UPside of Life: Upper Peninsula is the gift that keeps on giving

In case you haven't heard (and you likely have), Michigan is officially 175 years old after celebrating its birthday Jan. 26.

This wonderful state has a lot to celebrate, too. It's the home to some of the country's top companies, colleges and, of course, people. Not to mention one of the most beautiful pieces of land the United State's owns, and we're all lucky enough to call that little peninsula home.

But the U.P. was pretty close to not celebrating it's birthday last week. In fact, if things had gone just a bit differently, this part of the U.S. would probably just be turning 164 this year along with the rest of the 30th state to enter the union--Wisconsin.

Thankfully for us, a bunch of folks decided to start a bit of a skirmish over a chunk of land that was barely inhabited then and--to many wilderness-loving, city-avoiding Yoopers--barely habitable now. This disagreement, known as the Toledo War (despite the fact that there was only a knife wound, ever, in the decades of fighting about the Toledo Strip), was resolved by Congress when they made one of their best decisions ever and helped Michigan become a state. To help solve the dispute, Congress gave Ohio Toledo and some farmland to the west, and control of the Maumee River, while Michigan got 9,000 square miles of land covered in pristine forests, glistening rivers and lakes and inhabited by those lovable scoundrels known now as Yoopers.

Back then, of course, like many folks in the Lower Peninsula still to this day, officials didn't even want the U.P. They considered it to be wasted land that would "remain forever a wilderness." Of course, lots of folks still think it is pretty wild up here--and sometimes it is.

But when you look at what Michigan got out of the deal, it's pretty sweet. While Ohio did get the fledgling town of Toledo (which was founded just three years before in 1833), Michigan found out that the U.P. was chock full of copper in 1839. In the long run, they also got pasties, Mackinac Island fudge, Tom Izzo, Dominic J. Jacobetti, Da Yoopers band, the oldest settlement in the state in Sault Ste. Marie, the birth of the highway center line, Kingsford charcoal, the Gipper and, of course, Isle Royale and a ton of snow--just to name a few.

It probably depends on which side of the border you live, but it sure seems like a no-brainer that Michigan got the better end of the deal. Of course, Yoopers often feel as though Michigan tends to forget about their existence at times, but the state shows its love through road funds and tourists, so there's really no cause to complain.

The Upper Peninsula has proven itself to not be a tract of land that is comprised of untamable forests and blood-thirsty wild animals, but rather a home for breath-taking beauty, wonderful locations and determined and driven people.

And while Ohio may not have gotten the better end of the deal, we're not going to hold that against them. Those Buckeyes can come and visit anytime they want--everyone is welcome here.

Sam Eggleston is the managing editor of U.P. Second Wave. He was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula, though he visited Toledo a couple of times and couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. He can be reached via email.