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About Michigan Becoming a Territory

When Ohio entered the Union as a state in 1803, the remainder of the Northwest Territory became known as the Indiana Territory. The change was particularly annoying to Detroiters, especially since the new territorial capital was at Vincennes, Indianaa considerable distance in a time of few roads. The dissatisfaction led three hundred Detroiters to sign a petition asking Congress to create a separate territory. Congress responded favorably to the request and on January 11, 1805, President Thomas Jefferson signed the act establishing the Michigan Territory. The first territorial governor was William Hull. A Massachusetts native, Hull was a graduate of Yale, a lawyer and a veteran of the American Revolution. A man of considerable ability, Hull was handicapped by a total lack of acquaintance with frontier life and its problems. Those problems began immediately. On June 11, 1805, a fire destroyed Detroit. According to one observer, in less than two hours the whole town was in flames. Amazingly, none of the nine hundred people living in Detroit were killed. Two weeks later, the Michigan Territory formally came into being.

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