Michigan’s Lost Peninsula

One of the oddities that interests me is when a territory is broken into two or more non-contiguous pieces.  Some become rather famous, like the small chunk of the United States in northern Minnesota that can only be reached via Canada at Lake of the Woods.

A similar condition exists between and within certain states within the United States, including Michigan. No, I’m not referring to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Everyone knows that one. Rather, I’m referring to the Lost Peninsula.

People can only get to the Lost Peninsula on dry land through Ohio. Residents who live there must take Edgewater Drive back into Ohio. Then they need to loop around to reach the remainder of their home state of Michigan.

Michigan's Lost Peninsula. Photo by howderfamily.com; (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The Lost Peninsula doesn’t offer much other than a few houses and a marina. I still find it interesting. This little chunk became disconnected when the border between Michigan and Ohio was established.

Wouldn’t Michigan just want to give up this small plot of land to make a smoother border. Of course not. States, like people, act possessively. They want to hang onto as much territory as possible. It’s not like it’s much of an inconvenience to the residents, though. There is free and unobstructed passage between the States. It’s more simply an interesting oddity.

See also: Reader “Jim C.”‘s visit to the Lost Peninsula (including photos) in Lost Again.


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6 responses to “Michigan’s Lost Peninsula”

  1. Joshua Avatar
    Joshua

    My mother lives in the very last house on the Lost Peninsula. I have been going up there for years and it is a wondeful place full of wonderfull people. In the summer it is almost like being in Key West Florida. Great fishing and a lot of water sports and activities. In the winter time it seems almost shut down until the ice is thick enough for the many vehicles that run it including the poker runs with the snow mobiles.

    A lot of people leave from the area to go to Put-In-Bay for the day or the weekend or even a week. You will meet all kinds of great and interesting people from all over the place. Just thought I would share some of this with you.

  2. Dan Baxter Avatar
    Dan Baxter

    Look at Point Roberts, Washington State. Similar to Lake in the Woods, only accessible by land through Canada

    1. Twelve Mile Circle Avatar

      I have more information on Point Roberts available.

  3. Rob Dobrusin Avatar
    Rob Dobrusin

    Just discovered this fantastic website. I am fascinated by geography and came upon your site after visiting the Lost Peninsula of Michigan. I posted the link to this page on my Facebook page after so many people were fascinated by learning about the lost peninsula. Thanks so much for this great research. I look forward to reading more from your blog.

  4. Gary Szwejda Avatar
    Gary Szwejda

    Also, look up the Kentucky Bend, the westernmost point of the State of Kentucky, which is separated from the rest of the state by a bend in the Mississippi River. To get to “Bubbleland,” one of the names by which the area is known, one has leave Kentucky, enter Tennessee, and then travel north into the small peninsula.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_Bend

    1. Twelve Mile Circle Avatar

      I was lucky enough to be able to visit there in 2014: Riverboat Adventure, Part 3 (Borders)

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