Michigan History Sources - Primary Sources - U.S. History Digital Collections - Research Guides at Eastern Michigan University

Michigan History General Sources

Detroit: Looking Back to Move Forward (Oral Histories)
Searchable archive of photographs, manuscripts, maps, and other digitized primary-source materials related to Detroit and Michigan history.
Digital Public Library of America - Michigan
Photographs, manuscripts, records, and other primary source materials related to the history and experiences of the state of Michigan.
Detroit Public Library - Digitized Special Collections
Online archive of photographs, manuscripts, maps, and other digitized primary-source materials related to Detroit and Michigan history that are part of the library’s Special Collections.
Making of Modern Michigan
Search digitized local history from dozens of Michigan libraries, including photographs, newspapers, oral histories, family papers, maps, and community archives
Michigan Memories
Provides access to digital collections from cultural institutions throughout the state of Michigan.
Michiganology (formerly Seeking Michigan)
Digitized materials from the Library of Michigan and the Archives of Michigan.

Michigan Newspapers

Ann Arbor District Library - Old News
Searchable historical newspapers and photographs from Ann Arbor area publications, including the Signal of Liberty, the Ann Arbor Argus, the Ann Arbor Courier, and the Ann Arbor News.
Chronicling America: Michigan Newspapers
Search select Michigan historic newspaper pages from 1836 to 1963.

Detroit Free Press Historical (1831 - 1999)

Search and browse the Detroit Free Press backfile in pdf. Includes news, editorials, ads, photos, graphics.

Detroit News (1970 to present)
Also available at the University of Michigan's Hatcher Graduate Library from 1873 to present.
Digital Michigan Newspaper Portal
Michigan newspaper titles available online from various institutions including the Library of Congress.

Michigan Historical Newspapers

Search and browse the backfiles of Battle Creek, Lansing, and Port Huron newspapers in PDF. Includes news, editorials, ads, photos, graphics.

Upper Peninsula Newspapers
Cloverland Magazine, Escanaba (Daily Mirror, Morning Press and Daily Press, Tribune, and Iron Port), Grand Marais (Gazette, Herald, and Superior Sun [Grand Marais High School]), Ishpeming, Manistique (Courier, Pioneer Tribune, Saturday & Sunday Morning Star), Marquette, Negaunee, Nishnawbe News.

Digitized Collections - Michigan Archives, Repositories, & Special Collections

Benson Ford Research Center - Digitized Collections
Access to thousands of digitized artifacts and archival materials that document America’s story of innovation and ingenuity—from early industry through modern design.
Bentley Historical Library - Digitized Collections (University of Michigan)
Complete or large segments of various archival collections, such as alumni surveys, records of the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, photo albums, letters, and diaries.
Clarke Historical Library - Digital Collections
Michigan history materials including digitized newspapers, university archives, children’s literature, and other rare books and documents from the region.
Clements Library - Digitized Collections (University of Michigan)
Maps, prints, photographs, manuscripts, and books focused on the history of the Americas, especially from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Detroit Public Library - Digitized Special Collections
Online archive of photographs, manuscripts, maps, and other digitized primary-source materials related to Detroit and Michigan history that are part of the library’s Special Collections.
Michigan State University Archives & Historical Collections - Digitized Materials
Browse and search thousands of collections, with options to limit to digital materials and to explore by subjects, names, and more.
Michigan Tech Archives - Digital Collections
Access to selected digitized materials documenting Michigan Technological University and the Copper Country, including collections like the Copper Range Company Records and Winter Carnival.
Northern Michigan University Archives
Documents Northern Michigan University and the Central Upper Peninsula, with browsing by keyword name title subject and collecting area.
Use the "Limit to digitized material" option under "Limit by Record Type."
Reuther Library Image Gallery
Provides searchable photographs documenting American labor, metropolitan Detroit, and Wayne State University history across curated themes and collections.
Wayne State University - Digital Collections
Thousands of digitized primary sources such as photographs, yearbooks, campus and Detroit history collections, maps, and manuscripts.

Michigan Maps

Michigan County Histories and Atlases
An online collection of 428 Michigan county histories and atlases.

Sanborn Insurance Maps - Michigan

Detailed historical town and city maps from 1880s to 1950s
Subjects: Historic Preservation, Local History, Geography, Genealogy

Michigan Government Documents

Journal of the House of Representatives of the State of Michigan (1837-1977)
Digitized volumes of the official daily records of Michigan’s House proceedings, documenting bills introduced, committee actions, votes, and other legislative business rather than verbatim debate.
Documents Accompanying the Journal of the House of Representatives of the State of Michigan
A series of government documents that records reports, petitions, appropriations, and legislative proceedings submitted to the Michigan House of Representatives during its sessions.
Journal of the Senate of the State of Michigan (1837-1921)
Digitized volumes of the Senate’s official daily proceedings, with many full-view years available (for example, 1835 to 1836, 1841, 1861 to 1865, and 1891 to 1921) that researchers can use to trace bills, committee actions, and votes.
Documents Accompanying the Journal of the Senate of the State of Michigan
A series of government documents that records reports, petitions, appropriations, and legislative proceedings submitted to the Michigan Senate during its sessions.