1686Military
The fort was built in 1686 by the French explorer Duluth.
1687Military
Intended by the French to bar English traders from the upper lakes, the fort in 1687 was the base of a garrison of French and Indian allies.
1688Military
In 1688 the French abandoned this fort.
1814Military
In 1814, following the War of 1812, the United States established Fort Gratiot at the base of Lake Huron.
1827Culture
Lumbering in the Port Huron region seems to have started on the Black River about 1827.
1829Disaster
The Fort Gratiot Lighthouse was built in 1829 to replace a tower destroyed by a storm.
1836History
But in 1836, under Indian Removal, the US forced the Ojibwa to move west of the Mississippi River and resettle in what are now the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota.
1856Military
== Notable people ==
Edward Goodrich Acheson (1856–1931), inventor of carborundum
Emma Eliza Bower (1852–1937) physician, club-woman, and newspaper owner, publisher, editor
Burt D.
1857Government
In 1857, Port Huron became incorporated.
1859History
In 1859 the city had a total of 4,031 residents; some 1,855, or 46%, were foreign-born or their children (first-generation Americans).
1867Infrastructure
Modeled on Port Huron's first baseball club from 1867, the Welkin Base Ball Club re-creates the time of baseball's roots.
1870Infrastructure
By 1870, Port Huron's population exceeded that of surrounding villages.
1871Infrastructure
In 1871, the State Supreme Court designated Port Huron as the county seat of St.
1884Government
This was soon followed by the establishment of the Excelsior Electric Company in 1884.
1886Infrastructure
==== Gas and Oil ====
The discovery of oil in nearby Petrolia, Ontario sparked an era of oil speculation, and lead to Michigan's first commercial oil well being drilled in Port ...
1888Architecture
The first was the Michigan Sulphite Fibre Company, later Port Huron Sulphite and Paper Company, which opened in 1888 and manufacturing paper clothing at a factory in along the B...
1889Crime
Port Huron was the site of a lynching of an African-American man in 1889.
1890Architecture
==== Steam Tractors ====
The Upton Manufacturing Company moved to Port Huron and began building steam tractors in 1890 under the name of the Port Huron Engine and Thresher Company.
1891Architecture
The tunnel was opened in 1891 and links Port Huron with Canada.
1895Military
In 1895 the village of Fort Gratiot, in the vicinity of the former Fort Gratiot, was annexed by the city of Port Huron.
1896Architecture
The hotel opened in 1896 and is a blend of Romanesque, Classical and Queen Anne architecture.
1901Disaster
Ships built by Jenks include:
SS Henry Steinbrenner - 1901 bulk freighter, lost in a storm on Lake Superior
SS John B.
1902Government
In 1902 the city of Port Huron secured money from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to erect a municipal library and arranged for matching operating funds.
1904Architecture
In 1904, a grand Beaux-Arts-style structure was built at a cost of $45,000.
1908Government
The tunnel operations were electrified in 1908; half a century later they were converted to use diesel fuel.
1910Economy
A total of 21 wells were drilled in the city by 1910, with "small amounts of oil and gas" discovered.
1911Architecture
==== Automotive ====
The Havers Motor Car Company produced cars in Port Huron from 1911 until 1914 in buildings previously used by the Port Huron Engine and Thresher Company.
1917Military
==== Munitions ====
Wartime also brought another industry to Port Huron: the Mueller Metals Company, which built a factory in Port Huron in 1917.
1920Architecture
Over 6,000 total units were built in Port Huron before the factory closed in 1920.
1924Architecture
was erected upon the shores of Lake Huron in 1924, just north of the Blue Water Bridge.
1925Civil Rights
WAFD signed on March 4, 1925, and signed off in 1926, with plans to relocate the station to Detroit.
1931Architecture
Built in 1931, the structure was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and was one of only six similar bridges remaining in the US.
1933History
The light, automated in 1933, continues to guide shipping on Lake Huron into the narrow and swift-flowing St.
1935History
From 1935 until 1970, the Huron was stationed in southern Lake Huron to mark dangerous shoals.
1938Architecture
WHLS, coinciding with the opening of the Blue Water Bridge, signed on in 1938.
1940History
After 1940 the Huron was the only lightship operating on the Great Lakes.
1947History
The Times Herald launched its own radio station in 1947 known as WTTH.
1949History
Tracks were lowered in 1949 to accommodate larger freight cars.
1950Economy
The gas business was later spun off into the Southeastern Michigan Gas Company in 1950.
1952Culture
John Wismer became part owner of the station in 1952.
1953Disaster
The city was hit by a violent F4 tornado on May 21, 1953, damaging or destroying over 400 structures, killing two, and injuring 68.
1955Military
The city received the All-America City Award in 1955 and 2005.
1956Culture
The Port Huron Civic Theatre began in 1956 by a group of theater lovers.
1962Infrastructure
In June 1962, the Port Huron Statement, a New Left manifesto, was adopted at a convention of the Students for a Democratic Society.
1967Architecture
In 1967, a larger public library was constructed.
1970Infrastructure
Retired from Coast Guard Service in 1970, she was presented to the City of Port Huron in 1971.
1975Government
“Scotty” Hanton in 1975, Port Huron city council named an annual marathon after the former mayor; the Scotty Hanton Marathon was contested annually in Port Huron from 1976 until...
1976Infrastructure
=== Mass transit ===
The Blue Water Area Transit system, created in 1976, includes eight routes in the Port Huron area.
1983History
Since 1983, it has used McMorran Place for its productions.
1986History
The hotel closed in 1986, but a group of investors bought the structure that same year to convert it into housing for senior citizens.
1987Economy
Eddy Company in 1987, which was acquired by Domtar in 1998.
1988Architecture
An addition was constructed in 1988.
1992History
WPHM got FM sister station WBTI in 1992.
1996Infrastructure
Port Huron was also represented in the Colonial Hockey League (also operating under the names United Hockey League and International Hockey League), with franchises from 1996 un...
1998Infrastructure
A reference to the Port Huron Statement was made in the Coen brothers 1998 film The Big Lebowski.
1999History
Wismer died in 1999.
2000Disaster
The Blue Water Bridge was used for a car crash and explosion scene in the 2000 flim Bless the Child.
2002Sports
Originally called the Border Cats, the team was renamed the Beacons in 2002, the Flags in 2005 and the Icehawks in 2007.
2003Economy
After a series of sales to larger corporations, including the James River Corporation, the mill was purchased by a private equity firm in 2003 which re-instated the Dunn name.
2009Infrastructure
In 2009, the TV show Criminal Minds used Port Huron and Detroit as locations for an episode involving crossing the border into Ontario.
2010History
=== 2010 census ===
As of the census of 2010, there were 30,184 people, 12,177 households, and 7,311 families residing in the city.
2011Infrastructure
McMorran Arena once again hosted indoor football with the Port Huron Predators of the Continental Indoor Football League in 2011.
2014Sports
The team moved to Connellsville, PA for the 2014 season.
2015Infrastructure
Joseph Mercy Port Huron hospital in September 2015 from Trinity Healthcare.
2017Infrastructure
On November 11, 2017, veterans from around the country, such as Dave Norris, Clitus Schuyler, and Lou Ann Dubuque, joined together at a cemetery in Port Huron to share the signi...
2018Culture
A memorial was installed in 2018 at the site, recounting Martin's history.
2021Infrastructure
Domtar closed the Port Huron mill in 2021.
2022Government
Federally, Port Huron is part of Michigan's 9th Congressional District, represented by Republican Lisa McClain, elected in 2022.
2023Military
In April 2023, the Pere Marquette Railway bascule bridge was demolished after a nearly decade long battle between preservationists and the Port Huron Yacht Club.
2024Government
The current mayor is Anita Ashford, who was elected in November 2024 to her first two year term after defeating eight term incumbent Pauline Repp.
2025History
A historical marker will be erected on the site in 2025.