MARQUETTE, MI-- Northern Michigan University celebrated its 115th birthday Monday.
April 28 of 1899 Michigan Governor Hazen Pingree signed a bill authorizing what was then known as Northern State Normal School, which would focus on educating teachers. The bill allowed the state Board of Education to buy land, erect buildings, hire a faculty, and establish a curriculum.
A population boom in the U.P. in the late 19th century created a high demand for a normal school. Prominent citizens Peter White, Dwight Waldo, and John Longyear advocated for the establishment of such a school in Marquette.
A banquet for the five committee members of the state House of Education ended with a toast to Northern State Normal School, after which the officials waded into Lake Superior.