Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) an inhabitant of Michigan.

1835		A. Parker A Trip to the West and Texas 87: The inhabitants [...] of Michigan are called wolverines; [...] of Missouri, pukes [DA].
1838		T. Haliburton Clockmaker II 264: There’s the hoosiers of Indiana, [...] the wolverines of Michigan, the eels of New England and the corn-crackers of Virginia.
1845		W.T. Porter Big Bear of Arkansas (1847) 14: Wolvereens, Suckers, Hoosiers, Buckeyes and Corncrackers, beside a ‘plentiful sprinkling’ of the half-horse and half-alligator species of men.
1846		Durivage & Burnham Stray Subjects (1848) 79: There is a swarm of ‘suckers,’ ‘hoosiers,’ ‘buckeyes,’ ‘corn-crackers,’ and ‘wolverines,’ eternally on the qui vive, in those parts.
1866		Montana Post (Virginia City, MT) 28 Apr. 4/1: The inhabitants of [...] Michigan [are called] Wolverines.
1871		Semi-Wkly Louisianan 31 Aug. 1/3: The Nicknames of the States [...] Maryland,crawthumpers; Michegan, wolverines; Minnesota, gophers; Mississippi, tadpoles; Missouri, pukes.
1885		North Amer. Rev. Nov. 433: Among the rank and file, both armies, it was very general to speak of the different States they came from by their slang names. Those from Maine were called Foxes; [...] Michigan, Wolverines.
1904		Grand Rapids Eve. Press 23 June 3: Wolverines At Fair Many Michigan Persons Enjoy the St. Louis Show [DA].
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.
1949		AS XXIV 300/1: As a Wolverine myself I am interested in information concerning it.
2010		J. Mabus ‘The Lights Are On in Michigan’ 🎵 Tough old wolverines in this northern stretch of land.