Michigan and Ohio had a war, michigan agreed to give up its claim on Ohio if it got statehood and the upper peninsula was a consolation prize. Wisconsin became a state later and never had the upper peninsula https://volumeone.org/news/2015/08/03/252990-how-wisconsin-lost-the-upper-peninsula
As someone who lives in the lower peninsula, I can tell you that Wisconsin hasn’t conquered the U.P. for the same reason no one conquers Russia. They can just retreat into the snow and let the wolves eat you.
I thought it’s because there is nothing there that anyone wants. I always thought Wisconsin was paying them to keep it. I can think of entire US states I’d be willing to pay France to take over.
Yooper here. Your example is on the money, but perhaps moreso than you know: The UP is also heavily populated by Finnish-Americans, which helps explain the cultural resilience and independence as well. The same dimensions that have kept Finland independent from Russia, keep the UP independent from others - and, holy wah, if I had a nickel every time we talked about breaking away from the trolls South of the bridge while at deer camp…
If I were Wisconsin I’d just slowly but steadily build a line of photon cannons and pylons for an unstoppable wall of firepower to absorb the peninsula.
And the cannons can detect if they’re native to Wisconsin or not and dish out death accordingly. Really helpful against burrowed units too.
This is funny and all but for actual context very few people live there.
It snows there from October to May, and there’s super bad black flies and mosquitos once it thaws. Only 3% of the Michigan population live there, and they’d prefer you not interfere with that.
It’s a difficult place, short summers, long hard winters.
UPers (you._purs) are an interesting lot. I’m not sure Wisconsin wants them, and they wouldn’t have it anyway if Wisconsin did.
