Editing Port Huron, Michigan (section)

==History==
[[File:Port Huron-Sarnia by Sentinel-2 2022-08-13.jpg|thumb|Port Huron (left) sits across the [[St. Clair River]] from [[Sarnia|Sarnia, Ontario]] (right).]]
This area was long occupied by the [[Ojibwa]] people. French colonists had a temporary trading post and fort at this site in the 17th century.

In 1814, following the [[War of 1812]], the United States established [[Fort Gratiot]] at the base of Lake Huron. A community developed around it. The early 19th century was the first time a settlement developed here with a permanent European-American population. In the 19th century, the United States established an [[Ojibwa]] [[Indian reservation|reservation]] in part of what is now Port Huron, in exchange for their cession of lands under treaty for European-American settlement. But in 1836, under [[Indian Removal]], the US forced the Ojibwa to move west of the [[Mississippi River]] and resettle in what are now the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota.<ref>[[Helen Hornbeck Tanner]]. ''Atlas of Great Lakes Indian History''. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1987) p. 165</ref>

In 1857, Port Huron became incorporated. Its population grew rapidly after the 1850s due a high rate of immigration: workers leaving poverty, famine, and revolutions in Europe were attracted to the successful [[shipbuilding]] and [[lumber]] industries in Michigan. These industries supported development around the Great Lakes and in the Midwest. In 1859 the city had a total of 4,031 residents; some 1,855, or 46%, were foreign-born or their children (first-generation Americans).<ref>[http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn97063063/1859-10-13/ed-1/seq-2/ "Population of Port Huron"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402091000/http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn97063063/1859-10-13/ed-1/seq-2/ |date=April 2, 2015 }}, ''East Saginaw Courier'', October 13, 1859, View 2, ''Chronicling America'', Library of Congress, accessed September 5, 2014</ref>

By 1870, Port Huron's population exceeded that of surrounding villages. In 1871, the State Supreme Court designated Port Huron as the county seat of St. Clair County.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mistcla2/Andreas_Port_Huron.htm |title=History of St. Clair County - Port Huron Township & City |work=ancestry.com |access-date=November 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111040251/http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mistcla2/Andreas_Port_Huron.htm |archive-date=November 11, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On October 8, 1871, the city, as well as places north in [[Sanilac County, Michigan|Sanilac]] and [[Huron County, Michigan|Huron counties]], burned in the [[Port Huron Fire of 1871]]. A series of other fires leveled [[Holland, Michigan|Holland]] and [[Manistee, Michigan|Manistee]], as well as [[Peshtigo Fire|Peshtigo, Wisconsin]] and [[1871 Great Chicago Fire|Chicago, Illinois]] on the same day. The [[Thumb Fire]] that occurred a decade later, also engulfed Port Huron.

In 1895 the village of Fort Gratiot, in the vicinity of the former Fort Gratiot, was annexed by the city of Port Huron.<ref>Walter Romig, ''Michigan Place Names'', p. 204</ref>

The following historic sites have been recognized by the State of Michigan through its historic marker program.
* Fort St. Joseph. The fort was built in 1686 by the French explorer Duluth. This fort was the second European settlement in lower Michigan. This post guarded the upper end of the St. Clair River, the vital waterway joining Lake Erie and Lake Huron. Intended by the French to bar English traders from the upper lakes, the fort in 1687 was the base of a garrison of French and Indian allies. In 1688 the French abandoned this fort. The site was incorporated into Fort Gratiot in 1814. A park has been established at the former site of the fort. 
* Fort Gratiot Light. The [[Fort Gratiot Lighthouse]] was built in 1829 to replace a tower destroyed by a storm. In the 1860s workers extended the tower to its present height of {{convert|84|ft|m}}. The light, automated in 1933, continues to guide shipping on Lake Huron into the narrow and swift-flowing St. Clair River. It was the first lighthouse established in the State of Michigan.
* [[United States lightship Huron (LV-103)|Lightship ''Huron'']]. From 1935 until 1970, the ''Huron'' was stationed in southern Lake Huron to mark dangerous shoals. After 1940 the ''Huron'' was the only lightship operating on the Great Lakes. Retired from [[Coast Guard Service]] in 1970, she was presented to the City of Port Huron in 1971.
* Grand Trunk Railway Depot. The depot, which is now part of the Port Huron Museum, is where 12-year-old [[Thomas Edison]] departed daily on the Port Huron–Detroit run. In 1859, the railroad's first year of operation, Edison convinced the railroad company to let him sell newspapers and confections on the daily trips. He became so successful that he soon placed two newsboys on other Grand Trunks running to Detroit. He made enough money to support himself and to buy chemicals and other experimental materials.
* Port Huron Public Library. In 1902 the city of Port Huron secured money from philanthropist [[Andrew Carnegie]] to erect a municipal library and arranged for matching operating funds. In 1904, a grand Beaux-Arts-style structure was built at a cost of $45,000. At its dedication, [[Melvil Dewey]], creator of a widely used book classification system, delivered the opening address. The Port Huron Public Library served in its original capacity for over sixty years. In 1967, a larger public library was constructed. The following year the former library was renovated and re-opened as the Port Huron Museum of Arts and History. An addition was constructed in 1988.
* Harrington Hotel. The hotel opened in 1896 and is a blend of Romanesque, Classical and Queen Anne architecture. The hotel closed in 1986, but a group of investors bought the structure that same year to convert it into housing for senior citizens. The Harrington Hotel is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].
* [[St. Clair Tunnel|Grand Trunk Western Railroad Tunnel]]. The tunnel was opened in 1891 and links Port Huron with Canada. This international submarine railway tunnel was the first international tunnel in the world. The tunnel's total length is {{convert|6025|ft|m}}, with {{convert|2290|ft|m}} underwater. The tunnel operations were electrified in 1908; half a century later they were converted to use diesel fuel. Tracks were lowered in 1949 to accommodate larger freight cars. During [[World War I]], a plot to blast the tunnel was foiled. A new tunnel has since been opened.

The city was hit by a violent [[1953 Sarnia tornado|F4 tornado]] on [[1953 Sarnia tornado outbreak|May 21, 1953]], damaging or destroying over 400&nbsp;structures, killing two, and injuring&nbsp;68.

The city received the [[All-America City Award]] in 1955 and 2005.

In June 1962, the [[Port Huron Statement]], a [[New Left]] manifesto, was adopted at a convention of the [[Students for a Democratic Society (1960 organization)|Students for a Democratic Society]]. The convention did not take place within the actual city limits of Port Huron, but instead was held at a [[United Auto Workers]] retreat north of the city (now part of [[Lakeport State Park]]). A historical marker will be erected on the site in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wphm.net/2024/09/30/historical-marker-to-commemorate-political-manifesto/ |title=Historical marker to commemorate political manifesto |website=WPHM }}</ref>

Port Huron is the only site in Michigan where a [[lynching]] of an African-American man took place. On May 27, 1889, in the early morning, a mob of white men stormed the county jail to capture 23-year-old Albert Martin. A mixed-race man, he was accused of attacking a woman. They hanged him from the 7th Street Bridge. A memorial was installed in 2018 at the site, recounting Martin's history. The city collaborated with the [[Equal Justice Initiative]] on this memorialization.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/local/port-huron/2018/04/30/port-huron-past-included-nations-first-memorial-dedicated-legacy-enslaved-black-people-people-terror/564443002/ |title=Port Huron's past included on lynching memorial |first1=Liz |last1=Shepard |newspaper=ort Huron Times Herald |date=April 30, 2018 |access-date=March 18, 2018 }}</ref>

On November 11, 2017, [[veteran]]s from around the country, such as Dave Norris, Clitus Schuyler, and Lou Ann Dubuque, joined together at a cemetery in Port Huron to share the significance of [[Veterans Day]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Veterans_Day_2017:_Honoring_sacrifices_of_veterans_who_serve_us |title=Veterans Day 2017: Honoring sacrifices of veterans who serve us |date=November 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429193026/https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Veterans_Day_2017:_Honoring_sacrifices_of_veterans_who_serve_us |archive-date=April 29, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/local/port-huron/2017/11/11/veterans-day-honoring-those-who-sacrifice-for-our-country/855053001/ |title=Veterans Day is about honoring those who sacrifice for country |publisher=The Times Herald |date=November 11, 2017 }}</ref>

In April 2023, the [[Pere Marquette Railway]] [[bascule bridge]] was demolished after a nearly decade long battle between preservationists and the Port Huron Yacht Club.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wphm.net/2023/04/28/train-bridge-demolition-wraps-up/ |title=Train bridge demolition wraps up }}</ref> Built in 1931, the structure was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and was one of only six similar bridges remaining in the US.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=truss/phrailb/ |title=Port Huron Railroad Bridge (Pere Marquette Railroad Bridge) - HistoricBridges.org |website=historicbridges.org }}</ref>

===Historic photographs===
<gallery>
File:PortHuron1902.jpg|Port Huron circa 1902
File:Huron Avenue, Port Huron, MI.jpg|Huron Avenue in 1912
File:St Clair River Tunnel - Port Huron Michigan.jpg|St. Clair Tunnel in 1907
File:Fort Gratiot Lighthouse postcard - Port Huron Michigan.jpg|Gratiot Lighthouse in 1902
File:Fort Gratiot Lighthouse (2).jpg| Fort Gratiot Lighthouse 
File:Port_Huron_PM_Bridge.jpg|The Pere Marquette Railway bridge as seen in 2021, it was demolished in 2023.
</gallery>