The Thumb

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Thumb is a region of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten; thus The Thumb is the area that looks like the thumb of the mitten. The thumb is a subregion of the Flint/Tri-Cities region, and the Blue Water Area, is a subregion of the thumb.

The counties which constitute The Thumb are those forming the extended peninsula that stretches northward into Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay. There is no formal declaration for which of these counties are part of The Thumb. However, virtually all common definitions include Huron, Tuscola, and Sanilac counties. This definition is sometimes extended to include Lapeer and St. Clair counties as well. The fact that Lapeer and St. Clair counties are included in the Detroit Metropolitan Area also brings many people to exclude them from The Thumb region.

Contents 1 Economy 1.1 Business 2 Tourism 2.1 Unique to the Thumb 2.2 Travelling around the Thumb 2.3 Lighthouse Tour 2.4 Area festivals & events 3 Thumb Counties 3.1 Huron 3.2 Tuscola 3.3 Lapeer 3.4 Sanilac 3.5 St. Clair 4 Disputed Regions 5 The Blue Water Area 6 Geographic Features 7 Major Rivers 8 History and Local Culture 8.1 Nameing and Founding of the Thumb 8.2 Culture 8.3 Historical Events 9 Notable People 9.1 Cass City 9.2 Harbor Beach 9.3 Lapeer 9.4 Port Huron 10 Colleges and universities 11 Museums 11.1 Harbor Beach 11.2 Marysville 11.3 Port Huron 11.4 Elsewhere in the Thumb 12 Media 12.1 Radio 12.2 Newspaper 12.3 Broadcast Television 13 Transportation 13.1 Borders 13.2 Major Highways 13.2.1 Interstates 13.2.2 Michigan Highways 13.3 Rail 13.4 Airports 14 Area Codes 15 See also 15.1 State 15.2 Regional 15.3 Local Towns of Interest 15.4 Subjects 16 Notes 17 Bibliography and further reading 18 External links

[edit] Economy

The Thumb region is very flat with fertile soil, the reason for its historical role as a largely agricultural area. Major agricultural products are sugar beets, navy beans, corn, fruits, and fish from the Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron. Manufacturing is dominant in St. Clair County and Lapeer County. Many of the residents commute to Metropolitan Detroit or Flint. Large cities in The Thumb area are Port Huron, Lapeer, Marysville, St. Clair,Sandusky, Bad Axe, and Caro. The majority of these cities are in the southern portion of the thumb.

[edit] Business

See also: List of companies based in Michigan

The thumb has many notable businesses, many linked to agriculture.

• American Tape, with its main factory in Marysville.
• Cargill Salt, operating a large salt mine and factory in St. Clair. This is the only plant in the U.S.A. that produces Alberger Salt, which is especially prized in the fast food industry because of its higher volume (due to its unique shape) and lower sodium content (for a given volume, not weight). This is part of Michigan's large salt mining industry.
• Cooperative Elevator Company, named the top Michigan Agriculture Exporter by the Michigan Department of Agriculture^[1]. With headquarters in Pigeon, and branch elevators in: Deckerville, Akron, Gagetown, Sebewaing, Elkton, and Bad Axe.
• Detroit Edison, operator of five power plants in the thumb area, St. Clair & Belle River Power Plant in East China Township, Marysville Powerplant (Decomissioned), Harbor Beach Powerplant, and Greenwood Powerplant in Greenwood Township.
• Dow AgroSciences Harbor Beach, manufactures agricultural chemicals weed killer, fungicides, fertilizers and plant nutrients and herbicides.^[2]
• Grand Trunk Western Railway, with a major rail yard in Port Huron Township
• Marysville Hydrocarbons, an ethanol plant in Marysville
• Michigan Ethanol, a partner of Broin Companies, operates a corn ethanol production facility in southwest Caro.
• Michigan Sugar Company is a cooperative owned by 1200 farmers, which operates four plants in the area. It is the successor to the 100 year old "Big Chief" and "Pioneer" Sugar companies. The headquarters are in Bay City, Michigan.^[3]
• Sensient Technologies Corporation Harbor Beach, food flavors and colors, yeast dehydrated products and vegetable protein extract^[4]
• Star of the West Milling Co.^[5] with grain elevators in Vassar and Cass City, joined with Eastern Michigan Grain in Emmett.^[6]

[edit] Tourism

Some towns, such as Bay Port, Caseville, Harbor Beach, Lexington, Port Austin, Port Hope, Port Huron, Port Sanilac, Sebewaing, and St. Clair enjoy seasonal tourism, due to their locations on Lake Huron, Saginaw Bay, or St. Clair River. The thumb lies within the east-central tourism region of the state ^[7]

The Tip of The Thumb Heritage Water Trail is a nonprofit citizens organization working with the Huron County Parks to establish and maintain a Water Trail along Michigan’s Lake Huron’s shoreline. ^[8]

[edit] Unique to the Thumb

Unique features in the area include:

• Algonac, Michigan, known as the Venice of Michigan because of its many canals, is a part of the largest fresh-water delta in the world, on the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair.
• Bad Axe, a city named after a broken axe found lodged in the knot of a tree at the clearing of the settlement's chief crossroads according to historical maps and documents.^[9]
• Bay Port, the world's largest fresh water fishing port.
• Harbor Beach is the home of the largest man-made harbor and the Harbor Beach Light.
• Harvest Wind Farm A project of John Deere Wind Energy and Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative.
• Huron County Nature Center includes a 120-acre (0.49 km²) wilderness arboretum that has been under the care of the Huron County Women's Clubs for more than 50 years.^[10]
• Kernan Memorial Nature Sanctuary is a 45 acre refuge with 4,000 feet (1,200 m) of shoreline acquired October 30, 1989 on Lake Huron, in Huron County. On the western coast of Whiskey Harbor, this area is a great place to see migratory birds in early March and November. ^[11]
• Kinde was once the bean capital of the world.
• Pigeon, home of the Cooperative Elevator Company, which is one of the largest grain elevators in the state.
• Port Huron - the maritime capital of the Great Lakes - where Lake Huron flows into the St. Clair River. This is the largest city in the Thumb area, and is Thomas Edison's boyhood home.
• The Sanilac Petroglyphs were discovered after massive fires swept the Lower Peninsula in 1881. Native Americans created this unusual artwork 300 to 1,000 years ago. The Petroglyphs provide a glimpse into the lives of an ancient woodland people who once occupied Michigan's Thumb area.
• Sebewaing, the sugar beet capital of the world, and home to one of the four Michigan Sugar Company factories in the thumb region. The sugar companies were organized, at least in part, with money from lumbermen such as Rasmus Hanson.^[12].
• St. Clair boasts the world's largest freshwater boardwalk along the St. Clair River.
• Michigan Underwater Preserves are protected areas of the Great Lakes on Michigan's coast. There are nineteen major shipwrecks in the 276 square miles (710 km²) of the Thumb Area Bottomland Preserve. Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve expands a total of 163 square miles (420 km²) of Lake Huron.

[edit] Travelling around the Thumb

A favorite of tourists that visit this area is travelling the Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay shoreline, by driving M-25 sometimes still called US-25. M-25 starts at the end of I-69/I-94 in Port Huron at the foot of the Blue Water Bridge and ends in Bay City. The whole route is about 160 miles (260 km), and passes through quaint cities and villages. Along M-25 you can see five lighthouses: Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, Port Sanilac lighthouse, Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse, Harbor Beach Light, and the Port Austin Lighthouse. The Great Lakes Circle Tour is a designated, scenic road system connecting all of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. Port Huron in eastern Michigan is a good starting point for the circle tour of Lake Huron. M-25 winds around the Thumb and along the Saginaw Bay to Saginaw and Bay City. Don't forget to go to the beach and walk the boardwalks in Lexington and Port Austin.

[edit] Lighthouse Tour

• Huron Lightship -- Lake Huron / St. Clair River -- Port Huron, Michigan

• Fort Gratiot Light -- Lake Huron / St. Clair River -- Port Huron, Michigan

• Port Sanilac Light -- Lake Huron-- Port Sanilac, Michigan -- Private
• White Rock Memorial Light -- Lake Huron -- White Rock, Michigan -- Private

• Harbor Beach Light -- Lake Huron -- Harbor Beach, Michigan

• Pointe aux Barques Light -- Lake Huron -- near Port Hope, Michigan

• Port Austin Light -- Lake Huron -- Port Austin, Michigan

• Charity Island Light -- Saginaw Bay Lake Huron

• Saginaw River Light -- Saginaw River

[edit] Area festivals & events

• "The Original" Country Christmas Lighted Farm Implement Parade (Sandusky, Michigan)
• Antique and Yard Sale Trail (Algonac, Michigan to Sebewaing, Michigan)
• Bay Port Fish Sandwich Festival (Bay Port, Michigan)
• Blue Water Ramble (St. Clair, Michigan) Annual International Bicycling Event, first weekend in October.^[13]
• Boat Night & Port Huron to Mackinac Island, MI Yacht Race (Port Huron, Michigan)
• Cheeseburger in Caseville Festival (Caseville, Michigan)
• Croswell Swinging Bridge Festival (Croswell, Michigan)
• Feast of the Sainte Claire (Port Huron, Michigan)
• Harbor Beach Maritime Festival (Harbor Beach, Michigan)
• Huron County Fair (Bad Axe, Michigan)
• Michigan Farmer's Festival (Pigeon, Michigan)
• Michigan Sugar Festival (Sebewaing, Michigan)
• Tuscola County Pumpkin Festival (Caro, Michigan)
• Sanilac County 4-H Fair (Sandusky, Michigan)
• St. Clair County 4-H Fair (Goodells County Park)
• Thumbfest (Lexington, Michigan)
• Yale Bologna Festival (Yale, Michigan)

[edit] Thumb Counties

[edit] Huron

Huron County is located at the tip of the thumb. The county is surrounded on three sides by water – Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron, and has over 90 miles (140 km) of shoreline, from White Rock on Lake Huron to Sebewaing on Saginaw Bay, and more shoreline parks than any other county in the state.
The county's economy relies on agriculture and ranks as one of the top agricultural counties in Michigan. Rich farmland inland produces beans, sugar beets and grain, including most of the world's supply of navy beans. Tourism is also important to Huron County with bay front and lakefront towns such as Sebewaing, Caseville, Port Austin, Port Hope, and Harbor Beach, attracting tourists from all over. Huron County borders the Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron. There are two state parks – Sleeper State Park and Port Crescent State Park. Two roadside parks – Jenks Park, Brown Park, and White Rock Park. Also, Huron County maintains nine county parks along the shoreline, which are Caseville Park, Lighthouse Park, Stafford Park, McGraw Park, Philp Park, Port Austin Bird Creek Park, Wagener Park, Oak Beach Park, and Sebewaing Park.
The county seat is Bad Axe, located in the center of the county.

[edit] Tuscola

Like Huron County, Tuscola is mostly dependent on agriculture. Industries such as sugar refining and ethanol processing, as well as growing various grains and beans, make up most of the economy. Caro, one of the largest cities in The Thumb (the largest if you exclude St. Clair and Lapeer Counties), is named after Cairo, Egypt and is the county seat. Tuscola County only has 18 miles (29 km) of shoreline along Saginaw Bay, so it is not as dependent on tourism as the other counties in the area. Tuscola County is economically tied to the surrounding region as well as to the Saginaw, Bay City, and Flint areas.

[edit] Lapeer

Lapeer County is economically attached to Flint and Detroit. Lapeer derives from the French word for Flint, la pierre. Lapeer's economy depends on manufacturing more than agriculture. Although it is landlocked, Lapeer County has many inland bodies of water such as Lake Pleasant, Lake Metamora, Nepessing Lake, Bronson Lake and Bames Lake. These lakes bring in many campers and tourists. Lapeer County's geography is very different than any other county in The Thumb. Lapeer County is considered part of the Detroit Metropolitan Area, which leads many people to exclude Lapeer County from The Thumb region.

[edit] Sanilac

The County of Sanilac has the largest area of land in The Thumb. Like other counties, Sanilac has fertile and flat land, great for growing crops. Towns like Forestville, Port Sanilac and Lexington bring in many tourists from the Detroit Area. Southern Sanilac County is very economically attached to St. Clair County. Sandusky is the county seat and largest city.

[edit] St. Clair

St. Clair County has the largest population in The Thumb. St. Clair County is considered to be a part of Southeast Michigan and the Detroit Metropolitan Area, which leads many people to exclude St. Clair County from The Thumb. Many residents farther north in The Thumb, especially Sanilac County, travel to Port Huron for shopping and work. It is the farthest county to the east in Michigan, and most of the eastern border is the St. Clair River, which separates Michigan from Ontario. For the most part, St. Clair County is flat and agricultural, with a landscape similar to that of other Thumb counties, but manufacturing has taken over many of the jobs in the county, especially in and around Port Huron.

[edit] Disputed Regions

Some areas of the thumb are debated sometimes, but most all definitions will include Huron, Sanilac, and Tuscola Counties, known as the tri-county region. Disputed areas include:

• St. Clair County, expecially the southern portion.
• Lapeer County, Michigan
• Richmond, Michigan and Northern Macomb County.
• Genesee County, although it has a more urban setting, part of makes up the thumb peninsula.

[edit] The Blue Water Area

The Blue Water Area is a subregion of the thumb, describing St. Clair County, Michigan, parts of Sanilac County, Northern Macomb County, and Eastern Lapeer. It is named so due to the Blue Water Bridge, and the many bodies of water in the area. Sometimes the definition is extended to include all of the Thumb and even Eastern Michigan. A simple definition of the Blue Water Area is the area surrounding Port Huron where residents regulary travel to Port Huron for shopping and work.

[edit] Geographic Features

See also List of Michigan state parks and geography of Michigan.

• The Thumb's landscape is mostly flat, with a few rolling hills and a small ridge in the western portion of the peninsula.
• All counties except for Lapeer border the Saginaw Bay or Lake Huron.
• The areas with the highest elevation are near Lapeer and Mayville, reaching up to 1,050 feet (320 m) above sea level.
• The lowest area in the Thumb region is in the Saginaw Valley, the far western portion of the thumb, at a low 585 feet (178 m) above sea level.
• Huron County is very flat and is home to wind generators and large fields.
• The "tip of the Thumb" is Pointe Aux Barques, between Port Austin and Grindstone City.
• Marlette is also called the "heart of the Thumb" because of its central position on the peninsula.

[edit] Major Rivers

The Thumb has many waterways.

• Cass River has many branches, one of which flows into the Shiawassee River in the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge at 43°22′42″N, 83°59′04″W less than a mile from where the Shiawassee merges with the Tittabawassee River to form the Saginaw River
• The Pinnebog, Shebahyonk, and Pigeon Rivers all head toward the center of Huron County and empty into the Saginaw Bay.
• St. Clair River, connects Lake Huron to Lake St. Clair, and is the farthest east border in Michigan. It forms a low impression in eastern St. Clair County, Michigan, and has a delta at its mouth (North America's largest delta), which includes Harsens Island, Michigan and Walpole Island, Ontario. Ferries cross the river at Algonac and Marine City, these being international border crossings.
• Black River, It starts in Port Huron and ends near Minden City. The Black River forms a basin in Sanilac County, and northern St. Clair County.
• The north branch of the Flint River lies in northern Lapeer County. It breaks off the Flint River just north of the Holloway Reservoir, and ends near North Branch
• The southern branch of the Flint River flows through the central and southern portion of Lapeer County. It breaks off the Flint River just north of the Holloway Reservoir, runs through Lapeer and ends near the southern county line.

[edit] History and Local Culture

See also: Timeline of Michigan history and history of Michigan

[edit] Nameing and Founding of the Thumb

The earliest name for the Thumb of Michigan was Skenchioe, which we see on maps from the late 1600s and seems to have been an Iroquois name. Skenchioe was the early home of the Native People called the Fox. There is no documentation to the meaning of the name Schenchioe although red earth and red fox are often implied. The Iroquois, or Onondaga, word, "ganhuntowano" means flat country. Their word for plain is "uchwuntschios" while "sgechnaxen" means red fox. From these words, it appears that Schenchioe meant plain, flatland, or shingle like land. The Latin word "scandula" means to split wood or make shingle. In maps from the early 1700s, the Thumb of Michigan was called Les Pays Plat, which is French for The Country Flat, this was continued by the English in the late 1700s on their maps as Flat Country. The Thumb of Michigan also seems to have been called on at least one early map Pays Pele, which is, also, French and means Country Barren, the Barrens, or Plains. It may have meant the pine barrens, which is partly cultivated. The name Tuscola, broken into Tus-cola, is probably both Chippewa/Ottawa and Latin and likely means the flat country with the cultivated fields or the hill. Perhaps, the Thumb of Michigan was called by the Chippewa and Ottawa "tessi aki", which in their language would mean plateau or flat country.

[edit] Culture

Persons of European ancestry form the overwhelming majority of the population. The land was settled mostly by Irish and English immigrants that arrived mainly from Canada, as well as Polish and German immigrants, that migrated from Europe, through the Detroit area. Many of the customs, and much of the regional lifestyle, strongly reflect this. Examples of such are the polka show on WMIC and Polish gatherings at small town halls throughout the thumb.

[edit] Historical Events

• The great Thumb Fire took place on September 5, 1881 in the Thumb area of Michigan. The fire, which burned over a million acres (4,000 km²) in less than a day, was the consequence of drought, hurricane-force winds, heat, the after-effects of the Port Huron Fire of 1871 and the ecological damage wrought by the era's logging techniques.

• The Great Lakes Storm of 1913, was a blizzard with hurricane-force winds that devastated the Great Lakes Basin in the United States Midwest and the Canadian province of Ontario in November, 1913. The storm battered and overturned ships on four of the five Great Lakes, particularly Lake Huron.

• The Port Huron area is one of oldest settlements in the state of Michigan.

• Colonial Forts such as Fort Gratiot (north of Port Huron) and Fort Sinclair (near present day St. Clair) were built along the St. Clair River.

• Bad Axe was named so because of an old axe found by Captain Rudolph Papst, in 1861, when he was clearing the present day Huron County seat.

[edit] Notable People

More comprehensive lists are available at individual cities, villages, etc. See Local towns of interest at the bottom of the page for links.

[edit] Cass City

• Brewster H. Shaw - retired United States Air Force colonel and former NASA Astronaut

[edit] Harbor Beach

• Frank Murphy - Detroit mayor, Michigan governor, U.S. Attorney General and Justice of the United States Supreme Court

[edit] Lapeer

• Danelle Gay, Miss Michigan USA 2006
• Marguerite de Angeli, Newbery Award winner
• Jim Slater, hockey player, Atlanta Thrashers
• Kirk Gibson, retired baseball player, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers
• Terry Knight, singer, DJ, manager, Terry Knight and the Pack, Grand Funk Railroad

[edit] Port Huron

• Thomas Edison - Inventor and entrepreneur settled in Port Huron from 1854 to 1863.
• Obadiah Gardner - US Senator for Maine
• Terry McMillan - Award-winning author of Waiting to Exhale, and How Stella Got Her Groove Back

[edit] Colleges and universities

St. Clair County Community College, with main campus in Port Huron, and learning centers in Huron, Sanilac, and Lapeer Counties.

University of Michigan Flint and Saginaw Valley State University, while not in the Thumb, are universities that draw many Thumb residents.

[edit] Museums

See also: List of museums in Michigan

[edit] Harbor Beach

• Frank Murphy Memorial Museum and home.^[14]
• Grice House Museum - Harbor Beach^[15]

[edit] Marysville

• Marysville Historical Museum - Marysville
• Wills Ste. Claire Auto Museum - Marysville

[edit] Port Huron

• Port Huron Museum - a series of five museums - Port Huron^[16]
• Carnegie Center - Port Huron
• Huron Lightship - Port Huron
• Thomas Edison Depot Museum - Port Huron
• USCGC Bramble (WLB-392) - Port Huron
• Fort Gratiot Lighthouse - Port Huron

[edit] Elsewhere in the Thumb

• Bad Axe Historical Society Museum - Bad Axe
• Capac Historical Museum - Capac
• Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse near Port Hope
• St. Clair County Farm Museum - Goodells, Michigan

[edit] Media

The thumb is divided in half in terms of the media. The northern portion is more attached to the Flint/Tri-Cities and the southern portion is more attached to Southeast Michigan. Major centers for the media are Port Huron, Sandusky, and Bad Axe.

[edit] Radio

The Thumb Area Radio Market lies between the Detroit Radio Market, the Tri-Cities Radio Market and the Flint Market. Radio Stations heard thought a large majority of the thumb are WTGV-FM, WMIC-AM, and WPHM-AM.

v • d • e Radio stations in the Thumb area (Arbitron #unranked) (R&R info) By FM frequency 88.3 • 90.7 • 91.3 • 91.9 • 92.1 • 92.5 • 96.9 • 97.7 • 102.1 • 102.3 • 103.1 • 107.1 By AM frequency 660 • 1070 • 1230 • 1340 • 1360 • 1380 • 1450 • 1530 • 1590 By callsign CHOK • WBGV • WBTI • WGRT • WHLS • WHLX • WIDL • WKYO • WLCO • WLEW-AM • WLEW-FM • WMIC • WMPC • WNFA • WNFR • WORW • WPHM • WQUS • WSAQ • WSGR-FM • WTGV-FM Michigan Radio Markets: Ann Arbor • Battle Creek • Detroit • Flint • Grand Rapids • Kalamazoo • Lansing-East Lansing • Muskegon • Saginaw-Bay City-Midland • Traverse City-Petoskey Other Michigan Radio Regions: Alpena • Houghton • Iron Mountain • Marquette • Sault Ste. Marie • The Thumb Area See also: List of radio stations in Michigan plus Radio stations in Southwestern Ontario

[edit] Newspaper

• Daily editions of the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News are also available throughout the area.
• Daily editions of the Bay City Times^[17] and Saginaw News^[18] are available in western portions of the area.

[edit] Broadcast Television

Television in the Thumb is also divided in half. The Lapeer County, St. Clair County and Sanilac County area lies in the Detorit Television Market. The far northern and western areas lie inside the Flint/Tri-Cities Television Market. TV stations watched through all of the Thumb are bold faced. The only broadcast TV station licensed to the Thumb region is WDCQ, the PBS station serving the Tri-Cities and Thumb area which is licensed to Bad Axe.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Borders

The border between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario is one of the busiest connections between the USA and Canada. The border includes the two Blue Water Bridges and the two St. Clair River Railway Tunnels. There are also ferry crossings at Marine City, Michigan and Algonac, Michigan. Shown is a view of the two bridges during the Port Huron to Mackinac Yacht Race.

[edit] Major Highways

(organized by numbers)

[edit] Interstates

• I-69 begins at the Blue Water Bridge, proceeds west through Flint, then Lansing, and then turns south to Angola, Indiana/
• I-94 is the only pure east-west U.S. interstate that has a terminus in a foreign country.^[19] It has its eastern terminus at the U.S. side of the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, Michigan, at the Sarnia, Ontario, Canada border, where together with I-69 it meets
• Highway 402 (Ontario).
• I-94 Business Loop (Port Huron).

[edit] Michigan Highways

• M-15
• M-19
• old M-21
• M-24
• M-25 is a highway of an arc-like shape closely following the outline of the Thumb along the Lake Huron/Saginaw Bay shoreline between Port Huron, Michigan (junction I-94, US I-69, and I-94 Business Loop and Bay City, Michigan (junction US I-75, US-23, and US-10.^[20] It is generally a scenic drive.
• M-29
• M-46 is a cross peninsular road, running across the mitten and the thumb -- from Port Sanilac on the Lake Huron shore; through Saginaw near Saginaw Bay; and then on to Muskegon on the Lake Michigan shore.^[21] This east-west surface route nearly bisects the Lower Peninsula of Michigan latitudinally.
• M-53 (Van Dyke Road) is a gateway route to The Thumb of Michigan, carrying vacationers to the resorts and cottages on Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron in the vicinity of Caseville and Port Austin. It goes up the middle of the Thumb, and directly connects in Macomb County, Michigan to the M-53 expressway. It is an important route for agricultural and manufactured goods.
• M-81
• M-90
• M-136
• M-138
• M-142

[edit] Rail

• Main article: Michigan Services

Area Amtrak stations are in Lapeer, Port Huron, and Flint. Local railroads are the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, CSX Transport, Canadian National Rail , Pere Marquette Railway, and the Huron & Eastern Saginaw Valley Railroad. Major railroad centers are Vassar, Bad Axe and Port Huron

[edit] Airports

The only international airport in the Thumb is St. Clair County International Airport about 6 miles (9.7 km) outside Port Huron. City airports include: Caro Municipal, Dupont-Lapeer Airport, Huron County Memorial Airport, Marine City Airport, Marlette Municipal, Sandusky City, and Yale Airport. Scheduled airline service is available from MBS International Airport^[22] near Midland, Michigan and Flint Bishop International Airport.^[23] Both of those airports are not in the Thumb, but are relatively close by.

[edit] Area Codes

Area code 989 covers about half of the Thumb, including Huron, Tuscola, and far northern Sanilac County (and the Marlette, Michigan area). The other half is covered by area code 810, which covers most of Sanilac, Lapeer, Genesee and Saint Clair Counties. Macomb County is served completely by area code 586, as well as a small part of south-western Saint Clair County.

[edit] See also

[edit] State

• Michigan

[edit] Regional

• Flint/Tri-Cities and Tri-Cities
• Lake Huron
• Metro Detroit

[edit] Local Towns of Interest

[edit] Subjects

• List of Michigan county name etymologies

[edit] Notes

[edit] Bibliography and further reading

• Ackerman, Emma J. Thumb Fires of 1871 and 1881. CMU Term Paper, 1968.
• DuMond, Neva. Thumb diggings; adventures into Michigan's Thumb area. Lexington, Mich, 1962.
• The Great Fire of 1881: A Collection of Stories. Caro, MI: Tuscola County Advertiser, 1981.
• Hatt, R. T. --The petroglyphs, by D. J. Richards.--An archeological survey of the petroglyph site, by M. Papworth (republished from the Michigan archeologist, Dec. 1957) The Sanilac petroglyphs. [Bloomfield Hills, Mich.] : Cranbrook Institute of Science, [1958]
• House Party: Reminiscences by Traditional Musicians and Square Dance Callers in Michigan's Thumb Area. Port Huron, MI: Museum of Arts and History, 1982.
• Schultz, Gerard. A History of Michigan's Thumb.
• Smith, Dee. Treks into the Past: Historical Sketches of Michigan's Thumb. Decatur, MI: Heritage Valley Publishing, 1989.
• Southgate, Jerry D. Thumb's Forest Fire of 1881. Central Michigan University Term Paper, 1967.

[edit] External links

• Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Bibliography on Michigan (arranged by counties and regions).
• Blue Water Convention and Visitors Bureau.
• Great Lakes Coast Watch
• Huron County economic development corporation/Community calendars, webcams and more.
• Michigan Geology -- Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University.
• List of Museums, other attractions compiled by state government.
• Michigan Historical Markers
• Search The Thumb.
• Michigan Department of Natural Resources website, harbors, hunting, resources and more.
• Michigan's Official Economic Development and Travel Site, including interactive map, information on attractions, museums, etc.
• Interactive map of lighthouses in area.
• USCG's complete list of Michigan lighthouses.
• Map of Michigan Lighthouse in PDF Format.
• Seeing the Light: Terry Pepper on lighthouses of the Western Great Lakes.
• Info Michigan

v • d • e   State of Michigan Lansing (capital) Topics Congressional delegation · Governors · History · Lieutenant Governors · Legislature · Museums · National Historic Landmarks · People · Registered Historic Places · State parks · Supreme Court · Tallest buildings · Timeline  · Topics Regions Upper Peninsula Copper Country · Keweenaw Peninsula · Gogebic Range Lower Peninsula Central Michigan: Southern Michigan · Flint/Tri-Cities: The Thumb / The Greater Tri Cities · Michiana · Northern Michigan · Southeast Michigan / Metro Detroit · West Michigan Largest municipalities Ann Arbor · Battle Creek · Bay City · Bloomfield Township · Canton Township · Chesterfield Township · Clinton Township · Commerce Township · Dearborn · Dearborn Heights · Detroit · East Lansing · Eastpointe · Farmington Hills · Flint · Flint Township · Georgetown Township · Grand Rapids · Holland · Jackson · Kalamazoo · Kentwood · Lansing · Lincoln Park · Livonia · Macomb Township · Meridian Township · Midland · Muskegon · Novi · Pontiac · Portage · Redford · Rochester Hills · Roseville · Royal Oak · Saginaw · Saginaw Township · St. Clair Shores · Shelby Township · Southfield · Sterling Heights · Taylor · Troy · Warren · Waterford Township · West Bloomfield · Westland · Wyoming · Ypsilanti Township Counties Alcona · Alger · Allegan · Alpena · Antrim · Arenac · Baraga · Barry · Bay · Benzie · Berrien · Branch · Calhoun · Cass · Charlevoix · Cheboygan · Chippewa · Clare · Clinton · Crawford · Delta · Dickinson · Eaton · Emmet · Genesee · Gladwin · Gogebic · Grand Traverse · Gratiot · Hillsdale · Houghton · Huron · Ingham · Ionia · Iosco · Iron · Isabella · Jackson · Kalamazoo · Kalkaska · Kent · Keweenaw · Lake · Lapeer · Leelanau · Lenawee · Livingston · Luce · Mackinac · Macomb · Manistee · Marquette · Mason · Mecosta · Menominee · Midland · Missaukee · Monroe · Montcalm · Montmorency · Muskegon · Newaygo · Oakland · Oceana · Ogemaw · Ontonagon · Osceola · Oscoda · Otsego · Ottawa · Presque Isle · Roscommon · Saginaw · Sanilac · Schoolcraft · Shiawassee · St. Clair · St. Joseph · Tuscola · Van Buren · Washtenaw · Wayne · Wexford