Superior (proposed U.S. state)

Superior is the name of a longstanding 51st state proposal involving the secession of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from the rest of the state of Michigan, due to cultural differences, as well as the feeling that the capital in Lansing ignores the problems of the Upper Peninsula. Named for Lake Superior, the idea has gained serious attention at times, though it is quite unlikely to ever come to fruition due to the large amount of funding that the area receives from the lower part of the state, and the strong connections that were cemented by the completion of the Mackinac Bridge, which gave the peninsula a direct highway connection to the rest of the state.

Several prominent legislators including local politician Dominic Jacobetti formally attempted this legislation in the 1970s, with no success. [ [http://www.nmu.edu/archives/collections/political/jacobetti.htm The Dominic J. Jacobetti Collection] , accessed November 6, 2006]

History

Efforts to secede and form a new state from Michigan have a long pedigree. Historical attempts at formation date back to 1897, when the proposal for a State of Superior included the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) and portions of Wisconsin. [ [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/188610112.html?dids=188610112:188610112&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=OCT+03%2C+1897&author=&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=The+State+of+Superior.&pqatl=google The State of Superior] , "The Washington Post", October 3, 1897]

Sometime in the 1960s, there was talk of the U.P. seceding to become part of Wisconsin. In preparation for this move, the U.P. asked for, and received, its own area code: 906, as no area code in the U.S. is allowed to cross state lines.Fact|date=February 2007

In 1962, an Upper Peninsula Independence Association was founded to advocate for the formation of State of Superior. A secession bill was submitted to the Michigan Legislature, and 20,000 petition signatures were collected—36,000 short of the number needed—for a ballot referendum on separation. ["Upper Peninsula Journal; Yes, They're Yoopers, and Proud of It", DAVID BINDER."The New York Times", September 14, 1995. pg. A.16]

Efforts continued into the mid-1970s, with residents of the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin, each resentful of tax drains and other perceived slights from their downstate cousins, joining together to pursue the desired legislation. [ [http://openweb.tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/1975-8/1975-08-08-NBC-20.html NBC Evening News for Friday, Aug 08, 1975] , accessed November 6, 2006]

Capital

Because the proposed state itself is rarely documented, any proposed capital is disputed. The three most popular candidates (all in Michigan) are:

* Marquette
* Houghton
* Sault Ste. Marie

References

Further reading

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* [http://openweb.tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/1975-8/1975-08-08-NBC-20.html 1975 NBC newscast from Vanderbilt University archives]