The How and the Why
Wolverines are not indigenous to the State of Michigan. The question is, then: ”How, and why, did Michigan become known as the Wolverine State?”
There are at least three theories:
Theory #1 – The Native American Theory:
Wolverines are very aggressive eaters. In fact, a wolverine will eat anything it can find. Early settlers in the area had such a gluttonous appetite for land that Native Americans referred to them as wolverines.
Theory #2 – The Ohio Theory:
Along the same vein, residents of Michigan and Ohio didn’t get along very well in the early 19th Century, and almost came to blows in a dispute over a strip of land near the border. While shots were not fired in the Toledo War, many Ohioans saw Michiganders as vicious and as bloodthirsty as wolverines. Thereafter, Michiganders were referred to as wolverines.
Theory #3 – The Sault Ste. Marie Theory:
While wolverines are not native to Michigan, they are found in northern regions of Canada. Sault Ste.Marie (shortened by locals to “The Soo”), at the juncture of Lake Superior and the St. Mary’s River, was one of the first settlements in the region and grew as a fur trading center. Wolverine pelts were valued in trade and were shipped from the Soo to the eastern United States. These wolverine pelts came to be known as “Michigan wolverines”.
Ironically, under two of these theories, the name was intended to be an insult. Personally, I think the Sault Ste. Marie theory has the most credence, but I like the Ohio theory the best.
U of M’s Four-Legged Wolverines
University of Michigan referred to its sports teams as Wolverines as early as 1861. Fielding Yost tried to take things a step further when he asked area trappers to capture a live wolverine as the team mascot in the early 1920s.
The problem was that no one was able to find one, let alone trap one. Years later, the Detroit Zoo obtained ten wolverines from Alaska and lent two of them to Yost. On game days, the two wolverines were brought into Michigan Stadium and carried around in cages.
Yost had not accounted for the rapid growth and ferocity of the wolverines. They grew to the point at which no player wanted to be anywhere near them. The practice was used only in the 1927 season.
One of the wolverines was returned to the Detroit Zoo. The other, named Biff, was kept at the UofM zoo.
A live wolverine has not been on the sidelines for over 75 years. Fortunately, Michigan has never resorted to dressing up a student in a wolverine costume to prance around the stadium on game days.
Michigan’s Only Wolverine?
Most evidence suggests that no wolverine has ever roamed the Michigan wilds. There have never been a verified trapping, nor skeletal remains, nor verifiable sighting of a wolverine within Michigan’s boundaries.
That is, until 2004.
In February, 2004, a group of coyote hunters, assisted by their dogs, ran a wolverine up a tree in the thumb area of Michigan. A Department of Natural Resources biologist also saw it at close range and took a photograph.
How did a wolverine find its way to the thumb? That is a good question.
More On Wolverines
Wolverines are bulky, bear-like animals, and generally weigh between 20 and 40 pounds. They have extremely sharp teeth and claws. Wolverines may be the smallest and most powerful top-of-the-food-chain predator. They are noted for their strength, cunning, fearlessness and voracity. No animals, except humans, hunt wolverines.
A wolverine walks on the soles of its feet (as do bears and humans) and this allows it to move easily through soft, deep snow. They are generally found in the tundra regions of Alaska and Canada. There are some great pictures of wolverines on these National Georgraphic and blindkat sites.
Wolverines even have their own foundation and are a focus of the Endangered Species Coalition. They remain endangered due to loss of habitat and fur trapping.