of 1787 defines the procedure for obtaining statehood in the Northwest Territory, of which Michigan is a part.
1792: Under the British Parliament's Constitutional Act, the first election is held in Michigan.
1796: The British evacuate Detroit and abandon their posts on the Great Lakes.
1805: The Michigan Territory is created, with Detroit designated as the seat of government. William Hull is appointed governor. Fire destroys Detroit.
1812: Detroit and Fort Mackinac are surrendered to the British during the War of 1812.
1813: American forces re-enter Detroit. Lewis Cass is appointed governor of the Michigan Territory.
1819: The Treaty of Saginaw cedes nearly 6 million acres of Indian lands to Michigan settlers. Michigan sends a delegate to Congress.
1828: The Territorial Capitol is built at Detroit for a cost of $24,500.
1835: The Toledo War ensues over the Michigan-Ohio boundary. Michigan previously was denied admission to the Union because it would not surrender its claim to the Toledo strip. The area eventually is surrendered in exchange for the western section of the Upper Peninsula. The First Constitutional Convention is held. Stevens T. Mason is inaugurated as governor.
1837: Michigan is admitted to the Union as the 26th state.
1841: The University of Michigan moves from Detroit to Ann Arbor.
1842: Copper mining operations begin near Keweenaw Point.
1844: Iron ore is discovered in the Upper Peninsula at Negaunee.
1847: The Legislature passes a law to locate the state capital in Lansing.
1854: The Republican Party is organized in Jackson.
1855: The ship canal at Sault Ste. Marie opens.
1861-1865: More than 90,000 Michigan men are mustered into service during the Civil War.
1879: The new Capitol is dedicated in Lansing; the structure cost $1,510,130.
1908: Ford begins manufacturing the Model T.
1910: The first primary election in Michigan is held.
1920: Detroit's WWJ begins commercial broadcasting of regular programs, the first such radio station in the United States.
1930: The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel opens to automobile traffic.
1935: The United Automobile Workers of America is organized in Detroit.
1941: Auto plants are converted for the production of war materials, and Michigan becomes known as the "Arsenal of Democracy."
1957: The five-mile Mackinac Bridge opens Nov. 1.
1959: Berry Gordy Jr. founds Motown Records in Detroit.
1963: Michigan's fourth Constitution is ratified at the April election.
1967: Riots erupt in Detroit amid racial tensions.
1974: Gerald R. Ford of Grand Rapids becomes the 38th president of the United States, and the first Michiganian to serve as president.
1976: Throwaway bottles are banned by a referendum vote.
1977: The Renaissance Center is dedicated in Detroit.
1980: The Republican National Convention is held in Detroit.
1981: The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum are dedicated in Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids, respectively.
1987: Michigan celebrates 150 years of statehood.
1992: Michigan State University hosts the third and final presidential debate of the election year. The Capitol is fully restored and rededicated. A constitutional amendment is adopted to limit the number of terms an official can serve as governor or as a federal or state senator or representative.
1998: The J.L. Hudson's building in Detroit is demolished. Chrysler Corporation merges with the German auto company Daimler-Benz, forming DaimlerChrysler.
2001: Detroit celebrates its 300th anniversary.
2002: Jennifer M. Granholm becomes Michigan's first female governor.