Life Back Then: When Michigan Crowned Itself “Water Wonderland”

In the spring of 1953, Michigan made a bold branding decision, one that would echo for generations. With a single vote in Lansing, the state officially became “Water Wonderland,” a slogan meant to capture something Michiganders already knew by heart. Water isn’t just scenery here, it’s identity.

The Saline Observer’s May 28, 1953, edition reported that Michigan’s slogan had been selected as the winning entry in a statewide contest, beating out more than 20,000 submissions.

And the numbers backed it up. More than 11,000 inland lakes. Roughly 3,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline. About 8,000 miles of rivers and streams. Officials believed the slogan would do more than attract tourists. It would help sell Michigan itself, promoting agriculture, industry, and outdoor life all at once.

“Water Wonderland” was Michigan’s very first license plate slogan. It was used from 1954 to 1964 until the slogan changed to “Water-Winter Wonderland” in 1965. 

Seventy years later, “Water Wonderland” still resonates with the slogan being revived in 2024 as a license plate option. Recent commercial and industrial demands for Michigan’s water are reminding many people of what a wonderland the state is when it comes to freshwater abundance, and how carefully it must be understood, managed, and protected. Scientists have recently described Michigan’s groundwater as a “sixth great Lake.”

It appears on license plates, postcards, and memories, less a marketing slogan than a shared understanding. In 1953, Michigan didn’t just choose a phrase. It chose to name what it already was.