Issue No. 41

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⚖️ It was a Crime in Michigan to Swear...

Digest Exclusive: While the state-level statute was struck down in 2002 and officially removed in 2015, identical local municipal ordinances remained technically active until individual cities discovered and voted to repeal them.

Some examples include the City of Lansing enacting Ordinance #1279 in 2021, Kalamazoo striking down Section 22-33 in 2022, and the City of Utica, which discovered its own municipal version of this law was still active and voted 4-2 to repeal it in January 2024.

🛶 The Case of the "Cussing Canoeist"

Digest Exclusive: During his trial, the judge instructed the jury that his guilt depended on whether he used the F-word as an adjective or a non-expressive exclamation.

Though Boomer argued that the statute violated his First Amendment rights, the local jury convicted him of the misdemeanor. The execution of the sentence was stayed pending appeal, meaning he never actually served the time or paid the fine.

🌲 Tim Allen: Voice of Michigan Tourism

Digest Exclusive: Schools all over the state would mail Tim Allen sweatshirts hoping his character, Tim Taylor, would wear them on air.

Costume supervisor Valerie Levin-Cooper admitted that the only non-Michigan slips were South Carolina's Wofford College and Ohio's Owens Community College—which were complete accidents!

Tip: Click the underlined title for any moment to watch on YouTube for free!

Janella from Facebook saw our “Cussing Canoeist” video within an hour of it being posted, and happened to know just who to tag. None other than the wife of Timothy Boomer.

Within a few hours of being tagged, Tim had shared our video, his kids, and family were commenting, and the power of the internet and Michigan history were in full force.

On June 14, 1671, a dramatic assembly of over two thousand Indigenous representatives from fourteen sovereign nations gathered at Sault Ste. Marie for the Pageant of the Sault.

This theatrical colonial event saw French representative Simon François Daumont, Sieur de St. Lusson, claim the entire interior of North America for King Louis XIV.

While French officials intended to assert absolute imperial submission, the participating Anishinaabeg and allied tribes interpreted the ceremony as a sacred diplomatic pact of mutual respect, trade reciprocity, and peaceful coexistence.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum is hosting an official celebration and offering free public ship tours on Saturday, June 20, 2026, honoring a historic vessel originally built during World War II as the largest heavy icebreaker to ever navigate the Great Lakes.

Today, visitors can walk through history by exploring the beautifully preserved mess decks, captain's quarters, and historic navigation hubs of this legendary vessel.

Plan your anniversary visit or learn more about the ship at the Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum website.

I’m still astounded by how fast our video reached Tim Boomer and his family all the way in South Carolina, where he now lives. That’s the best part about posting our free Michigan history videos online—they always find a way to reach people.

While the whole case of the "Cussing Canoeist" is fascinating, the real kicker is what we shared in our Digest Exclusive history above.

In 2024, the City of Utica only voted 4-2 to repeal its own version of the ancient swearing law. Times have definitely changed since 1897, but opinions on public profanity aren’t moving quite as fast.

Until next week, thank you for reading Michigan History Digest.
— Zac and the Welcome Home History Team.

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