Sign Text for Michigan Landmark #S629C :
The town of Michigan was platted in 1847 as the state capital. In April the state legislature considered renaming the capital Pewanogowink, Swedenborg, or El Dorado, but chose Lansing, after John Lansing, an American Revolution hero. At that time the capital was a wilderness fraught with wolves and a “brain fever” (spinal meningitis) epidemic. In 1859, Lansing was incorporated as a city. During the 1870s, Lansing’s lyceums and literary societies hosted author Mark Twain and actor Edwin Booth. The 1847 capitol, considered “an old rattle trap,” was replaced by the present building in 1879. Primarily an agricultural community, Lansing developed as a manufacturing center in the 1890s. In 1897, Ransom Eli Olds organized the Olds Motor Vehicle Company, Michigan’s first operating automobile company.
More about Lansing:
When Michigan first became a US territory in 1805, its capital was Detroit! Detroit remained the capital through statehood in 1837, but there was a catch: according to Michigan’s constitution, the Legislature had ten years to relocate the capital! There were lots of options, but the one which won out was a stretch of land in Ingham County owned by James Seymour, a stretch of land that didn’t even have a village on it! This was for two reasons: to encourage development of the western part of the state and to move the seat of government farther away from British Canada! Despite fierce opposition, the governor signed the bill, making Michigan, MI (later Lansing) the capital on March 16, 1847! Within a year, the Legislature was already legislating there in a ramshackle capitol building!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer with the Michigan History Center!
- Submit an application to the Marker Repair and Replacement Fund!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
124 W Michigan Ave
Lansing, MI 48933
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Whenever the mood strikes you!