RPTM Podcast Episode Sixty Nine: Dude, Where's My Toledo?

Episode #069: Dude, Where's My Toledo?
10/21/2024
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Picture a group of fur-clad Frenchmen navigating the dense woods of the Great Lakes, grappling with Native American place names, and then, in a stroke of resilience, slapping on their own more pronounceable versions like "Detroit." This was the beginning of Michigan's transformation, as the Reasonably Priced Time Machine whisks us back to these determined voyageurs who paddled through the wilderness, trading beaver pelts and fencing commerce as if bartering for baguettes. Their mission was not just to coexist with the locals; they were determined to carve their legacy into history, leaving behind a cultural patchwork with mispronounced names and the faint aroma of fish and nostalgia. Centuries later, we're left with a state shaped not by careful planning, but by the resilience and determination of those who stumbled, shot, or politicked their way across the landscape.

Fast forward to 1787, and the bureaucratic knife carved up the wilderness with the Northwest Ordinance, a masterpiece of legal cartography that diced up the territory like a middle manager rearranging cubicles. Then came the War of 1812, only for American troops to rally at the Battle of the Thames like frat boys scrambling for the last slice of pizza. And let's not forget Lewis Cass, the territorial governor who aspired to drain swamps and charm settlers, wielding policies like a multitool to civilize Michigan's mosquito-laden frontier. The saga wouldn't be complete without the "Toledo War," a comical spat with Ohio over a murky strip of land that ended without a single shot fired, leaving Michigan clutching the Upper Peninsula as a consolation prize. Through it all, Michigan emerged as a place shaped by accidents, arguments, and a dash of ambition—a curious blend of familiar and absurd, stitched together in a hurried attempt at civilization.

Main Topics:

• 0:00 Start
• 1:57 Introduction
• 6:24 French Exploration
• 9:22 1787 Northwest Ordinance 
• 13:47 War of 1812 
• 16:41 Lewis Cass 
• 20:11 Toledo War
• 23:56 Outro

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Hosts:
Ryan Lancaster
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HILDY

Producer: Ryan Lancaster
Executive Producer: Ryan Lancaster
Sound Engineer: Ryan Lancaster
Editor: Ryan Lancaster
Theme Music Composer: Craig Riley
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Recorded at: Ryan Lancaster Studios

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Hey, welcome to the work cited section! Here's where you'll find all the heavy hitters that inspired the content you've just consumed. Some might think citations are as dull as unbuttered toast, but nothing gets my intellectual juices flowing like a good reference list. Don't get me wrong, just because we've cited a source; doesn't mean we're always going to see eye-to-eye. But that's the beauty of it - it's up to you to chew on the material and come to conclusions. Listen, we've gone to great lengths to ensure these citations are accurate, but let's face it, we're all human. So, give us a holler if you notice any mistakes or suggest more sources. We're always looking to up our game. Ultimately, it's all about pursuing knowledge and truth. ​
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• Borneman, Walter R. 1812: The War That Forged a Nation. New York: Harper Perennial, 2005.
• Calloway, Colin G. The American Revolution in Indian Country: Crisis and Diversity in Native American Communities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
• Catton, Bruce. Michigan: A Bicentennial History. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1984.
• Cayton, Andrew R. L., and Fredrika J. Teute, eds. Contact Points: American Frontiers from the Mohawk Valley to the Mississippi, 1750-1830. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1998.
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• Dunbar, Willis F., and George S. May. Michigan: A History of the Wolverine State. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995.
• Faragher, John Mack. Sugar Creek: Life on the Illinois Prairie. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986.
• Finkelman, Paul. Slavery and the Founders: Race and Liberty in the Age of Jefferson. 3rd ed. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2014.
• Hurt, R. Douglas. The Ohio Frontier: Crucible of the Old Northwest, 1720-1830. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1996.
• Pessen, Edward. The Log Cabin Myth: The Social Backgrounds of the Presidents. Yale University Press, 1984.
• Quaife, Milo Milton. Chicago and the Old Northwest, 1673-1835. The University of Chicago Press, 1913.
• Sugrue, Thomas J. The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit. Princeton University Press, 1996.
• The Avalon Project. "Northwest Ordinance; July 13, 1787." Yale Law School, Lillian Goldman Law Library. Accessed July 26, 2024. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/nworder.asp.
• White, Richard. The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires, and Republics in the Great Lakes Region, 1650-1815. Cambridge University Press, 1991.​​

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