Editing Traverse City, Michigan (section)

==History==
{{see also|History of Northern Michigan}}

===Early history===
Prior to European settlement, what is now Traverse City was part of the territory of the [[Council of Three Fires]], an alliance of three [[Anishinaabe]] tribes, the [[Odawa]], [[Ojibwe]], and [[Potawatomi]]. The Odawa, who were particularly prevalent in the area, called the area '''''Kitchiwikwedongsing''''',{{efn|{{IPA|otw|kːʰɪtːʰt͡ʃːɪwɪkːʰweːdʊnksɪnk}}}} a name which was often shortened to '''''Wequetong''''',{{efn|{{IPA|otw|weːkːʰeːtːʰʊnk}}}} meaning "place at the head of the great bay".<ref name="travis2020-05-16">{{Cite news |title = Traverse City Marks 125 Years Since Incorporation as City with Virtual, Dispersed Activities |url = https://www.record-eagle.com/collections/traverse-city-marks-125-years-since-incorporation-as-city-with-virtual-dispersed-activities/article_d5d37bd8-9620-11ea-9ab8-f3502eb9961b.html |last1 = Travis |first1 = Jordan |first2 = Sierra |last2 = Clark |date = May 16, 2020 |website = Traverse City Record-Eagle |language = en |access-date = May 18, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Vogel |first=Virgil J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T5d5wS7so14C&pg=PA179 |title=Indian Names in Michigan |date=1986 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=0472063650 |location=Ann Arbor |language=en}}</ref> The area was the northern end of what is today known as the [[Old Indian Trail (Michigan)|Old Indian Trail]], a trail which serviced travel for the [[Hopewell tradition|Hopewell]], and later the Anishinaabe, coming to and from the [[Cadillac, Michigan|Cadillac]] area.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Old Indian Trail |url=https://cadillacmichigan.com/project/old-indian-trail/ |access-date=2024-08-25 |website=Cadillac, Michigan Area Visitors Bureau |language=en-US}}</ref>

Grand Traverse Bay was named by 18th-century French [[voyageurs]] who made ''{{lang|fr|la grande traverse}}'',{{refn|group=lower-alpha|In modern standard French, ''{{lang|fr|traverse}}'' no longer has the sense of 'crossing'—which is now ''{{lang|fr|traversée}}''.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://cnrtl.fr/definition/traverse |title = traverse |publisher = Centre national de ressources textuelles |language = fr }}</ref>}} or "the long crossing", across the mouth of the bay, from present-day [[Norwood, Michigan|Norwood]] to [[Northport, Michigan|Northport]]. The area was French territory at first, and then part of the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]] as the [[Province of Quebec (1763–1791)|Province of Quebec]]. The area was ceded to the United States in 1783 following the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Treaty of Paris]], becoming part of the [[Northwest Territory]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Grand Traverse Bay |url=https://www.michmarkers.com/pages/S0042.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020320104038/http://www.michmarkers.com/Pages/S0042.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=March 20, 2002 |access-date=October 28, 2010 |publisher=Michigan Historical Markers}}</ref>

In 1847, Captain Horace Boardman of [[Naperville, Illinois]], purchased the land at the mouth of the Boardman River (then known as the Ottawa River) at the head of the west arm of the bay, which at the time was still inhabited by Native Americans. In 1847, the captain, his son, and their employees built a dwelling and [[sawmill]] near the mouth of the river. In 1851, the Boardmans sold the sawmill to Hannah, Lay & Co (made up of [[Perry Hannah]], Albert Tracy Lay and James Morgan), who improved the mill greatly. The increased investment in the mill attracted additional settlers to the new community. Perry Hannah today is known as the [[Founding Father|founding father]] of Traverse City.

Traverse City was originally part of Omeena County, which was originally set off in 1840 from [[Michilimackinac County]].<ref name="gt2">{{cite book |title=The Traverse Region, Historical and Descriptive with Illustrations of Scenery and Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers |publisher=H. R. Page & Co. |year=1884 |location=Chicago |chapter=Chapter VIII: County of Omeena Laid Off - Grand Traverse County Organized - Organization Completed - County Officers - Acts of Supervisors - County Buildings - Going to Mackinac to Vote - First Term of Court - Bench and Bar - Organization of Towns - Agriculture Society - Railroad - School Matters |access-date=October 21, 2022 |chapter-url=https://www.genealogytrails.com/mich/grandtraverse/history_county8.html |via=Genealogy Trails Transcription Team}}</ref> The county remained unorganized, lacking a central government until 1851, when it was reorganized as Grand Traverse County. The newly designated county government was assigned a [[county seat]] at '''Boardman's Mills''', a location in present-day downtown Traverse City.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History in Grand Traverse County, Michigan |url=https://www.genealogytrails.com/mich/grandtraverse/history_county8.html |access-date=2023-01-21 |website=genealogytrails.com}}</ref>

===Late 19th century===
As of 1853, the only operating post office in the Grand Traverse Bay region was the one located at [[Peninsula Township, Michigan|Old Mission]], which was then known as "Grand Traverse". While in [[Washington, D.C.]] in 1852, Mr. Lay had succeeded in getting the U.S. Post Office to authorize a new [[post office]] at his newer settlement. As the newer settlement had become known as "'''Grand Traverse City'''", after the Grand Traverse Bay, Lay proposed this name for its post office, but the [[Post Office Department]] clerk suggested dropping the "Grand" from the name, to limit confusion between this new office and the one at nearby Old Mission. Mr. Lay agreed to the shortened name of Traverse City for the post office, and the village took on this name. Around this time, the first cherry trees were being planted on the Old Mission Peninsula, for which the peninsula is widely known today.

[[File:Detroit and the pleasure resorts of northern Michigan. Compliments of passenger department (1883) (14758565444).jpg|thumb|1883 illustration of Traverse City]]In December 1872, rail service arrived in Traverse City via a [[Traverse City Rail Road Company|Traverse City Railroad Company]] spur from the [[Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad]] line at [[Walton Junction, Michigan|Walton Junction]]. The railroad tracked along the Boardman River and along Boardman Lake into Traverse City, and ended at a station along the Grand Traverse Bay, at the corner of present-day Grandview Parkway and Park Street. This new line of transportation from Southern Michigan opened up the area to settlement and industrial development. Many more people started flocking to the small community, and in 1881, Traverse City was incorporated as a [[village]]. This began the major commercial growth of the town.

In 1890, another rail line was extended to Traverse City, this one from [[Baldwin, Michigan|Baldwin]] via [[Copemish, Michigan|Copemish]] and [[Interlochen, Michigan|Interlochen]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=michiganrailroads.com - Evolution Map - Lower - 1890 |url=https://www.michiganrailroads.com/evolution-of-michigan-railroads/178-evolution-lower-peninsula/evolution-1890s/4389-evolution-map-lower-1890 |access-date=June 2, 2020 |website=www.michiganrailroads.com}}</ref> This line primarily served lumber companies, such as the Buckley & Douglas Lumber Company, and was used to transport logs from the vast forest of Northwest Michigan to sawmills in [[Manistee, Michigan|Manistee]] and Traverse City. Two years later, new railroads were extended out of Traverse City.<ref>{{Cite web |title=michiganrailroads.com - Evolution Map - Lower - 1892 |url=https://www.michiganrailroads.com/evolution-of-michigan-railroads/178-evolution-lower-peninsula/evolution-1890s/4387-evolution-map-lower-1892 |access-date=June 2, 2020 |website=www.michiganrailroads.com}}</ref> One line was extended along the bay into Leelanau County, and curved south to a preexisting spur at [[Lake Ann, Michigan|Lake Ann]]. Another line was extended east into present-day [[Williamsburg, Michigan|Williamsburg]], and to [[Charlevoix, Michigan|Charlevoix]] and [[Petoskey, Michigan|Petoskey]]. This railroad was largely to serve tourists.

In 1881, the Northern Michigan Asylum, later the [[Traverse City State Hospital]], was established as the demand for a third [[psychiatric hospital]] in Michigan, in addition to those established in [[Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric Hospital|Kalamazoo]] and [[Clinton Valley Center|Pontiac]], began to grow.<ref name="state">{{cite web |title=Northern Michigan Asylum |url=http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/5538.htm |accessdate=January 10, 2014 |publisher=Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online}}</ref> Perry Hannah, by then a prominent Michigan [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], used his political influence to secure its location in Traverse City.<ref name="tc">{{citation |author=Chris Miller |title=Traverse City State Hospital |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LJhzsNo3SY4C |pages=7, 8, 121 |year=2005 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=9780738533896}}</ref> Under the supervision of prominent architect [[Gordon W. Lloyd]], the first building, known as Building 50, was constructed in [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]]-[[Italianate architecture|Italianate]] style according to the [[Kirkbride Plan]]. The hospital opened in 1885 with 43 residents. Under Dr. James Decker Munson, the first superintendent from 1885 to 1924, the institution expanded.<ref name="tcsh">{{cite web |title=Traverse City State Hospital |url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~asylums/northern_mi/ |accessdate=January 10, 2014}}</ref> Twelve housing cottages and two infirmaries were built between 1887 and 1903 to meet the specific needs of male and female patients. The institution became the city's largest employer and contributed to its growth. While the hospital was established for the care of the mentally ill, its use expanded during outbreaks of [[tuberculosis]], [[typhoid]], [[diphtheria]], [[influenza]], and [[polio]]. It also cared for the elderly, served as a rehab for drug addicts, and was used to train [[nurses]].

On May 18, 1895, Traverse City was incorporated as a [[city]]. Perry Hannah served as the first [[mayor]] of Traverse City, after also serving as first and third village president.<ref>{{cite news |first = Craig |last = Manning |date =October 13, 2024 |title = The Ballot Box, Part 2: The Evolution Of Traverse City's Mayoral Elections |url = https://www.traverseticker.com/news/the-ballot-box-part-2-the-evolution-of-traverse-citys-mayoral-elections/ |publisher =  theTicker |access-date = January 31, 2025 }}</ref>

{{multiple image
| align             = right
| total_width       = 320
| image1            = Perry Hannah Photo.jpg
| alt1              = Perry Hannah, the "father of Traverse City"
| caption1          = 
| image2            = PerryHannahHouseTraverseCityMI.JPG
| alt2              = Perry Hannah's 1893 mansion in Traverse City
| caption2          = 
| footer            = [[Perry Hannah]], nicknamed the "father of Traverse City", and his [[Perry Hannah House|1893 mansion]] in the Central Neighborhood of Traverse City.
}}

===20th century===
[[File:Traverse City 100th Anniversary Parade 1949.webm|thumb|[[Parade]] for the 100th anniversary of Traverse City's founding in 1949]]
The first National Cherry Festival was held in Traverse City in 1925. It was first called "Blessing of the Blossoms" and held in the spring to attract people during the blooming season. With the exception of the years before and during World War II, this tradition has been carried on since in Traverse City. The legislature moved the date of the festival to the summer, and it attracts tourists from around the state and across the country. During the week the festival takes place, the population of Traverse City rises from about 15,000 to about 500,000. In 2004 the legislature added "Blossom Days", again as a spring festival.

Also in 1925, [[Munson Medical Center]] opened, and has since grown to serve much of Northern Michigan and serves as one of Traverse City's largest employers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Munson Healthcare |url=https://www.munsonhealthcare.org/about-the-system/about-munson-healthcare |access-date=2023-02-03 |publisher= Munson Healthcare}}</ref>

In 1929, Traverse City's first airport, Ransom Field, opened, offering flights to [[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]]. It closed in 1936, when the new Traverse City Airport (now called [[Cherry Capital Airport]]) was opened. In 1953 the grounds of Ransom Field were redeveloped as Memorial Gardens Cemetery.

In 1934, the original Traverse City High School building burnt down, with no casualties.<ref name="traverseticker.com">{{Cite web|title=Looking Back on Education History in Traverse City|url=https://www.traverseticker.com/news/looking-back-on-education-history-in-traverse-city/|website=The Ticker: Traverse City News & Events|access-date=June 2, 2020}}</ref> For three years, while the high school was being rebuilt, classes were moved to the [[Perry Hannah House]], the former residence of the city's founder. Classes were moved back to the new school building in September 1937.<ref name="traverseticker.com">{{Cite web|title=Looking Back on Education History in Traverse City|url=https://www.traverseticker.com/news/looking-back-on-education-history-in-traverse-city/|website=The Ticker: Traverse City News & Events|access-date=June 2, 2020}}</ref> In 1960, the high school was moved from downtown Traverse City to a new college-style campus on the grounds of [[Northwestern Michigan College]], which opened a few years prior in 1951. The former high school building was converted to Traverse City Junior High (now Central Grade School<ref>{{Cite web|title='People are attached': History, purpose weighed in plan for Central Grade School future|url=https://www.record-eagle.com/news/local_news/people-are-attached-history-purpose-weighed-in-plan-for-central-grade-school-future/article_13cefa70-d4bc-11ed-9114-173b5990c3fd.html|website=Traverse City Record-Eagle|access-date=March 2, 2025}}</ref>). In 1997, the high school split into [[Traverse City Central High School|Traverse City Central]] and [[Traverse City West Senior High School|Traverse City West]] High Schools due to extreme overcrowding at the 1960s building.<ref name="traverseticker.com"/>

In 1989, the Traverse City State Hospital closed, leaving hundreds without jobs, massive abandoned buildings, and many homeless former patients. Since 2000, the Minervini Group has undertaken the project of renovating the entire property into a social center, including many restaurants, retail spaces, office space, and residential space.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Places from the Past: Traverse City village was once an asylum |url=https://www.hollandsentinel.com/in-depth/news/history/2021/09/26/places-past-traverse-city-village-once-asylum/5806840001/ |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=Holland Sentinel |date=September 26, 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Record-Eagle |first=SALLY BARBER Special to the |title=See Building 50 in a new light |url=https://www.record-eagle.com/news/go/see-building-50-in-a-new-light/article_417d7707-fab4-5bca-a0d1-212d2e233595.html |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=Traverse City Record-Eagle |date=March 30, 2017 |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Coast Guard City hosts National Cherry Festival 120714-G-AW789-117.jpg|thumb|The National Cherry Festival's annual parade on East Front Street in 2012.]]

===21st century===
On November 3, 2015, Traverse City elected Jim Carruthers,<ref>{{cite news |first1 = Michelle |last1 = Merlin |first2 = Brian |last2 = McGillivary |date = November 4, 2015 |title = Carruthers wins city election: Lewis, Haas, Shamroe win commission seats |url = https://www.record-eagle.com/news/local_news/carruthers-wins-city-election/article_1a475cac-d07e-5315-a26f-d698230871fc.html |work = Traverse City Record-Eagle |access-date = June 24, 2020 }}</ref> its [[List of the first LGBT holders of political offices in the United States|first openly gay mayor]].<ref>{{cite news |first = Aaron |last = Selbig |date = December 2, 2015 |title = Press 'pause' on Pine Street development, says mayor |url = https://www.interlochenpublicradio.org/post/press-pause-pine-street-development-says-mayor |publisher = Interlochen Public Radio |access-date = June 24, 2020 }}</ref> After serving as mayor of Traverse City for six years, in June 2021 Jim Carruthers announced he would not run for his fourth mayoral term.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.traverseticker.com/news/traverse-city-will-have-a-new-mayor-this-fall/ |title = Traverse City Will Have A New Mayor This Fall |website = The Ticker: Traverse City News & Events |access-date = June 22, 2021 }}</ref>

May 18, 2020, served as the city's 125th anniversary of Traverse City's incorporation as a city in 1895, and was known as the "quarantine quasquicentennial".<ref name=travis2020-05-16/><ref>{{Cite web |title = Traverse City's 125th Birthday: A Virtual Celebration |publisher = City of Traverse City |url = https://www.traversecitymi.gov/news.asp?aid=764 |access-date = May 18, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title = Traverse City is Turning 125! Here's How to Celebrate at Home |url = https://mynorth.com/2020/05/traverse-city-is-turning-125-heres-how-to-celebrate-at-home/ |date = May 13, 2020 |website = MyNorth.com |language = en-US |access-date = May 18, 2020 }}</ref>

In April 2021, a group composed mostly of [[White Americans|White]] students from two Traverse City high schools held an online mock [[slave auction]] via [[social media|social media app]] in a [[chat room|private group chat]] titled "Slave Trade", wherein they traded their [[black people|Black]] student peers for monetary amounts while using derogatory language. After the local community was made aware of this event, a coalition of community members and Traverse City Area Public School (TCAPS) Board of Education officials drafted in response a resolution which denounced the behavior. The draft of the resolution itself led to community backlash initiated largely by White [[conservative]] parents and community members who regarded the planned resolution to be "...interlaced with [[critical race theory]]".<ref>{{Cite news |title=A critical conversation questions whether race discrimination should be part of curriculum |url=https://www.record-eagle.com/news/a-critical-conversation-questions-controversy-over-whether-race-discrimination-should-be-part-of-curriculum/article_34f60a58-c885-11eb-9d2e-072960d81c73.html |work=The Record Eagle}}</ref><!--direct quotes need direct citation.--> In the aftermath of the backlash, the resolution was edited by TCAPS school board officials. No date for consideration of the revised resolution has been set.<ref>{{cite web |last1 = Quealy |first1 = Brendan |title = Hate-Chat: Area Students Hold Mock Slave Auction, Spew Racist Rhetoric Online |url = https://www.record-eagle.com/news/hate-chat-area-students-hold-mock-slave-auction-spew-racist-rhetoric-online/article_c029d4b4-a446-11eb-905f-23f68b0c0468.html |website = Traverse City Record-Eagle |date = April 24, 2021 |access-date = July 30, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1 = Quealy |first1 = Brendan |title = The Uncomfortable Truth: Racism, Hate Among Children Front and Center After 'Slave Trade' Snapchat |url = https://www.record-eagle.com/news/the-uncomfortable-truth-racism-hate-among-children-front-and-center-after-slave-trade-snapchat/article_4929bf44-a92a-11eb-8143-5b5063098911.html |website = Traverse City Record-Eagle |date = May 2021 |access-date = July 30, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1 = Natanson |first1 = Hannah |title = It Started with a Mock 'Slave Trade' and a School Resolution Against Racism. Now a War over Critical Race Theory Is Tearing This Small Town Apart. |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/mock-slave-trade-critical-race-theory/2021/07/23/b4372c36-e9a8-11eb-ba5d-55d3b5ffcaf1_story.html |newspaper = The Washington Post |access-date = July 30, 2021 }}</ref>