First held in 1849 in Detroit, the location of the Michigan State Fair
rotated in the early years between Detroit, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo,
Adrian, Jackson, Grand Rapids, East Saginaw, Lansing, and Pontiac before
settling permanently in Detroit. When Detroit department store magnate
Joseph L. Hudson sold 135 acres of Woodward Avenue farmland to the
Michigan State Agricultural Society in 1905 for $1, the permanent home
of the Michigan State Fair was established. On February 12, 2009,
Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm signed an executive order
effectively ending a 160-year tradition--the Michigan State Fair.