The Michigan and Ohio Rivalry Extends Far Beyond Football

Normally when you think of a Michigan/Ohio rivalry the University of Michigan and Ohio State University come to mind. There is an older rivalry that started back in 1787.

Rivalry Between Michigan and Ohio State

The University of Michigan and Ohio State football teams first met in 1897. The rivalry between the two teams really started in 1918 when the two teams have met every year since except for 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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The Michigan/Ohio State sports rivalry is one of the greatest in North American history but there is a rivalry between Michigan and Ohio that dates back much further than when college sports began between the two states and their respective universities.

What Michigan/Ohio Rivalry Was First?

There was a dispute between Michigan and Ohio over a strip of land between the two states. This dispute began in 1787 when Michigan was still a territory and Ohio was a state.

Maps were not what they are today so Michigan and Ohio were both claiming jurisdiction over a 468 square mile area along the border that was known as the Toledo Strip.

The dispute over the Toledo Strip went on for years and came to a head when Michigan wanted to become a state in the union in 1835. This is when the war began. If first started as a legislative war then militias were sent to opposite sides of the Maumee River near Toledo.

The War Between Michigan and Ohio

The battle over the Toledo Strip had several names depending on which side of the border you were on at the time. It was called the Toledo War, the Great Toledo War, the Michigan-Ohio War, or the Ohio-Michigan war.

This bloodless battle only lasted for a year. The only shots that were fired were in the air to intimidate the opposing side.

How Did The Toledo War End?

When Michigan petitioned for statehood they along with Ohio could not agree on a compromise regarding the Toledo Strip. Congress stepped in with a compromise that would give Michigan the Upper Peninsula and Ohio the Toledo Strip.

What is crazy is at the time, Michigan felt they got the short end of the deal acquiring 9,000 square miles of land north of the Mitten vs losing 468 square miles of land at the bottom of the state.

Later Michigan would learn acquiring the Upper Peninsula was the better of the deal after discovering all the copper, iron ore, and lumber that began to bring wealth to the state.