tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2056963350051652532024-03-17T13:39:55.459-04:00My MichiganEverything amazing about the Great Lakes State!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-2931087433924790292014-02-12T08:55:00.001-05:002014-02-12T08:55:45.614-05:00Michigan's "bearded lady," Grace GilbertDuring the late 19th and early 20th centuries, circus sideshows were popular forms of entertainment. Carnival barkers lured audiences into darkened tents with stories of tattooed men, sword swallowers, and human skeletons. Spectators thrilled to the daring deeds of strongmen, fire breathers, and glass eaters. And, of course, no sideshow was complete without a bearded lady. One of the era's most popular bearded ladies hailed from Michigan and is, in fact, buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in the northern Michigan community of Leetsville. That woman is Grace Gilbert.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwrgxCJNnBzFEwB6EaZ-tRdq8KjmuvcbLQTlgPvtxkvt7aXgKREjqu1FSP0VvyltziUnBMcm5nPSsI85kZ8HPE6FMZg5HSN2s_y6nV62b5_93quRwc-RBTZIPh5sjWJlu0zfa_SyK5RPw/s1600/Grace-Gilbert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglwrgxCJNnBzFEwB6EaZ-tRdq8KjmuvcbLQTlgPvtxkvt7aXgKREjqu1FSP0VvyltziUnBMcm5nPSsI85kZ8HPE6FMZg5HSN2s_y6nV62b5_93quRwc-RBTZIPh5sjWJlu0zfa_SyK5RPw/s1600/Grace-Gilbert.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace Gilbert, the "Bearded Lady"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Gilbert was born in Ohio in 1876, the youngest of Giles and Arosina Gilbert's four children. Within minutes of her birth, Gilbert's parents knew that something was different about their new addition. At an age when most babies have smooth, clear skin, the infant's body was covered with fine, silky hair that only became thicker as she aged. By the time Gilbert was 18 months old, a newspaper article was reporting that the hair on her head was a foot long, and that she had three- to four-inch-long whiskers on her face. The phenomenon, according to the reporter, was "the greatest living curiosity we have ever seen."<br />
<br />
As Gilbert reached adulthood, she realized that career opportunities (and, in all likelihood, marriage prospects) were limited for a woman with a full beard, so when she was 18, she began appearing in sideshows. In 1901, the same year that Gilbert moved with her family to Kalkaska County, she signed on with Ringling Brothers Circus, one of the nation's largest big tops. She was a sought-after attraction, as her beard, at 18 inches, was significantly longer than those of other bearded ladies at the time. In 1903, Gilbert left Ringling and joined its competitor, the Barnum & Bailey Circus. She stayed with Barnum until 1905, then signed on with a few other circuses, which afforded her the opportunity to tour England and France.<br />
<br />
Unlike many sideshow acts, bearded ladies didn't perform feats of strength or skill. Their only job was to appear before audiences in all their feminine, yet hirsute, glory. Personality-wise, Gilbert was very much a lady, and enjoyed stereotypically "female" pursuits like sewing. However, she also had a stocky physique that lent itself to physical labor. Gilbert was happy to use her strength to assist with chores around the circus, and often helped raise the big top (i.e., the main tent) at each new stop.<br />
<br />
By 1910, Gilbert had been traveling with sideshows for about 16 years. Despite the fact that she had been on the road for so long, she was able to find romance with a childhood sweetheart---Giles Calvin, whom she married that year during a ceremony in South Bend, Indiana. Gossips immediately got to talking, and not only because of the fact that the Bearded Lady was now married. Calvin was Gilbert's cousin, and Gilbert had, in fact, lived with him after her father died in 1907. The suspicious-minded insisted that the marriage was a publicity stunt. To prove them wrong, Gilbert announced her retirement from sideshows and went to work on her husband's farm in Kalkaska.<br />
<br />
However, by 1906, realizing that the circus life was more lucrative than farming, Gilbert returned to the circuit and began appearing at Coney Island, New York. For the next eight years, she and her husband spent summers at Coney Island, then returned to Kalkaska during the off season. Gilbert kept up this schedule until the winter of 1924, when she fell ill, complaining of a sore throat. Unfortunately, her ailment proved fatal, and she died on January 24. She was buried in Maple Grove Cemetery, next to her parents. Her husband joined her twelve years later, after he died in 1936.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Additional Information:</strong><br />
<br />
According to people who lived in the Kalkaska area at the same time that Gilbert did, the bearded lady was forced to wear a veil around town so that her appearance wouldn't startle pregnant women who might be walking along the street with her.<br />
<br />
What caused Gilbert's hairy countenance? While it can't be stated for certain in her case, many "bearded ladies" have hormonal imbalances or a disorder known as hypertrichosis, both of which can cause abnormal hair growth.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-84218887476756669662014-02-05T09:24:00.004-05:002014-02-05T09:24:59.128-05:00Michigan's winter recordsIf you're anything like me, you're sick and tired of winter (and have been since the first snowflake of the season fell). In the interest of helping us weather (pun intended) the ridiculous amounts of snow and the bitter polar winds that have kept much of the state under advisories for days at a time, I thought I'd uncover some facts about winter extremes in Michigan. Maybe by reading about the crazy conditions that have occurred throughout history, we can put our current cold snap in perspective. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnpCdDAva2JA0NmJFeeTdyZWikjOWDmcdGmP4NhBIfAcZosd0tfd5uJLECjii-D8GoNB2HV_6egnaZYG27OHQvvgzB5Q_CUllWubpZgmhy5dWwcMyeBfigT1RGl4J03iCMQe89PdnO5QR/s1600/Grumpy+Cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnpCdDAva2JA0NmJFeeTdyZWikjOWDmcdGmP4NhBIfAcZosd0tfd5uJLECjii-D8GoNB2HV_6egnaZYG27OHQvvgzB5Q_CUllWubpZgmhy5dWwcMyeBfigT1RGl4J03iCMQe89PdnO5QR/s1600/Grumpy+Cat.jpg" height="194" unselectable="on" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
1. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Michigan (not including wind chill) was -51 degrees Fahrenheit. The lucky recipient of that weather was the Otsego County village of Vanderbilt, which hit the mark on February 4, 1934. <br />
<br />
2. During the winter of 1978 to 1979, 335.90 inches of snow fell at the Michigan Tech Keweenaw Research Center in Calumet. That's the highest seasonal snowfall total the state has ever seen, and is roughly equivalent in height to an 11-story building.<br />
<br />
3. The record for the deepest snow in Michigan at one time is 117 inches, which the community of Eagle Harbor, in the Keweenaw Peninsula, sat under from January 27 through January 31, 1948.<br />
<br />
4. The community of Herman, in Baraga County, received a state-record-setting 32 inches of snow in a single day, December 2, 1985.<br />
<br />
<br />
Do any of these facts make you feel better about our current situation? Me neither, but at least it's February and hopefully we can see a light, very far away, at the end of the tunnel. In the meantime, dress warm, drive carefully, and stay safe! <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTGHK-S7CXP7dLKDonN6ZCsZ4MJN6QA3HyINeJhoG7d83-57WUJwiPMKYdqta9574OxWyxlAoPgxWbEjGywjGW6DXwjbvo0IoCvyuFbKZblMnHTo_KbP4pxGZ8gV6TEssJ_Q4eOg10FRD/s1600/HENRY+137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTGHK-S7CXP7dLKDonN6ZCsZ4MJN6QA3HyINeJhoG7d83-57WUJwiPMKYdqta9574OxWyxlAoPgxWbEjGywjGW6DXwjbvo0IoCvyuFbKZblMnHTo_KbP4pxGZ8gV6TEssJ_Q4eOg10FRD/s1600/HENRY+137.jpg" height="200" unselectable="on" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dog Henry, frolicking in the grass last spring, also says<br />
to bring your pets inside when the temperatures drop. <br />
Thanks, Henry, for the reminder, and for the glimpse of green.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-57379344073355867012014-01-24T11:10:00.000-05:002014-01-30T10:46:20.796-05:00Baby Face Nelson robbed a Grand Haven bankA few weeks ago, my husband and I finally entered the 20th century (yes, I know I said 20th century...that's how far behind the times we were) and got expanded cable service. Thanks to the wonders of technology, we have access to more than one hundred channels, 95 percent of which we'll never watch. (But we do have the Big Ten Network, so it's all good.)<br />
<br />
Anyway, I was wiling away an afternoon flipping through our dozens of stations when I came upon a program about John Dillinger, he of the Depression-era, "Public Enemy Number 1" fame. The show mentioned the fact that Baby Face Nelson, one of Dillinger's partners in crime, got his start as a gang leader after robbing a bank in Grand Haven. I had never heard that story before, so I did some research to learn more about it. Here's what I found out.<br />
<br />
The man who became Baby Face Nelson was born Lester Joseph Gillis in Chicago in 1908. (During his criminal years, he used the pseudonym George Nelson, which explains his new last name; I'll get to the "Baby Face" part shortly.) Nelson became a ne'er-do-well at a young age. By the time he was 13, he had been arrested twice. Throughout his teen years, he took part in robberies and bootlegging operations. Reports differ regarding the source of Nelson's nickname, but a commonly told story is that he picked it up in 1930, when the wife of Chicago's mayor, from whom Nelson had stolen $18,000 worth of jewelry, described the culprit as having "a baby face" and being "hardly more than a boy." (Nelson was said to have hated the nickname, but it became so well known, he was stuck with it.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnUih3vfVPveYmsAASAWYoux48ZwJTTq_NIurH40oLP9NMia1fmo7rKi-TCgsvGE9wCTtZJ5_Gl6vBGrknYtmF_Lt9yOnfPAI6DPc5zAlkecTydbiksnI7Fqh9V1NLmbewK8hPMrTh9RZ/s1600/baby-face-nelson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnUih3vfVPveYmsAASAWYoux48ZwJTTq_NIurH40oLP9NMia1fmo7rKi-TCgsvGE9wCTtZJ5_Gl6vBGrknYtmF_Lt9yOnfPAI6DPc5zAlkecTydbiksnI7Fqh9V1NLmbewK8hPMrTh9RZ/s1600/baby-face-nelson.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lester Joseph Gillis, aka, Baby Face Nelson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Nelson's connection to Grand Haven began when he met fellow career criminal Eddie Bentz, with whom Nelson decided to plan a bank robbery. Up to that point, Nelson's involvement in bank heists had been as part of larger gangs. This time, he wanted to be one of the head honchos. Bentz scoured bank records and posed as a prospective customer to gain insight into the physical setups of financial institutions throughout the Midwest. Eventually, he decided that the People's Savings Bank in Grand Haven was a good target. Bentz and Nelson gathered together a crew of miscreants, and made plans to rob the bank on August 18, 1933.<br />
<br />
The result was like a macabre version of a "Three Stooges" short. Nelson and Bentz had amassed four men to help them. Three of those men would rob the bank, while a fourth would drive the getaway car. When the gang burst through the doors of People's Savings Bank at around 3 p.m., they brandished machine guns and ordered everyone---a cashier, a teller, three other employees, and three customers---to hit the floor. In the ensuing tumult, the teller, Arthur Welling, pressed an alarm that alerted the police, as well as the owner of the business next door. That man, Edward Kinkema, grabbed a shotgun and ran from his shop toward the bank. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNwfp2sodPt4T5Z_I3Djq74Y7VKnmNz-8U_T4lwOawH6jELxrvkxaCZlmHOZ2x1HAzw3Ct0vn3LN8K2GTKA3q_6U9I3_gW2PZVjCYHhA6L_286pjmVRobswLUt0vAg32N4LFtEUX7fwIk/s1600/People's+Bank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNwfp2sodPt4T5Z_I3Djq74Y7VKnmNz-8U_T4lwOawH6jELxrvkxaCZlmHOZ2x1HAzw3Ct0vn3LN8K2GTKA3q_6U9I3_gW2PZVjCYHhA6L_286pjmVRobswLUt0vAg32N4LFtEUX7fwIk/s1600/People's+Bank.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People's Savings Bank, Grand Haven, circa 1900</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Here's where things got a little loopy. The getaway driver, who has never officially been identified, took one look at Kinkema's gun and drove away, leaving his compatriots to fend for themselves. With the alarm ringing, Nelson and his crew knew their time was running short, so they used frightened bank employees as human shields and made their way out a side door. A growing crowd of armed Grand Haven residents met them. The result was a volley of gunfire during which the bandits shot four citizens. (Fortunately, none of the wounds was mortal.) However, Kinkema and a few other residents were able to subdue one of the robbers, a man named Earle Doyle, who was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison. The remaining gangsters, including Nelson, commandeered a nearby vehicle and made their getaway. <br />
<br />
They may have escaped, but Nelson and his crew weren't out of the woods yet. The criminals sped away from Grand Haven, stole another car, then headed toward Indiana. They were within spitting distance of the Hoosier State when their vehicle suffered a flat tire near Hudson, a community in Lenawee County just north of the Michigan/Indiana border. At that point, Nelson and his crew stole a third car and, finally, made it to Indiana. In 1933, bank robberies were considered state crimes, not federal crimes, so Michigan police couldn't cross the border to catch their prey. The result? Nelson and his gang got away scot-free, though with only a fraction of the money they had stolen from the People's Savings Bank. Having left most of the cash behind during their getaway attempt, the crooks netted a take of only $2,300.<br />
<br />
The robbery hadn't gone according to plan, but the fact that he had gotten away with it gave Nelson the confidence he needed to helm his own gang of thieves. Throughout the following year, he crisscrossed the nation, leaving a trail of robberies and murders in his wake. However, Nelson's career as a criminal mastermind didn't last long. After federal agents killed John Dillinger in July 1934, Nelson became Public Enemy Number 1. A few months later, in November 1934, he died during a shootout with FBI agents outside Chicago. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcwqrL2fZPEja_f8AhcZrVgLJcVIFd9-WLdqFETRaFp9hBNnSGx-bxa1dXE5sB_pMR7nK6294dNg7-EWkzMWTsJZGLLt76e0KGAzRRN_QX1UNBO9G6pjCDRNoWzMt-kK8uvyOej8PXYiP/s1600/Newspaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcwqrL2fZPEja_f8AhcZrVgLJcVIFd9-WLdqFETRaFp9hBNnSGx-bxa1dXE5sB_pMR7nK6294dNg7-EWkzMWTsJZGLLt76e0KGAzRRN_QX1UNBO9G6pjCDRNoWzMt-kK8uvyOej8PXYiP/s1600/Newspaper.jpg" height="273" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newspaper reporting on the death of Baby Face Nelson, as well as<br />
the deaths of two federal agents who were killed during the shootout.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Nelson differed from the "Robin Hood"-type criminals that Depression-weary Americans admired. Unlike many gangsters, he had no qualms about killing innocent bystanders during his heists, so the nation heaved a collective sigh of relief when his reign of terror was over. Michiganders likely took extra solace from his death, as they no longer had to fear that the gangster would return to wreak havoc in the state that had helped start his career as a gang leader.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Additional information:</strong><br />
<br />
In response to incidents like the Grand Haven bank robbery, during which criminals escaped prosecution simply by crossing state borders, the United State government passed the National Bank Robbery Act of 1934, which made the robbery of certain banks a federal, not a state, offense. This gave law enforcement personnel more leeway in apprehending criminals, and also allowed for stiffer penalties for those convicted of robbery-related crimes.<br />
<br />
The building that housed the People's Savings Bank still stands, and is located at 300 Washington Avenue. It now houses a branch of Chase Bank.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-14698240705647122022014-01-24T08:54:00.001-05:002014-01-24T09:02:25.880-05:00People you might not have known were from MichiganEvery Michigander knows that Madonna hails from the Great Lakes State. The fact that Tim Allen comes from Michigan is old news, and celebrities like Jeff Daniels, Michael Moore, and Eminem have incorporated the fact that they're from Michigan into their movies, documentaries, and music, so their status as Michiganders is fairly obvious.<br />
<br />
But what about the lesser-known Michigan celebrities? By that, I mean celebrities who aren't necessarily any less famous or important than the celebrities listed above, but simply those whom not many people realize are from Michigan. This post gives them their due. Read on to learn about stars of stage and screen you never realized once lived (and, in some case, still do live) in Michigan.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT15s7-shEKheEzFQBOLJqR0anDoLVU6eZIxiVjW-UK40EJ51BfR7lKnnJYziH-HTRVFUeIg-5aTsoJskXwxPF9uZ6iKmC7qjNNO6PgJT3P0E5SewevVvoWYE6J0C7V9wybk3qh8_adTbL/s1600/Ken+Jeong.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT15s7-shEKheEzFQBOLJqR0anDoLVU6eZIxiVjW-UK40EJ51BfR7lKnnJYziH-HTRVFUeIg-5aTsoJskXwxPF9uZ6iKmC7qjNNO6PgJT3P0E5SewevVvoWYE6J0C7V9wybk3qh8_adTbL/s200/Ken+Jeong.png" height="200" width="158" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken Jeong</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
1. <strong>Ken Jeong</strong>---Wait, what? Yep, "Senor Chang," the Spanish teacher from the television show <em>Community</em>, was born in Detroit. He's probably more famous to other audiences as gangster "Leslie Chow" from the <em>Hangover</em> movies. Another mind-blowing fact: Before he became an actor, Jeong was a physician, and is in fact still licensed to practice in the state of California. Wrap your mind around that while you watch this clip from <em>Community</em>. (In order to keep this site PG-rated, there's no way I can, in good conscience, include any of his scenes from <em>The Hangover</em>.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I_43IeRtr8" target="_blank"><em>Link to YouTube video of Senor Chang</em></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFmZ5buaU-v5Hsyy01O-Fr_zUaW8syW3aoED-jkirA4I3Fz3ZzrlQBmpkvzk3kKYP_3HyVUcK-WnFSQfaaEhOimvbepDBEw9X22kBiZugQ8UGYg9SuH1NIUtaODligisn1SV7JtmgTHCI/s1600/Terry+o+quinn.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFmZ5buaU-v5Hsyy01O-Fr_zUaW8syW3aoED-jkirA4I3Fz3ZzrlQBmpkvzk3kKYP_3HyVUcK-WnFSQfaaEhOimvbepDBEw9X22kBiZugQ8UGYg9SuH1NIUtaODligisn1SV7JtmgTHCI/s200/Terry+o+quinn.png" height="200" width="136" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terry O'Quinn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
2. <strong>Terry O'Quinn</strong>---Fans of the television show <em>Lost</em> known Terry O'Quinn as the mysterious "John Locke," a role for which he won an Emmy in 2007. O'Quinn was born in Sault Ste. Marie and raised in Newberry, and attended Central Michigan University. Another fun fact: His last name is actually Quinn. He changed it when he was a budding actor and learned that another performer was working under the name Terrance Quinn. Here he is at work in <em>Lost.</em><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZNLlql7bpA" target="_blank"><em>Link to YouTube video of John Locke</em></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XnzOqd6_HTr1UNOs-zbI4ta6iv9ACk0UUUW1vuui_8Q1_znvfe-JhGmv5UPUOl9LE45TlKhizEl_8AlDbU1VmFPeCIJBLO8mZieBifeUYePbCrwKmPdxTkPMGIyMNw3FPtkn-jdbPlyb/s1600/Elaine+Stritch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XnzOqd6_HTr1UNOs-zbI4ta6iv9ACk0UUUW1vuui_8Q1_znvfe-JhGmv5UPUOl9LE45TlKhizEl_8AlDbU1VmFPeCIJBLO8mZieBifeUYePbCrwKmPdxTkPMGIyMNw3FPtkn-jdbPlyb/s200/Elaine+Stritch.jpg" height="181" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elaine Stritch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
3. <strong>Elaine Stritch</strong>---Elaine Stritch is a Tony Award winner (and multiple nominee) who has plied the stages of Broadway and the West End for decades. I'm slightly ashamed to say that the only reason I know of her is that she played Jack Donaghy's cantankerous mother on the television show <em>30 Rock</em>. (However, she was one of my favorite characters in that show.) Stritch was born in Detroit, and recently moved back to Michigan (Birmingham, to be exact) to be closer to her family. Here's a clip of Stritch singing one of her signature songs, "Here's to the Ladies Who Lunch," from the musical <em>Company.</em><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMhNih637yI" target="_blank"><em>Link to YouTube video of Elaine Stritch</em></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOP0lPATtWE04Rwe0TgEyL3a383qq05kVWafvpZZyp2A_WoLTzKFJ8U7zQgWFVxsIZbcE7odBHhD6axdzQWZIF_NmFe-CubkdpMPscQygFZF5lsFt23nRIpgN-Hk02hWsEDb0mEnfO_nV/s1600/James+Caan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOP0lPATtWE04Rwe0TgEyL3a383qq05kVWafvpZZyp2A_WoLTzKFJ8U7zQgWFVxsIZbcE7odBHhD6axdzQWZIF_NmFe-CubkdpMPscQygFZF5lsFt23nRIpgN-Hk02hWsEDb0mEnfO_nV/s1600/James+Caan.png" height="200" width="134" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Caan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
4. <strong>James Caan</strong>---Admittedly, Caan's days in Michigan were few---he attended Michigan State University during the 1956-1957 academic year before returning to his native New York City. Still, he made a mark on campus. Caan was a member of the football team (he later noted that his position was "tackling dummy") and studied economics. After leaving MSU, he became an actor and got his big break in 1971 when he starred as Brian Piccolo in the movie <em>Brian's Song. </em>A year later, he received an Academy Award nomination for his role as Sonny Corleone in <em>The Godfather</em>. Here's a clip from <em>The Godfather</em>, showing Caan in action:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EaR5x3Mh6M" target="_blank"><em>Link to YouTube video of Sonny Corleone</em></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2JKqqGfVyfTzm2bgUR45P7bxpc1vQmAxla141LG_sCT_dCcBAxZWL-UQ1fkjUswp3s91g2lEtP8MaFsSSWaUB-55vfSVTDZAG04MQ3AmvThv3dVgL4tRh13wyy8nZqTo3YiGUN4Okhrv/s1600/Dick-York.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2JKqqGfVyfTzm2bgUR45P7bxpc1vQmAxla141LG_sCT_dCcBAxZWL-UQ1fkjUswp3s91g2lEtP8MaFsSSWaUB-55vfSVTDZAG04MQ3AmvThv3dVgL4tRh13wyy8nZqTo3YiGUN4Okhrv/s1600/Dick-York.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dick York</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
5. <strong>Dick York</strong>---Best known as the "first Darrin" from the 1960s sitcom <em>Bewitched</em>, York was born in Indiana and grew up in Chicago, but spent the last years of his life in Rockford, Michigan, where he's buried in Plainfield Cemetery. York spent five seasons on <em>Bewitched </em>before the chronic back pain he received during a previous project forced him to leave the show. Eventually, York moved to Rockford, where he became bedridden from emphysema. He died at the age of 63 in February 1992. <em>Bewitched</em> clips featuring York are hard to come by on YouTube (most of what I've found are entire episodes), but here's a segment with York, along with his TV daughter, wife, and mother-in-law:<br />
<br />
<em><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNXfUp4e53I" target="_blank">Link to YouTube video of Darrin Stephens</a></em>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-5000495524763299452014-01-22T08:35:00.002-05:002014-01-22T08:35:33.892-05:00Meet a few of Michigan's heroes from World War IIFollowing up on my posts about Michigan's connections to the <a href="http://michi101.blogspot.com/2014/01/civil-war-stories-from-michigan.html" target="_blank">Civil War</a> and <a href="http://michi101.blogspot.com/2014/01/michigan-in-word-war-i.html" target="_blank">World War I</a>, here are a few biographies of Michiganders who performed heroic deeds during World War II. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-cMdr6s2b2j5-aRmTNRSY-A9xd9ACWsCSKdrUcaHCHkoDWb3wJBrQzEWeIorUYpX1aJx3RmnO55_zKTx5TeH0J4LvNdM1EtAH3rxYMWtWC0w0-Z0rbmdbr1v6ratDSwmg0I9uPp2FXZl/s1600/Beyrle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-cMdr6s2b2j5-aRmTNRSY-A9xd9ACWsCSKdrUcaHCHkoDWb3wJBrQzEWeIorUYpX1aJx3RmnO55_zKTx5TeH0J4LvNdM1EtAH3rxYMWtWC0w0-Z0rbmdbr1v6ratDSwmg0I9uPp2FXZl/s1600/Beyrle.jpg" height="200" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joseph Beyrle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />On June 6, 1944, Muskegon native <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Joseph Beyrle</b> was piloting a C-47 aircraft over the French coast.
It was D-Day, when thousands of Allied troops swarmed the beaches of Normandy
in an attempt to wrest France from German control. Axis forces attacked Beyrle’s
craft, and Beyrle was forced to jump his way to safety. He evaded German forces
for a few days, but eventually was captured and imprisoned. He escaped several
months later and fought alongside the Soviet Army (another member of the Allied
forces) for a month before making his way to the American embassy in Moscow and
returning home in April 1945. Beyrle’s service with the Soviets made him the
only American soldier to serve in both the American and Russian armies during
World War II. He died in 2004 at the age of 81 and is buried in Arlington
National Cemetery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfrScSPfVHCn54rsmRVyP2mzLrVFYeuoX2-GqVFqwgjOoCHXnxfH5lsWAcR07eQMZYt0N-yX3iibtfdZIndZPGMnNbAAjr3wGWBTsHEk_TNMY2K96S6JAGPeVi-JDZsY3b2btFKLNpKv8/s1600/USMC-Cannon-2b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfrScSPfVHCn54rsmRVyP2mzLrVFYeuoX2-GqVFqwgjOoCHXnxfH5lsWAcR07eQMZYt0N-yX3iibtfdZIndZPGMnNbAAjr3wGWBTsHEk_TNMY2K96S6JAGPeVi-JDZsY3b2btFKLNpKv8/s1600/USMC-Cannon-2b.jpg" height="200" width="163" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George Cannon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">George Cannon</b> was
the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor during World War II, an award
that, sadly, he died while earning. Cannon grew up in Detroit and graduated from
the University of Michigan. He joined the Marines in 1938 and eventually became
a first lieutenant. Not long after the United States entered the war, he saw
action on Midway Island, an American holding in the Pacific Ocean that was a
frequent target of Japanese offensives. On December 7, 1941, the same day the
Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, they also launched an assault on Midway. During
the encounter, a shell exploded near Cannon’s command post, seriously injuring
him and several of his men. Cannon refused to leave until the other men had
been taken to safety, and even after that, stayed at his post until other
soldiers forcibly removed him. Cannon died from loss of blood, and was buried
in Honolulu at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimP2_WaZ8pnl-k1Fhg2amtXBkFiJj2vDvJvyjy1XfbVgfxc0uIA9uGdLsyYQ2od5ckCSZusLLV7jFQMNoKuXcat7YNnl21UCc3vLRLoYJurx-kewJZ6mV1ryBVxd3JmnvCNB3_9AXszd1v/s1600/Hammerberg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimP2_WaZ8pnl-k1Fhg2amtXBkFiJj2vDvJvyjy1XfbVgfxc0uIA9uGdLsyYQ2od5ckCSZusLLV7jFQMNoKuXcat7YNnl21UCc3vLRLoYJurx-kewJZ6mV1ryBVxd3JmnvCNB3_9AXszd1v/s1600/Hammerberg.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Francis Hammerberg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was February 17, 1945, a few months before the end of
World War II, and two Navy divers at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii were trying to
tunnel under a vessel stuck in forty feet of water. Suddenly, the wreckage collapsed,
trapping the men under a mass of steel. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Francis
Hammerberg</b>, a boatswain’s mate second class who had been born in Daggett
and had grown up in Flint, dove to the rescue. He freed one man and was helping the other when a second cave-in pinned Hammerberg on top of the trapped
diver. The two were eventually rescued, but Hammerberg died from his injuries.
The men he assisted survived. Hammerberg received the Medal of Honor for
his bravery, and is buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvEPlTi7gKv6EcuIdjGfYTSyR7H3d3HCbS5zea75rQuZI8nB4w_fIKtrrbn-cHJvXejArOYAf8rX5-AgDwmp4vQRLQLbwdwSeXfSYMrSeOnj5dlJO375PpY1_QMGsVJkujlXHBgCPc8eJ/s1600/love_96-15604_350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvEPlTi7gKv6EcuIdjGfYTSyR7H3d3HCbS5zea75rQuZI8nB4w_fIKtrrbn-cHJvXejArOYAf8rX5-AgDwmp4vQRLQLbwdwSeXfSYMrSeOnj5dlJO375PpY1_QMGsVJkujlXHBgCPc8eJ/s1600/love_96-15604_350.jpg" height="200" width="136" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nancy Harkness Love</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nancy Harkness Love</b>
could fly an airplane with the best of them. Born in Houghton, Love had taken
to the skies as a teenager, and continued piloting into adulthood. Shortly
after the United States entered World War II, she helped create the <span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, which, a few years later, became</span>
the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). The organization gave non-combat
flying tasks to female pilots, thereby freeing male Air Force pilots for
battle. The women handled such duties as hauling artillery targets and delivering cargo. The WASP wasn’t officially part of the military, so its
members had to wait several decades until the government, in 1977,
recognized them as veterans. Unfortunately, Love wasn’t around to see that day.
She had died a year earlier, in 1976, at the age of 62. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-76314609265930094262014-01-15T08:02:00.000-05:002014-01-15T08:07:22.525-05:00Michigan in World War I<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Following up on yesterday's <a href="http://michi101.blogspot.com/2014/01/civil-war-stories-from-michigan.html" target="_blank">post</a> about Michigan's involvement in the Civil War, here are a few stories about the ways Michiganders made their mark on the war effort during World War I.</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0DJuE3_wOTjbmQX2lJ9JL_QKziCmWX_m5BpPD80Q3vsbg3DT0LqX8uxHKKW3CI7MUXiMvz8WrGnedVtXnCWKZrl2q7NEoo5AEBGrHBfS0I2pdnDkchjRjpGljXAfqarrGsg3su4J-j89/s1600/Harry+Hill+Bandholtz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0DJuE3_wOTjbmQX2lJ9JL_QKziCmWX_m5BpPD80Q3vsbg3DT0LqX8uxHKKW3CI7MUXiMvz8WrGnedVtXnCWKZrl2q7NEoo5AEBGrHBfS0I2pdnDkchjRjpGljXAfqarrGsg3su4J-j89/s200/Harry+Hill+Bandholtz.jpg" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harry Hill Bandholtz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A statue of Constantine native <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Harry Hill Bandholtz </b>stands outside the American embassy in Budapest,
Hungary. The statue honors the work that Bandholtz did to help restore normality
to that country after World War I. During the war, Bandholtz served as a
brigadier general, then as Provost Marshal General (basically, the guy in
charge of the military police) for the American Expeditionary Force in France. After
hostilities ended, Bandholtz was America’s representative on the Inter-Allied
Supreme Command Military Mission, which is a fancy way of saying that he helped
disarm Hungary’s military. (Hungary was one of the Central Powers that lost the
war to Allied forces, including the United States.) Bandholtz also made sure
that occupying troops left the country, and saved countless treasures in Hungary’s
national museum from Romanian looters, allegedly by threatening the thieves
with a riding crop. He died in 1925 at the age of 61 and is buried in the
Constantine Township Cemetery.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASHjJwgnferi2SNl1WfBF-j9q18oCaY9G53YDy8gXVghP5RjGWFWVBib_XHT9LWgewKJr1F3g9TVDxXhm2nQ_zJmdqlHRGMb1ZmLfgpz9v7BG1vitT7haQLRKW7AvxT1LhkiXPScxcxNV/s1600/Joseph+Guyton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASHjJwgnferi2SNl1WfBF-j9q18oCaY9G53YDy8gXVghP5RjGWFWVBib_XHT9LWgewKJr1F3g9TVDxXhm2nQ_zJmdqlHRGMb1ZmLfgpz9v7BG1vitT7haQLRKW7AvxT1LhkiXPScxcxNV/s320/Joseph+Guyton.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joseph Guyton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Like many patriotic young men, Evart native <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Joseph Guyton </b>enrolled in the infantry
during World War I. In 1918, he traveled to France, where he operated a machine
gun. On May 24 of that year, Guyton was at the front line of a battle in the
German territory of Alsace when an enemy bullet struck him in the head, killing
him instantly. Guyton’s death gave him the unfortunate distinction of being the
first American soldier killed in German-occupied land during World War I. He’s
buried in Evart’s Forest Hill Cemetery. As an even-sadder coda, Guyton’s wife,
Winona, died of the flu a few months after his death, and his only child, 11-year-old
Olive, died of pneumonia five years later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDZpmu9hIEc7xPTPx4lQ63VG50P5WMYL6L3afMGhr_d_s1f4Iqf0iUANOPNn2dzbC7AGlnS3C5c5BObg4SeJSJLYez9D3r3dCOrVxMi_Wsz4J48qa-2j6PRNHmTNW1HB1HNbjfRl5xrsA/s1600/Robert+Robinson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDZpmu9hIEc7xPTPx4lQ63VG50P5WMYL6L3afMGhr_d_s1f4Iqf0iUANOPNn2dzbC7AGlnS3C5c5BObg4SeJSJLYez9D3r3dCOrVxMi_Wsz4J48qa-2j6PRNHmTNW1HB1HNbjfRl5xrsA/s1600/Robert+Robinson.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert Robinson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A bit of warning: this story isn’t for the faint of heart,
especially those who get squeamish over injuries. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Robert Robinson</b>, a native of Wayne, was a Marine gunnery sergeant
fighting enemy aircraft over Belgium when his plane experienced mechanical problems
and became separated from the other craft in his formation. Twelve planes
attacked Robinson and his pilot, but despite the fact that Robinson was shot 13
times, and received an injury so severe that a tendon was literally the only
thing keeping his lower left arm attached to his elbow, he shot down one of the
planes attacking him. Robinson’s aircraft eventually made it to the ground, his
arm was saved, and he received a Medal of Honor for his bravery. Robinson spent
his remaining years in St. Ignace, where he died in 1974 at the age of 78. He’s
buried in Arlington National Cemetery.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-66918582130310152612014-01-14T16:14:00.001-05:002014-01-14T16:20:44.315-05:00Civil War stories from Michigan<span style="font-family: inherit;">Michigan might not have been a hotspot of battle and intrigue during the Civil War, but our state still made a significant mark on the War Between the States. Following are stories about various war-related people and events that have a connection to the Great Lakes State. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6bSRKaVG3MLu5LcmS20mZf7bLjn2nSTA6j06VUdRtovhT1fXZugJycPgs3wRzJm1NaCzs9Hy4draxsO40vEhTrW9zJU_6x-C-jHYAYQnk4KLGeaMGfQ1XStVewLSZfV5-e0zylQlqUJc/s1600/frank+baldwin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6bSRKaVG3MLu5LcmS20mZf7bLjn2nSTA6j06VUdRtovhT1fXZugJycPgs3wRzJm1NaCzs9Hy4draxsO40vEhTrW9zJU_6x-C-jHYAYQnk4KLGeaMGfQ1XStVewLSZfV5-e0zylQlqUJc/s200/frank+baldwin.png" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank Baldwin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Manchester native <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Frank
Baldwin</b> received not one, but two Medals of Honor—the highest military award
a serviceperson can receive—for bravery during and after the Civil War. Baldwin
earned his first medal for actions he took in July 1864, when, as a captain in
the 19th Michigan Infantry, he led a countercharge against Rebel forces in Georgia
that led to the capture of two Confederate officers. He earned his second medal
after the war, in 1874, when, as a first lieutenant in the 5th U.S. Infantry, he
helped rescue two girls from Native Americans who were trying to kidnap them.
Baldwin is one of only 19 servicemen to receive more than one Medal of
Honor. He died in 1923 at the age of 80 and is buried in Arlington National
Cemetery.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiMA80qh3tYeC1eL6PR1OBMFllW-1MZUz5uqbmI0Nqk8RCdXNBs3Wm4OVU7CwO_6_BZAw41c_NGaxflZPatdG3BJg2SMHh4PFvFOREY1YGrgEp__Wl4zHL045AMMcX7JTrx2h5ARVGAVW/s1600/Johnny-Clem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiMA80qh3tYeC1eL6PR1OBMFllW-1MZUz5uqbmI0Nqk8RCdXNBs3Wm4OVU7CwO_6_BZAw41c_NGaxflZPatdG3BJg2SMHh4PFvFOREY1YGrgEp__Wl4zHL045AMMcX7JTrx2h5ARVGAVW/s320/Johnny-Clem.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johnny Clem</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Johnny Clem</b> was
10 years old when his mother died in 1861. Heartbroken, he ran away from his
home in Newark, Ohio, and tried to join the 3rd Ohio Infantry as a drummer boy.
The 3rd Ohio refused him, as did his next choice, the 22nd Michigan Infantry.
Clem tagged along with the 22nd Michigan anyway, and, despite his youth, saw a bit of
action on the battlefield. He shot a Confederate general during the Battle of
Chickamauga (earning him the rank of sergeant and the nickname “The Drummer
Boy of Chickamauga”), and was briefly detained by Rebel forces in Georgia.
Following the Civil War, Clem continued his career in the military, from which
he retired in 1915. He died in 1937 at the age of 85 and is buried at Arlington
National Cemetery.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjq1jD7MGRilrHeMog0UxQ63MczdUlBF6DoHaUcr-qWYmd_mUgx-isS-RaQiT1iryYgpxSZe8H0KN2hVdU0NHKklgOv8qAMMnl7dNhBaYPgrhQkrLzQHX9VVeoJdqcDPmqc4FE20IQqM5/s1600/Custer_Portrait_Restored.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjq1jD7MGRilrHeMog0UxQ63MczdUlBF6DoHaUcr-qWYmd_mUgx-isS-RaQiT1iryYgpxSZe8H0KN2hVdU0NHKklgOv8qAMMnl7dNhBaYPgrhQkrLzQHX9VVeoJdqcDPmqc4FE20IQqM5/s200/Custer_Portrait_Restored.jpg" width="171" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George Armstrong Custer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Probably the most famous military man to come out of
Michigan is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">George Armstrong Custer</b>,
who grew up in Monroe. Though he graduated last in his class at the United
States Military Academy in West Point, New York, Custer proved adept at leading
troops on the battlefield. During the war, he quickly rose through the ranks,
becoming general of the Michigan Cavalry Brigade when he was only 23 years old.
Custer was involved in several of the war’s major conflicts, including the
Battle of Gettysburg and the Battle of the Wilderness. He was also present when
Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant
at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia in April 1865. Custer left military service
after the war, but eventually signed back on and took part in campaigns against
Native Americans in the west. He died in the Battle of Little Bighorn in the
Montana Territory on June 25, 1876.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3QVDOfmF1EjBRmqKsz5rShrHaBPYVMkQIekSYapSGAdHB-xgQ5GxwwMIA3Cp0hEun1XiZyHLwAwyPeMCjDQbfVUegKd2u3RJjSRh9tpjxTrFS0OvJwaHZ0nfYS1u_gAJr4av15Dlv2Ah/s1600/Harrison_H__Jeffords.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3QVDOfmF1EjBRmqKsz5rShrHaBPYVMkQIekSYapSGAdHB-xgQ5GxwwMIA3Cp0hEun1XiZyHLwAwyPeMCjDQbfVUegKd2u3RJjSRh9tpjxTrFS0OvJwaHZ0nfYS1u_gAJr4av15Dlv2Ah/s1600/Harrison_H__Jeffords.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harrison Jeffords</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dexter native<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Harrison
Jeffords</b> held the American flag in such high regard that he died defending
it. Jeffords, a colonel in the 4th Michigan Infantry, was traveling around
Michigan, recruiting soldiers for the war effort, when a group of women in Monroe
gave him an American flag to use as his regiment’s standard. Jeffords promised
that he would guard the flag with his life. He followed through on that promise
in July 1863, on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. During a retreat
from Rebel forces, the 4th Michigan’s color-bearer dropped the flag
that Jeffords had received in Monroe. Jeffords got into a skirmish over it with
a Confederate soldier and received a bayonet wound, dying of his injuries the
next day. Jeffords was the highest-ranked officer, Union or Confederate, to be
bayoneted during the war, and is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Dexter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pvwMH7wDQx0XEQDA1qa2obEX5U-khlFu67ozQPZixQFPyC4mtnBvPmwBtlJFBJ46OxI5SuXRMxzHn6QwqGqUVXoMvrfas4KeB3KL8FYbXBmnYzWyDts3ITbhIx8KoptTAYjppxQFTxxz/s1600/Sarah-Emma-Edmonds-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pvwMH7wDQx0XEQDA1qa2obEX5U-khlFu67ozQPZixQFPyC4mtnBvPmwBtlJFBJ46OxI5SuXRMxzHn6QwqGqUVXoMvrfas4KeB3KL8FYbXBmnYzWyDts3ITbhIx8KoptTAYjppxQFTxxz/s200/Sarah-Emma-Edmonds-2.jpg" width="151" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah Emma Edmonds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Franklin Thompson was a little different from the other
members of the 2nd Michigan Infantry. From the outside, he looked like any
other soldier, but on the inside, he was all woman. That’s because Franklin
Thompson was actually <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sarah Emma
Edmonds</b>, a Flint resident who, in a fervor of patriotism, cut her hair,
donned men’s clothing, and became a soldier. Undetected, she worked first as a
field nurse, then as a spy. When Edmonds contracted malaria, she deserted
before a medical exam could expose her true identity. After the war, Edmonds’
story was revealed, and she settled into domestic life, getting married, having
three children, and eventually receiving a pension for her wartime service.
Edmonds died in 1898 at the age of 56.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnmG8cf-n3Mj1w-nClhwjvWRzhHu0Hyz1j5I3KBug5BBT7lD5TfCHA5rqFqK6-JhpN06rsPwJbiOqHp76hJ7p3KmuyaxhYmTr2lXQV4mUl3bP6Xh99Ucf8-L9JuWWyJy52OX_Jkd9vjgW/s1600/Annie-B-Etheridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnmG8cf-n3Mj1w-nClhwjvWRzhHu0Hyz1j5I3KBug5BBT7lD5TfCHA5rqFqK6-JhpN06rsPwJbiOqHp76hJ7p3KmuyaxhYmTr2lXQV4mUl3bP6Xh99Ucf8-L9JuWWyJy52OX_Jkd9vjgW/s200/Annie-B-Etheridge.jpg" width="165" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna Etheridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Anna Etheridge</b>
might not have been a soldier, but she showed the bravery of one. As a nurse
and vivandiere (in other words, someone who sells provisions to soldiers) for
the 2nd and 3rd Michigan Infantries, she brought water to dying combatants and
pulled wounded men from the field of battle. During one skirmish, she got so
close to the action that a minie ball pierced her hand. Etheridge was known as
“Gentle Annie” to the men she served. Her kindness and courage were so well-known
that she was one of only two women to receive the Kearny Cross, a Union award
given to individuals who showed bravery and heroism. Etheridge died in 1913 at
the age of 73, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BUbi14o8hUhcgLhNnx4bOgSrZAvm5fTY7GNI6VhgoqVII54o4e6CvGVjIPpmXydozFvfaVt4MFCNQ51jFiXjpgXNGgOcrMaDXT5dgMpW9A2b2_Dc-LyYyQNk8wFlMbVhmMartVVWPflp/s1600/fourth+michigan.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BUbi14o8hUhcgLhNnx4bOgSrZAvm5fTY7GNI6VhgoqVII54o4e6CvGVjIPpmXydozFvfaVt4MFCNQ51jFiXjpgXNGgOcrMaDXT5dgMpW9A2b2_Dc-LyYyQNk8wFlMbVhmMartVVWPflp/s200/fourth+michigan.gif" width="173" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4th Michigan Cavalry flag</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">When the Confederacy dissolved in May 1865, its president,
Jefferson Davis, became a hunted man. Davis fled the Confederate capital of
Richmond, Virginia, and began heading west, many believed to re-establish the
Confederacy on the western frontier. If it wasn't for the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">4th Michigan Cavalry</b>, he might have succeeded. Members of the unit,
along with soldiers from the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry, captured Davis, his family,
and several members of his staff and household in Irwinsville, Georgia on May
10. Despite rumors that Davis tried to hide his identity by wearing a hoop skirt
and sunbonnet, a soldier from the 4th Michigan reported that Davis had, in
fact, been wearing only his wife’s dress and shawl over a man’s suit. The
soldier didn’t seem to hold that fact against Davis, noting, “that was a
perilous moment for [him]. He had the right to try to escape in any disguise he
could use.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvMJ6gVvIJAvXl5jH2HCUaTlLSTeAiMxmgpfVqs5_c7Ct61MXCM6GVTIWZlw2i4VndZpeFi7lI1SZUE9rswSE96OJldQ2SXltiAGtjCp5GEiW5DDix31raNwoEPO3trg6dpVRmU8h6rYS/s1600/sultana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvMJ6gVvIJAvXl5jH2HCUaTlLSTeAiMxmgpfVqs5_c7Ct61MXCM6GVTIWZlw2i4VndZpeFi7lI1SZUE9rswSE96OJldQ2SXltiAGtjCp5GEiW5DDix31raNwoEPO3trg6dpVRmU8h6rYS/s200/sultana.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sultana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Union soldiers who boarded the steamship <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sultana</b> in Vicksburg, Mississippi on April
24, 1865 were exhausted and disheveled, but above all, excited. They had just
been released from Confederate prisoner-of-war camps, and the Sultana was
taking them home. Among the group of nearly 2,500 passengers were more than 250
soldiers from Michigan. Legally, the ship could hold only 376 people, but the
more men the Sultana’s owners could cram aboard, the more money they made, so
passengers literally stood shoulder-to-shoulder. Around 2 a.m. on April 27, one
of the Sultana’s boilers exploded, causing two more boilers to explode as well.
The ship burst into flames and sank, resulting in the deaths of about 1,600
passengers. The explosion of the Sultana remains the biggest maritime disaster
in American history, but because it occurred shortly after the war ended and President
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, it remains largely unknown today. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQeCTHXmu1-iOvSDoY8q9qyB-OSjvVPwh2X5j6Qbg8WlfIqNvaWpRoMIp6-82HoASGOTn8biDCHIkdGnFymXYjWfJZQdcuQt-OhEMX6h9209YVImJc6ltPni5gsZ3TVP8uwOop3Z7Jf98A/s1600/abraham-lincoln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQeCTHXmu1-iOvSDoY8q9qyB-OSjvVPwh2X5j6Qbg8WlfIqNvaWpRoMIp6-82HoASGOTn8biDCHIkdGnFymXYjWfJZQdcuQt-OhEMX6h9209YVImJc6ltPni5gsZ3TVP8uwOop3Z7Jf98A/s200/abraham-lincoln.jpg" width="151" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You know who this guy is.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Michigan was a step ahead of other states in recruiting
volunteers to fight in the Civil War. Even before hostilities began in April
1861, the state legislature had authorized the governor to create two militia
regiments should the need arise. In addition, the city of Detroit, as well as
the state government, donated a combined $100,000 to outfit the soldiers with
clothing and provisions. President Abraham Lincoln was so pleased to see
Michigan soldiers march into Washington, D.C. on May 16, 1861—the first combatants
to arrive from a western state—that he is reported to have said, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Thank God for Michigan!”</b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-81472769576694026732014-01-10T08:28:00.003-05:002014-01-10T08:38:55.787-05:00How the Spartans got their name<span style="font-family: inherit;">A belated congratulations to the Michigan State University football team for winning the 2014 Rose Bowl! In honor of their victory, here's a post that describes how the school's nickname became the "Spartans." </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZGHD6tdKCeATd2CxExHm1gqAxfy-0c-hqtzyPpZ954wMwfp5d8wkiHxWavKcDiRuYpI9IH8KC-MUI0xD_3nAxsFxEcw-5DDuHlOGa-T4EEXtlinYb2H04nDOkNVeoqEqoHXPGiz2J_BA/s1600/Spartan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZGHD6tdKCeATd2CxExHm1gqAxfy-0c-hqtzyPpZ954wMwfp5d8wkiHxWavKcDiRuYpI9IH8KC-MUI0xD_3nAxsFxEcw-5DDuHlOGa-T4EEXtlinYb2H04nDOkNVeoqEqoHXPGiz2J_BA/s1600/Spartan.jpg" height="232" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This guy.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If it weren’t for a sneaky sports editor named George
Alderton, Michigan State fans would be heading to Stater Stadium on crisp fall
weekends to cheer on the Stater football team. Wearing Stater sweatshirts, they
would fill the stands and pull Stater blankets around their wind-whipped
shoulders. Maybe they would applaud a school mascot named Statey as he flexed
his muscles and danced along to the Stater fight song.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For helping prevent this craziness, I think we can agree
that Alderton deserves a big “thank you."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The story behind MSU’s almost-nickname begins in 1925, when
Michigan Agricultural College changed its name to Michigan State College (MSC). By
the mid-1920s, the school was offering degrees in areas other than agriculture,
so along with its new name, school officials wanted a new nickname, something that
would replace its current moniker, the Aggies. The <em>Lansing State Journal</em>, the
local newspaper, held a contest to solicit ideas. Out of several entries, a
winner emerged. This name, school officials hoped, would embody the school’s dynamic
spirit and propel MSC from its agricultural roots into a world that valued strength
and achievement.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">That name was….the Staters.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">That’s right, the school’s sports teams and students would
be known as the Michigan Staters. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Alderton, the <em>State Journal</em>’s sports editor, had the same
reaction to “the Staters” that you’re probably having right now. He figured the
contest must have elicited at least a few names that were more exciting (and
headline-friendly) than the word “state” with an “r” on the end, so he asked to
see the losing entries. Among them, he found a slip of paper bearing the term
“Spartans.” Alderton thought the name was a big improvement, and started using
it instead of “Staters” in <em>State Journal</em> sports stories. Eventually, Dale
Stafford, the sports reporter from <em>Lansing Capital News</em>, a rival newspaper, started
referring to MSC athletes as “Spartans” in his stories, as did reporters from
the college’s student publication. The name continued to spread, and from that point
on, Michigan State’s student body and athletes have been known as the Spartans.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong>For more information:</strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Unfortunately, the new nickname led to this <a href="http://onthebanks.msu.edu/Object/1-4-A33/sparty-mascot-1958/" target="_blank">thing</a>, but that's the subject for an entirely different post.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-44888771753310673682013-11-13T10:34:00.002-05:002013-11-13T10:34:41.225-05:00An announcement...Sorry I've been offline for a week or two. Life's been crazy in various good ways, but the main reason for my brief hiatus is that...I'm working on a book! I'm starting a series of "Michigan 101" books that will feature stories similar to what I publish on the website. Each book will focus on a particular topic, and will include about fifty articles. I'll be selling them as Kindle books to start, but hope to eventually have hard copies for sale as well. <br />
<br />
My first two books (set for publication in the first few months of 2014, knock on wood) will be about MSU and U of M. Each will feature stories about the schools' history, buildings, legends, unique people, crimes, sports teams, and pretty much whatever else I can dig up. Keep an eye on Michigan 101 for updates as to when they'll be available for purchase!<br />
<br />
In the meantime, while I'm working on the books, I won't be posting as much on Michigan 101, but I'll try to have new posts at least one or two times a week. <br />
<br />
If you have any suggestions for interesting stories I could include about either U of M or MSU, let me know! (And I know the two schools are rivals, but let's keep it civil...Michigan 101 appreciates EVERYTHING about the state of Michigan, whether it pertains to a Spartan or a Wolverine.) :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-26448686278089393512013-10-31T14:37:00.002-04:002013-10-31T14:46:18.247-04:00Le Nain Rouge: Detroit's "red dwarf"If you're ever in Detroit and see a goblin-like creature heading toward you, clad in fur boots and rocking red eyes and rotting teeth, you might want to head the other way (and, ladies, not just because it might be a creepy guy trying to hit on you). The creature is probably Le Nain Rouge, "the red dwarf," who, for more than three centuries, has appeared in Detroit to signify the impending occurrence of something bad.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_xNZsFHpW-CjP4uK35qTnu2wjJtH_3JfqM5kWi7TrSwa429RpVsxgv1u_Ra1hZBpl9CucBT9kW2a78_AxOncaQuSDk1FwJpzqnV-gGUhRzUeKU2GpXZdoz2_l9Jq_7D7AZaEnhyphenhyphenbniz3/s1600/Nain+Rouge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_xNZsFHpW-CjP4uK35qTnu2wjJtH_3JfqM5kWi7TrSwa429RpVsxgv1u_Ra1hZBpl9CucBT9kW2a78_AxOncaQuSDk1FwJpzqnV-gGUhRzUeKU2GpXZdoz2_l9Jq_7D7AZaEnhyphenhyphenbniz3/s320/Nain+Rouge.png" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I would think the simple fact that the dwarf<br />
appeared would be bad enough itself.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Stories of Le Nain Rouge encounters have been around since at least 1701, when Detroit's first white resident, Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac, is said to have met the dwarf shortly after arriving from Canada. Cadillac chased away Le Nain Rouge, but couldn't escape its prediction of doom, for the explorer ended up losing his fortune not long after the encounter. <br />
<br />
Le Nain Rouge has appeared in Detroit several other times, dancing and doing back flips (as one does) before tragic events in the city. A partial listing of the crises that drew Le Nain Rouge to Detroit includes:<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>*</strong>1763---the Battle of Bloody Run, in which Ottawa Chief Pontiac's men killed several British soldiers who were attempting to end a Native American siege of Fort Detroit. (In this case, looked at from Pontiac's point of view, Le Nain Rouge was basically a good luck charm.)<br />
<br />
<strong>*</strong>1805---the Detroit fire, during which the city was, for all intents and purposes, destroyed.<br />
<br />
<strong>*</strong>1812---the surrender of Detroit to British forces during the War of 1812.<br />
<br />
<strong>*</strong>1967---the Detroit riot, which lasted five days, cost forty-three lives, and led to arson- and looting-related damages of 40 million to 80 million dollars.<br />
<br />
<br />
Though most residents of a city that has its own harbinger of doom might shy away from provoking it, Detroiters do the opposite. Since 2010, the city has held the "<a href="http://marchedunainrouge.com/" target="_blank">Marche du Nain Rouge</a>," a parade and festival during which participants burn an effigy of the dwarf, thereby banishing him from Detroit for a year. Festivalgoers wear costumes so that the dwarf won't know who they are in case he somehow returns to wreak vengeance.<br />
<br />
Taking the opposite tack, the <a href="http://detroitbeerco.com/Default.aspx" target="_blank">Detroit Beer Company</a> decided to honor Le Nain Rouge by naming a beer after it. "Detroit Dwarf" lager has become the company's house specialty. Maybe someday, if Detroiters can arrange a truce with their impish terrorizer, Le Nain Rouge will be more than happy to settle down on a bar stool, a pint of Detroit Dwarf in hand, and regale the city with tales of mischief and devilry. Until then, every year during the Marche du Nain Rouge, Detroiters will have to tell the little guy, "Sorry...you gotta go."Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-14586198617436693762013-10-30T14:56:00.002-04:002013-10-30T17:20:57.548-04:00The true story behind the Mayo Hall haunting<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If the stories are to be believed, a ghostly presence stalks
Mayo Hall, a dormitory in the West Circle complex on the north side of Michigan State University.
For decades, students who lived in the Tudor-style building have reported eerie
goings on—strange noises, lights that turn on and off, a piano that plays by
itself. Some residents have seen the apparition of a woman, while others report
being watched by the piercing eyes of the dorm’s namesake, Mary Mayo, as she
stares at them from a portrait on the first floor.</span> </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqALFpBDJkEsHSrw4SN_l4b9inO6AGdbBUB40iWvLL0L1u5shZie8E7rMis_MtuauX8rhjkGmAHJl5mOkQM0WrHsv3iMcveuf7xPzy6Nl30cD90n6al9VxOjINuhnTPd-HmoMQjRX4rQ-W/s1600/Mary+Mayo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqALFpBDJkEsHSrw4SN_l4b9inO6AGdbBUB40iWvLL0L1u5shZie8E7rMis_MtuauX8rhjkGmAHJl5mOkQM0WrHsv3iMcveuf7xPzy6Nl30cD90n6al9VxOjINuhnTPd-HmoMQjRX4rQ-W/s320/Mary+Mayo.png" width="259" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portrait of Mary Mayo. Okay, I'll admit I'd be a little <br />
freaked out if I thought that she was watching me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whether or not Mayo Hall is home to a ghost may be up for
debate, but the fact remains that several of the rumors that led to Mayo Hall’s
reputation as the most haunted building at Michigan State are simply not true.
Believers insist that it’s Mayo’s ghost that haunts the building, and that she
either killed herself or was murdered. Some versions of the story hold that she
actually died in Mayo Hall itself. The truth is that Mary Mayo died in 1903 after
an illness, and did so a full 28 years before the residence hall bearing her
name was even built. That’s not to say that her ghost doesn’t haunt the
building. However, it does beg the question: Why, if Mary Mayo is the hall’s
ghostly resident, would she spend her afterlife scaring students in a
building that, when she died, didn’t even exist?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_4-igbb4folV70y_zstDP_RRL0B-6dLKqIAwdyH-SwhPYYUncwfTt7Kx5JMGcL6gK6sO5ZCVqhB8rQumsZ8bdD_B1AKL3hLZPnUvNgpx_szOWPO_90sXUOxL3RCaXR0pMzPcNfVOceyx/s1600/Mayo+Hall.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_4-igbb4folV70y_zstDP_RRL0B-6dLKqIAwdyH-SwhPYYUncwfTt7Kx5JMGcL6gK6sO5ZCVqhB8rQumsZ8bdD_B1AKL3hLZPnUvNgpx_szOWPO_90sXUOxL3RCaXR0pMzPcNfVOceyx/s320/Mayo+Hall.png" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mayo Hall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nothing in Mayo’s background indicates that she would become
what many believe is Michigan State’s most notorious specter. Born in 1845 in
Battle Creek, she married husband Perry in 1865, and raised two children, a son
named Nelson and a daughter named Nellie. Mayo was a teacher, and believed that
women should have access to a quality college education. As a member of the
Grange, a nationwide social and advocacy group that promoted the interests of
rural residents, she spoke about the need to create women’s programs in
universities, including Michigan State (which at the time was called State
Agricultural College). Her wish came true in 1896 when SAC created a women’s
curriculum. Mayo died a few years later, in 1903, and is buried in Austin
Cemetery in Calhoun County’s Convis Township.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Her earthly remains may rest in southwest Michigan, but apparently
many people believe that Mayo’s spirit traveled sixty miles north to spend
eternity in a Michigan State dormitory. Reports of hauntings have persisted
since Mayo Hall opened as a woman’s residence hall in 1931. The rumors passed
from one class to another, and became even creepier when students began talking
about a “red room” on the building’s fourth floor, where unknown people were
said to have conducted satanic rituals. Spirits are mysterious creatures, so
the question of whether or not Mayo Hall is haunted may never be answered.
However, we do know that Mary Mayo was a groundbreaking crusader for the rights
of women in academia, and it’s this achievement—not the possibility that she
wreaks ghostly havoc in Mayo Hall—that should be her real legacy.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-19152712363075074752013-10-29T09:12:00.001-04:002013-10-29T14:54:18.809-04:00"Thelma" haunts the Kalamazoo Civic TheatreThis past weekend, my husband and I took a "ghost tour" of Kalamazoo. It was sponsored by the Kalamazoo Jaycees, which runs the "<a href="http://www.ghostsofkalamazoo.com/" target="_blank">Ghosts of Kalamazoo Historic Tour</a>" as a fundraiser for Warm Kids, an organization that provides winter weather gear to children who need it. The tour schedule has wrapped for the year, but keep an eye out for the next round of tours during the 2014 Halloween season. We had a great time, and learned a lot about the history of downtown Kalamazoo as well as the ghostly inhabitants that haunt it.<br />
<br />
One of the stories our tour guides mentioned was about "Thelma Mertz," a ghost that is said to lurk the halls of the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre at 329 S. Park Street. No one really knows when Thelma began her supernatural wanderings, but reports of her ghost have been made since at least the 1950s. Thelma's true identity is a mystery, as is her real name. (She became "Thelma Mertz" in the 1970s, when members of a summer youth program at the Civic gave her the moniker. I wonder if she's any relation to Fred and Ethel.) <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispIErmJGgAUeRj7g96I-NPFqzXcvFMJWxGJ2gF4jMFeMxq8clSDwL0DonMd0uJpizqwRlWKMCWVJFrz-jqdB_sglhS8zY2XszgpQB2N-KqY7HSgxM4J9kGrn3e911FRIcGMa8JFOBXV8K/s1600/Kalamazoo+Civi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispIErmJGgAUeRj7g96I-NPFqzXcvFMJWxGJ2gF4jMFeMxq8clSDwL0DonMd0uJpizqwRlWKMCWVJFrz-jqdB_sglhS8zY2XszgpQB2N-KqY7HSgxM4J9kGrn3e911FRIcGMa8JFOBXV8K/s320/Kalamazoo+Civi.png" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, home to Thelma the ghost</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Whoever she is, Thelma seems to be a benign spirit, preferring mischief to terror. The Civic's flesh-and-blood inhabitants have reported the sound of footsteps walking across the stage when no one was on it, and have also felt a ghostly presence, as though some unseen person was in the room with them. Thelma has played the theatre's piano, then stopped when someone entered the room to check on the noise. Sometimes Thelma moves items across a room, or opens and closes dressing room doors. Her playfulness isn't restricted to backstage areas. On occasion, actors report, she has messed with their costumes while they were onstage. <br />
<br />
For the most part, Thelma's pranks are harmless, and while some Civic Theatre regulars believe her story is more legend than reality, almost all of them embrace their unknown visitor. Like curtain calls and standing ovations, Thelma has become a part of the theatre itself.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-88411326018162443612013-10-25T16:11:00.000-04:002013-10-25T16:25:22.526-04:00Annie Edson Taylor: Niagara daredevilMost people find the thought of dropping over Niagara Falls in a barrel unappealing, to say the least. A few young daredevils might consider it the "ultimate rush" (or whatever the kids are saying these days), but most of us who are happily settled into adulthood need nothing more than to look at a photo of the falls, or maybe gaze at them from behind the safety of a barrier, to satisfy our desire for adventure.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlck3J9Cfk9-D2ydkZEkmHO1KLj8h8D5EvJs7OFPJeKmMFQFGWG4FIADJ_elhlFTgrBsXNWvF5cuq6jPxDnSVgjDuQ9lQl_6RxPVRauwGSNom2LKhl5K4ZNntBHR-WqFfRUCVmocqCynHI/s1600/Niagara+Falls.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlck3J9Cfk9-D2ydkZEkmHO1KLj8h8D5EvJs7OFPJeKmMFQFGWG4FIADJ_elhlFTgrBsXNWvF5cuq6jPxDnSVgjDuQ9lQl_6RxPVRauwGSNom2LKhl5K4ZNntBHR-WqFfRUCVmocqCynHI/s320/Niagara+Falls.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, that about does it for me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Technically, Bay City resident Annie Edson Taylor wasn't looking for a thrill so much as a paycheck when she became the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. However, Taylor was definitely at an age when most Michiganders were dipping into their pensions, not plunging 167 feet over one of North America's best-known waterfalls. Taylor made the trip on October 24, 1901---her sixty-third birthday.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisC80MvZ3tXWjuJpJcfyfC0S1eTelVzuJAcXqq8ue0Q6j1-ZZFlWC_h_WCGm0G-GSqHQSa4AhslGwzE08hAqgWfB1MbEaWwq9T-CQ7b64Uv9r6Agdn5VST8EdVDOyxha3I2L8-RY5JB38G/s1600/Annie+Taylor.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisC80MvZ3tXWjuJpJcfyfC0S1eTelVzuJAcXqq8ue0Q6j1-ZZFlWC_h_WCGm0G-GSqHQSa4AhslGwzE08hAqgWfB1MbEaWwq9T-CQ7b64Uv9r6Agdn5VST8EdVDOyxha3I2L8-RY5JB38G/s320/Annie+Taylor.png" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annie Edson Taylor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Taylor was born in 1838 in Auburn, New York, and experienced tragedy at an early age. Her father died when she was 12, and her only child with husband David Taylor died a few days after birth. David himself died not long after, in the Civil War. The newly widowed Taylor moved around the country looking for work, and eventually ended up in Bay City, where she opened a dance school at the corner of Center Avenue and Saginaw Street. She attracted a number of students, but, because she tried to maintain the well-to-do lifestyle she had enjoyed as a child, she quickly spent most of her money. In 1900, Taylor moved to Sault Saint Marie, where she taught music, but still wasn't earning enough to support herself. Taylor and a friend traveled to Mexico City, where they hoped to find jobs, but had no luck. Defeated, Taylor moved back to Bay City and considered ways she could avoid the poorhouse.<br />
<br />
After reading a newspaper article that mentioned Niagara Falls, Taylor hatched a plan. The falls, located along the border of New York State and Ontario, were a major tourist attraction. Taylor figured that, by becoming the first person to survive a barrel plunge over them, she could parlay her experience into fame and fortune. She approached staff members at the West Bay City Cooperage Company to design a barrel that could withstand the tens of thousands of cubic feet of water that plunge over the falls every second. She also solicited local promoter Frank M. Russell to serve as her manager. The cooperage came up with an oak-and-iron barrel that Taylor could stuff with a mattress to cushion herself from the beating she would take in the rapids below the falls. The barrel also contained an anvil at its bottom, so that it would stay balanced in the roiling water. Thus equipped with her ticket to wealth, Taylor headed for the falls on October 12, 1901.<br />
<br />
Taylor may have been desperate for money, but she wasn't crazy. Before she took her historic plunge, she wanted to see whether the barrel---and consequently, she herself---would survive it. A few days before her scheduled trip, Taylor stuffed into the barrel what at the time was the world's unluckiest cat, and sent it over the Horseshoe Falls, the largest of Niagara's three cascades. Surprisingly, the cat survived, and Taylor posed for photos with it, determined that she, too, would live through the ordeal.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYYkJEdquiQNPKC61XPQScxcv1AbbYn_wQrdZzmlo0DONKeDSOd3cESv4595KCgAm-u4fb_Usbia-pWfzsNXUHS1wbKm0kWmPA_qs-m5356u-hbFcZxfSoRdrkxGOV2BBvCXQmx6R1AqC/s1600/Annie+and+cat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYYkJEdquiQNPKC61XPQScxcv1AbbYn_wQrdZzmlo0DONKeDSOd3cESv4595KCgAm-u4fb_Usbia-pWfzsNXUHS1wbKm0kWmPA_qs-m5356u-hbFcZxfSoRdrkxGOV2BBvCXQmx6R1AqC/s320/Annie+and+cat.png" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's give credit where credit's due; technically, the cat was the first<br />
living thing to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
On October 24, 1901, Taylor and a few helpers crowded into a rowboat in the Niagara River, ready to make history. Taylor's helpers held the barrel at the rowboat's edge and Taylor climbed in, clutching a lucky pillow to her chest. Her associates secured the lid, then compressed the air inside the barrel with a bicycle pump. They used a cork to plug the air hole, and set the barrel adrift, watching as it began the first portion of its twenty-minute journey to the Horseshoe Falls. Taylor's trip over the waterfall itself lasted a few seconds, but her barrel remained at the falls' base for a significant amount of time before rescuers could retrieve it. Nervous about whether the barrel had, in fact, become Taylor's coffin, rescuers opened it to find a bewildered but very much alive Taylor, who had survived the ordeal with nothing more than a cut on her head---though she latter gave the press some choice words about her experience. "I would sooner walk up to the mouth of a cannon, knowing it was going to blow me to pieces, than make another trip over the fall," Taylor said.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yXT2sw4JRjMOY2enWKoJW_o_WfIZ3qJgEd5l00xv-kEssgzJfbrNYnJwFykzaUhBjFOpYwOnmp4-aUZ6sR9Vh1UL0bEauoLw4Vkb3XLRqXffqvUagbqBpPlAN1fn7j4aSYh_c5lgVjCp/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yXT2sw4JRjMOY2enWKoJW_o_WfIZ3qJgEd5l00xv-kEssgzJfbrNYnJwFykzaUhBjFOpYwOnmp4-aUZ6sR9Vh1UL0bEauoLw4Vkb3XLRqXffqvUagbqBpPlAN1fn7j4aSYh_c5lgVjCp/s320/1.png" width="259" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taylor being helped to shore after her trip over the falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Her goal achieved, Taylor got ready to rake in the money. However, her luck after the falls escapade was just as bad as her luck had been before it. Russell, the manager she had brought with her from Bay City, made off with Taylor's barrel, and she spent a significant amount of money on private investigators to track it down. Though Taylor earned some cash posing for photos and selling souvenirs, she ultimately had to pursue other lines of work to make ends meet. Poverty-stricken, Taylor died in 1921 at the age of 82. Though Taylor's deed failed to bring her material wealth, it did write a place for her in the history books. Taylor is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Niagara Falls, New York, in an area known as the "stunter's section," which is the final resting place of individuals who made names for themselves by challenging one of the continent's mightiest waterfalls.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>For more information:</strong><br />
<br />
Annie Edson Taylor isn't the only Michigander to travel over the Horseshoe Falls. In 2003, Canton resident Kirk Jones made the trip---and did so by himself, with no barrel or gear to protect him. The 40-year-old was unemployed, and said that his plunge over the falls was a suicide attempt, though his family said he had undertaken the stunt as a way to become famous and make money. Jones jumped into the Niagara River a mere twenty feet from the Horseshoe Falls, then pulled himself out of harm's way once he reached the bottom. Emergency responders took Jones to a hospital, but he suffered nothing more than a few minor rib injuries. Jones's trip over the falls ended up costing him money. Officials arrested him for causing mischief and performing a stunt in Niagara Parks, and he pled guilty, paying a few thousand dollars in fines.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-36028361946758148372013-10-24T16:29:00.000-04:002014-12-17T22:38:07.921-05:00The Michigan DogmanForget Bigfoot. Michigan has its own bipedal beast that stalks the woods. That creature is the Dogman.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Stories about a canine-type beast that walks on two legs have been passed around Michigan for centuries. The Odawa told tales of a creature called the wendigo, which tempted tribesmen to kill and eat their families. French settlers spoke of the <i>loup garou</i>, a human who could change into a wolf. ("<i>Loup</i>" means "wolf" in French, while "<i>garou</i>" means something similar to "werewolf.") <br />
<br />
The Michigan Dogman has been described as seven feet tall (when he stands on two legs) and 400 to 700 pounds. He has brownish/grayish fur, and differs from a werewolf in that he's not a human who changes into a wolf, but rather a creature that remains half dog/half human all the time. The first known modern sighting of a Dogman occurred in Wexford County in 1887. Two lumberjacks claimed they saw a creature that had the body of a man and the head of a dog. They chased it, but the creature "screamed," frightening the lumberjacks so badly that they hightailed it out of there. Other encounters with the Dogman (or with Dogmen) have occurred sporadically since then, with run-ins reported in such communities as Paris, Manistee, Cross Village, Luther, Onaway, Chelsea, and the UP's Garden Peninsula. <br />
<br />
The Michigan Dogman remained a semi-obscure state legend until 1987, when Steve Cook, a disc jockey at WTCM in Traverse City, played a song called "The Legend," which was about the various encounters Michiganders have had with the Dogman. Cook, who recorded the song, intended it as an April Fools' joke, but ended up receiving several calls from listeners who claimed to have seen the creature themselves. Here's the song, which became one of WTCM's most-requested tunes:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/vvlQp5f7ZwU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
The Dogman received more media attention in 2007 with the discovery of "The Gable Film," which purported to show a Dogman attack on camera. The video, which appeared online, has a grainy quality that makes it look like a film from the 1970s. It shows images of a family doing mundane things like driving snowmobiles and chopping wood. Everything is all fun and games until the last scene, which contains blurry footage (and, really, isn't the footage in all these types of videos blurry?) of a creature staring at the cameraman from a few hundred feet away. The creature charges on four legs at the cameraman. One of the last images is of the Dogman's teeth hovering over the lens...then the camera drops to the ground, and all is still. Watch the video and then, below the clip, I'll let you know what I thought the first time I saw it. (Caution: If you're not a fan of wiggly camerawork, you might not want to watch this.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/4fDeT8H2CwQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
Ready....?<br />
<br />
Yeah, that's a guy in a dog suit.<br />
<br />
As it turns out, that's exactly what the creature really was. (Actually, it was a guy in a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghillie_suit" target="_blank">ghillie suit</a>, which is a type of camouflage that's supposed to look like plants, but close enough.)<br />
<br />
In 2010, the History Channel show "Monster Quest" (don't get me started on how far away from "history" the History Channel has fallen) devoted an episode to the Michigan Dogman, and looked into the authenticity of "The Gable Film." Ultimately, the show revealed that the video was a hoax created in 2002 by Mike Agrusa, who was a fan of Cook's song. Agrusa made another video, "The Gable Film Part 2," that claimed to show the police investigation that occurred after the attack in Film 1---and that included footage of the cameraman's body. (Agrusa substituted painted foam insulation for the unfortunate victim's blood and guts.) I was going to post that video here, but the image YouTube was going to show as a placeholder is of the body in question, so in the interest of not making anyone squeamish, I've chosen not to include it. If you want to see the film, just go to YouTube and search for "Gable Film Part 2." <br />
<br />
Here's a clip from the "Monster Quest" episode that debunked Gable Films 1 and 2:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/_xlBA-VoT2o/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/_xlBA-VoT2o&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/_xlBA-VoT2o&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
<br />
"The Legend"---the song that some might say started it all---recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, and the website <a href="http://michigan-dogman.com/index.html" target="_blank">michigan-dogman.com</a> offers CD and DVD copies of the tune, as well as other Dogman-related products. Profits from these sales go to several animal rescue groups throughout the state. Whether or not the Michigan Dogman is fact or fiction, his existence helps other Michigan dogs (and cats) find safe, happy homes, which I think is a cool thing (and I bet the Dogman does, too).<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>For more information:</b><br />
<br />
If you're interested in the Dogman stories and legends, check out Linda S. Godfrey's book, "<span id="goog_456070008"></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Michigan-Dogman-Werewolves-Unexplained/dp/0979882265/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382642596&sr=8-1&keywords=michigan+dogman" target="_blank">The Michigan Dogman: Werewolves and Other Unknown Canines Across the U.S.A.<span id="goog_456070009"></span></a>"<br />
<br />
<br />
In 2012, the story of the Dogman came to the silver screen in the form of "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2069756/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2" target="_blank">Dogman</a>," a movie starring Michigan native Larry Joe Campbell (best known for the TV show "According to Jim"). Reviews have not been kind, but you can see the trailer below. The movie must have done well enough, because a sequel, "Dogman 2: The Wrath of the Litter," is scheduled for release in 2014.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/I_0cyZokYO4/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/I_0cyZokYO4&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/I_0cyZokYO4&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
<br />
Wisconsin has its own version of the Dogman, called the "Beast of Bray Road." Check out more information about it on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beast_of_Bray_Road" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-49537934201807661402013-10-24T12:44:00.001-04:002013-10-24T16:50:14.083-04:00The legend of the Ada WitchSorry I haven't been posting regularly for the past week or so. I've been a bit under the weather, but I'm starting to feel better, so I'm back with the first in a series of articles about "creepy Michigan things"---legends, crimes, paranormal activities, etc. It's my homage to Halloween---just a week away!<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKa_wlItre6owZbCATi0cZ4EyOcVy53n2pD25r1FxgPMeRHhH2g_007mtKUykQt6pB2FmBP2OMGBuJ864kSORzY9sWGk_NLNwuzSj6DL8T2HeFVAjAu3m2XvJMVvHyiHE6t3RMY3qSvznS/s1600/Pumpkins.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKa_wlItre6owZbCATi0cZ4EyOcVy53n2pD25r1FxgPMeRHhH2g_007mtKUykQt6pB2FmBP2OMGBuJ864kSORzY9sWGk_NLNwuzSj6DL8T2HeFVAjAu3m2XvJMVvHyiHE6t3RMY3qSvznS/s1600/Pumpkins.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As far as I'm concerned, the main reason Halloween exists<br />
is to make dogs dress up in costumes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
I used to live in Grand Rapids, and everyone there knows the story of the Ada Witch. (Ada is a township located a few miles east of GR.) The short version is this: During the 1800s, a young married woman was having an affair, and met up with her honey at a woods near what is now Findlay Cemetery, on 2 Mile Road. The woman's husband found out about the tryst, and caught the couple in the act. Furious, he killed his wife, then turned his attention to her lover. The two men struggled, but were evenly matched, and eventually both died from injuries they sustained during the fight.<br />
<br />
Now, according to legend, during the full moon, the woman's ghost haunts Findlay Cemetery and areas surrounding it, including the nearby woods, Seidman Park, and Honey Creek Avenue. She's described as being either a beautiful girl dressed in white, or a disfigured woman bearing the injuries inflicted by her husband. Visitors to the cemetery also claim to have seen eerie mists and orbs, as well as heard the sounds of fighting---presumably the battle between the cuckolded husband and his wife's lover. Other creepy occurrences have been reported---the sounds of footsteps, weeping, and screams, as well as the feeling of being tapped on the shoulder.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcP2qsl7IIO-qRvfy-WwsgeiSAz-U_G6w2Q7EfWciZVoe30g_FGjamTbG3NQlKzzK2FHcrwmYF_G1qXg8hx8ky9oPK3t1ceyKTGe9-sen7ju_104OZA09Km9qgXxp94ma_ehJcKtZ2Wh_L/s1600/Ada+witch.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcP2qsl7IIO-qRvfy-WwsgeiSAz-U_G6w2Q7EfWciZVoe30g_FGjamTbG3NQlKzzK2FHcrwmYF_G1qXg8hx8ky9oPK3t1ceyKTGe9-sen7ju_104OZA09Km9qgXxp94ma_ehJcKtZ2Wh_L/s320/Ada+witch.png" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drawing of the "Ada Witch"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Nowhere in the legend does it say that the woman was, in fact, a witch, so I'm not sure how her nickname developed. Likewise, historical records don't provide any information regarding an incident in which three people died in the woods near Ada in the 19th century, so, to my mind, the story is highly suspect. Findlay Cemetery does contain a gravestone where people leave trinkets, presuming it to be the final resting place of the "Ada Witch." That gravestone belongs to Sarah McMillan, a young woman who died in 1870. However, McMillan died of typhoid, not from a midnight struggle with her husband, so she is definitely not the witchy woman of legend.<br />
<br />
I love hearing and reading about paranormal activity, but I'm also a bit of a skeptic, so, for me, the Ada Witch is nothing more than a legend that has made visits to Findlay Cemetery a bit more exciting for those who want to believe. That said, there's no way you'd find me in Findlay Cemetery at night during a full moon. Or at night any other time of the month, for that matter. A dog wearing a Halloween costume is spooky enough for me.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>For more information:</strong><br />
<br />
Several websites about the Ada Witch exist. Just do a Google search for "Ada Witch," and you'll find information about the legend, as well as stories and photos from people who claim to have seen her ghost.<br />
<br />
Check out the book "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Houses-Grand-Rapids-Eberle/dp/0963582704/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382632254&sr=8-1&keywords=haunted+houses+of+grand+rapids" target="_blank">Haunted Houses of Grand Rapids</a>," by Gary Eberle, which contains a chapter on the Ada Witch. The book is twenty years old, but has a lot of interesting stories about supposed haunted places in Grand Rapids and surrounding areas. I own this book, but haven't read it in a while, so I might have to break it out for another "creepy read" before Halloween.<br />
<br />
"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1626192057/ref=rdr_ext_tmb" target="_blank">Ghosts of Grand Rapids</a>" by Nicole Bray, Robert DuShane, and Julie Rathsack is another book that contains information about the Ada Witch. It was published just this past summer, and though I don't own it, I'm looking forward to reading it.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-10845674013552609842013-10-23T17:04:00.000-04:002013-10-24T12:53:33.047-04:00The story of Michigan's state quarterFrom 1999 through 2008, the United States Mint produced a series of fifty quarters, each representing one of the nation's fifty states. The Mint released five new quarters every year, basing their order on the date each state entered the union (or, in the case of the thirteen original colonies, the order each state ratified the Constitution). Michigan's turn came in 2004, when, as the 26th state, its quarter became the 26th design the Mint released. This post is about the Michigan quarter---who designed it, how it was chosen, and what it symbolizes about the Great Lakes State.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQku68nb047IjaMxehR0HuxPTLnYEZ3yBDnVMeWnf_tL2WetS9Luhhr8muRS3eme6uiYSKZpSkOEzt-VMnvfxHiTkPB6Icko1AfmeYCydf0yHfveka6btnZEOc6OB8qprTtG3qj35Y2Ogi/s1600/th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQku68nb047IjaMxehR0HuxPTLnYEZ3yBDnVMeWnf_tL2WetS9Luhhr8muRS3eme6uiYSKZpSkOEzt-VMnvfxHiTkPB6Icko1AfmeYCydf0yHfveka6btnZEOc6OB8qprTtG3qj35Y2Ogi/s1600/th.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michigan's state quarter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The Mint let each state select the design for its quarter, but released a series of guidelines for designers to follow. No living person could appear on a state quarter, nor could logos or symbols for businesses, organizations, religious groups, or sports teams. Because coins typically circulate for thirty years, each design would have to be just as relevant to people in the 2030s as it was to people in the early 2000s. The design also had to represent the experiences of all of a state's inhabitants, not just those of a few, and, of course, it could not be inappropriate or controversial.<br />
<br />
Michigan began the design process in 2001, three years before its coin's release. Governor John Engler established the Michigan Quarter Commission, which solicited designs from state residents. The commission received 4,300 submissions, which it narrowed down to designs that represented five themes. Each theme featured an outline of the state of Michigan, but also included elements that set it apart from the other options. Ultimately, the governor would choose which design appeared on the quarter, but state officials conducted an unofficial poll to determine which design Michiganders liked most. The designs and poll results (as well as my unsolicited opinions) appear below.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5POvaYt09yoryy6Fhg2wTrzFi2ywuLfux5o4aWIw0mI7LVN6ERxStQ8guOGgTqJR9Oir8YzDIeLkdwa-qQGu94MmJbZCc_sb0wBR1ViD7syXj5RicmQtfPZY-R_dKqesiwhfj70S0ydyT/s1600/MiQuarter2_15596_7.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5POvaYt09yoryy6Fhg2wTrzFi2ywuLfux5o4aWIw0mI7LVN6ERxStQ8guOGgTqJR9Oir8YzDIeLkdwa-qQGu94MmJbZCc_sb0wBR1ViD7syXj5RicmQtfPZY-R_dKqesiwhfj70S0ydyT/s200/MiQuarter2_15596_7.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Michigan State Outline with Great Lakes and State Icons</em>: 14,333 votes. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This quarter received the most votes, which surprises me; the design is okay, but it seems a little cluttered.</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihy0RsUxp43q3RncMOYrBYg33GHZgX-GpngnfdkP7N092uiViUuFm8DpiS85qdEM8APzQ-bdDbfkQps-UUTBkaH1Orp19J4bfQMFUwkn9YYtJXg6FE43zv-X1MbE-w0bvVTysLMPpo49JP/s1600/quarter2.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihy0RsUxp43q3RncMOYrBYg33GHZgX-GpngnfdkP7N092uiViUuFm8DpiS85qdEM8APzQ-bdDbfkQps-UUTBkaH1Orp19J4bfQMFUwkn9YYtJXg6FE43zv-X1MbE-w0bvVTysLMPpo49JP/s200/quarter2.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Michigan State Outline with the Mackinac Bridge and Automobile</em>: 10,141 votes. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This design is my favorite, as it seems the most "balanced" out of all five themes. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mUBXVq9wF-yhtNm1xNS9BuRiYGW7rMxp2abUvG_eeOfNOfzf_8RiL7RQBShEQwpX2866h0OWdje2DlCrG4zkAyQ3VPfcVjMNO2LbSzOTwhuaDz1mWvcf7dsLRpeuSsD2RGENTAjNLtJw/s1600/quarter3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6mUBXVq9wF-yhtNm1xNS9BuRiYGW7rMxp2abUvG_eeOfNOfzf_8RiL7RQBShEQwpX2866h0OWdje2DlCrG4zkAyQ3VPfcVjMNO2LbSzOTwhuaDz1mWvcf7dsLRpeuSsD2RGENTAjNLtJw/s200/quarter3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Michigan State Outline with Great Lakes and Automobile</em>: 7,641 votes.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I like this one too, but that is one big car.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjC048uGkQUJvHlV8L3c-DXgwvGyiLkwlPd6pBC9b6fWy87ySiv9Hx_YTVK48nzFEWhPQJjtuE_MES7GXSZpQfbEksXkldhE6fv8OdEMHFLKjJmUxHw85CylLpY0aMqrUoFSZeR0_Fxcz5/s1600/quarter4.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjC048uGkQUJvHlV8L3c-DXgwvGyiLkwlPd6pBC9b6fWy87ySiv9Hx_YTVK48nzFEWhPQJjtuE_MES7GXSZpQfbEksXkldhE6fv8OdEMHFLKjJmUxHw85CylLpY0aMqrUoFSZeR0_Fxcz5/s200/quarter4.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Michigan State Outline with Great Lakes</em>: 6,298 votes. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The eventual winner; it's not bad, but seems kind of boring.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTkSTxkR_XYpq2rxJ6hoFXP59ie86x9bqdBwzhg1Hxy4Ahh8mRP3QUOs9yGPs-IS6mqfItxMrIpKQxFJIGfnCb_ppUNOdXoiWxyizzI7IsVEKjuAshwtT0PT9Xn52R-5z8Y2zAmzZZwpJ/s1600/quarter+5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTkSTxkR_XYpq2rxJ6hoFXP59ie86x9bqdBwzhg1Hxy4Ahh8mRP3QUOs9yGPs-IS6mqfItxMrIpKQxFJIGfnCb_ppUNOdXoiWxyizzI7IsVEKjuAshwtT0PT9Xn52R-5z8Y2zAmzZZwpJ/s200/quarter+5.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Michigan State Outline with Great Lakes and the Mackinac Bridge</em>: 2,166 votes.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This looks scary, like the bridge is overtaking the state. </div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Governor Jennifer Granholm eventually chose "Michigan State Outline with Great Lakes" as the winning design and, after some minor tweaking, the coin was released on January 26, 2004---the 167th anniversary of Michigan's statehood. The design commemorates the fact that Michigan is the only state to touch four of the five Great Lakes, as well as the fact that so much of Michigan's history and economy has been tied to these "inland seas." No matter where a person goes in Michigan, he or she is never more than 85 miles from a Great Lake, so despite the fact that residents preferred other designs, the simple "Great Lakes" theme probably does the best job of portraying something that's an important element in the lives of most Michiganders.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-26245603150855408492013-10-18T11:49:00.001-04:002013-10-18T11:59:54.455-04:00"Rosie the Riveter" was from Michigan, Part II: Rose Will MonroeYesterday, I wrote about Geraldine Doyle, a "Rosie the Riveter" from Michigan. Here's a link to that post: <a href="http://michi101.blogspot.com/2013/10/rosie-riveter-was-from-michigan-part-i.html" target="_blank">"Rosie the Riveter" was from Michigan, Part I: Geraldine Doyle</a><br />
<br />
Doyle wasn't the only "Rosie" to hail from the Great Lakes State. Rose Will Monroe, who helped build Air Force bombers at the Willow Run aircraft factory in Ypsilanti, was another one. Unlike Doyle, whose face appeared on the "We Can Do It!" poster that shows a female factory worker flexing her muscle, Monroe earned her fame by appearing in a short film that promoted war bonds.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvp335uOkNT6VfToUOMwxYfn4miuiifO86oKKueUW3y4GD6MeuKL7JexU_Pg5l9rWAYljCElsvQViKmLm2HWZfrVyIF5peH24eZ4SKKF0Z_izr-E8NzmMPHMRTi2jLjxYszvyfyeGRT5h7/s1600/Rose+Will+Monroe.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvp335uOkNT6VfToUOMwxYfn4miuiifO86oKKueUW3y4GD6MeuKL7JexU_Pg5l9rWAYljCElsvQViKmLm2HWZfrVyIF5peH24eZ4SKKF0Z_izr-E8NzmMPHMRTi2jLjxYszvyfyeGRT5h7/s320/Rose+Will+Monroe.png" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose Will Monroe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Born in Kentucky in 1920, Monroe became a young widow when her husband died in a car accident in 1942. Suddenly, Monroe needed a way to support herself and her two young children. She found it at Willow Run, where she hoped to become one of the women whom the Ford Motor Company employed to fly armaments across the country. However, because Monroe was a single mother, her request to become a pilot was denied, and she was placed on the assembly line, where she riveted pieces of B-24 bombers.<br />
<br />
See where this is going? ROSE Monroe was working as a RIVETER.<br />
<br />
One day, actor Walter Pidgeon, star of several Hollywood movies, was touring Willow Run during a war bond drive when he heard about Monroe. In 1942, the song "Rosie the Riveter" had introduced the title character to Americans, describing a woman who was "making history, working for victory" by building military vehicles while "smeared full of oil and grease." A video of the song follows this paragraph. I've got to warn you: it's very catchy, and will probably stick in your head all day.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/55NCElsbjeQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
In addition to working for victory, Rosie the Riveter was kind of obsessed with war bonds, as the lyrics note:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Rosie buys a lot of War Bonds</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>That girl really has sense</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Wishes she could purchase more Bonds</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Putting all her extra cash in National Defense</em></div>
<br />
<br />
Inspired by the fact that he had met a real-life "Rosie the Riveter" (or "Rose the Riveter," which apparently was close enough), Pidgeon asked Monroe to star in a film that promoted war bonds. She agreed, and became the face of Rosie the Riveter to millions of Americans who saw the short in movie theaters. (I've searched the Internet, but can't find clips from the film, or even still pictures from it, so unfortunately, I can't show you what Monroe looked or sounded like as her alter ego.)<br />
<br />
When the war ended, so did Monroe's position at Willow Run, and she moved to Bloomington, Indiana, where she worked a variety of jobs, including driving a cab, owning a beauty shop, and even starting her own construction company. At age 50, Monroe realized a lifelong dream when she earned her pilot's license (an opportunity she had been denied at Willow Run). Unfortunately, her dream ended in 1978, when she crashed her plane and suffered injuries so severe that she could no longer fly. Monroe died in 1997 at age 77 and is buried in New Albany, Indiana, under a headstone that reads "Rosie the Riveter."Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-26877929681730392022013-10-17T10:28:00.002-04:002013-10-17T11:02:59.388-04:00"Rosie the Riveter" was from Michigan, Part I: Geraldine DoyleDid you know that Michigan was home to not one, but two, Rosie the Riveters? "How is that possible?" you might ask. "There's only one Rosie the Riveter." It's true that there's only one iconic symbol of female fortitude named Rosie the Riveter, but several real-life women inspired her creation. Two of those women happen to be from Michigan. This post will focus on one of them, Geraldine Doyle, while tomorrow's post will talk about Rose Will Monroe.<br />
<br />
The illustration below is probably the best-known image of Rosie the Riveter, who represented the thousands of World War II-era women who took on factory jobs when their menfolk went off to war:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheV_DXGnrP9QPNfVvbw5PCnrTd1nDgdbw3LBGKkJUVoeNzduhKzpXthbMzFWSsTO-qlMcmtFX12OjAFa4ubWmVptOt-Aa5jFNPvcBgzJ8Jc2HuaLT14hXkC3D-o_DzzKMuiTosUtGX9Bsb/s1600/We+Can+Do+It.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheV_DXGnrP9QPNfVvbw5PCnrTd1nDgdbw3LBGKkJUVoeNzduhKzpXthbMzFWSsTO-qlMcmtFX12OjAFa4ubWmVptOt-Aa5jFNPvcBgzJ8Jc2HuaLT14hXkC3D-o_DzzKMuiTosUtGX9Bsb/s320/We+Can+Do+It.png" width="246" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
It might surprise you to learn that this image was never supposed to be Rosie the Riveter. Instead, it was part of a promotional campaign from Westinghouse Electric that tried to boost morale among the company's workers. The poster was displayed in a few Westinghouse factories in February 1943, and featured a generic working woman (i.e., not Rosie the Riveter). It wasn't seen outside the company, and, like all the posters in Westinghouse's campaign, it was meant to motivate both men and women.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKm9hmLAElEOR3v2bhWpRlSVfgiHgcGllMN_8e1f6C0zywOWzCCMLwcnRq8Gp15_C_zn8hyphenhyphen0rslOyXKgpNVy-J2WtTprN5usiXdMURISNS1e8_vauKyJYo2Yc4rB7vAzZ1MgvcjY-EQLzR/s1600/Not+inspirational.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKm9hmLAElEOR3v2bhWpRlSVfgiHgcGllMN_8e1f6C0zywOWzCCMLwcnRq8Gp15_C_zn8hyphenhyphen0rslOyXKgpNVy-J2WtTprN5usiXdMURISNS1e8_vauKyJYo2Yc4rB7vAzZ1MgvcjY-EQLzR/s320/Not+inspirational.png" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another poster from the same campaign. With a snappy<br />
slogan like that, I can't imagine why this image didn't catch on.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The poster remained obscure until the 1980s, when it was rediscovered and appropriated as a "girl power" image. That's also when people began calling the woman on the poster "Rosie the Riveter." The resurgence in interest must have come as a surprise to Geraldine Doyle, the Michigan woman who had no idea that her photo had inspired the now-iconic poster---or even that the poster existed.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBQ5kgrzbJkAhMURvZ3hzdp15bAM7S_aWDZsf_MyA-Liog8djF2MIW8-98S-eXXw9AV4oYKn-naN0Wy2ArVNJfgUL7NfCtAOXipNckQ26TDYdarN7dkhKfCOuj-2CFY85lceBXM9yh6V8/s1600/UPI+photo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBQ5kgrzbJkAhMURvZ3hzdp15bAM7S_aWDZsf_MyA-Liog8djF2MIW8-98S-eXXw9AV4oYKn-naN0Wy2ArVNJfgUL7NfCtAOXipNckQ26TDYdarN7dkhKfCOuj-2CFY85lceBXM9yh6V8/s320/UPI+photo.png" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geraldine Doyle working at the American Broach & Machine <br />
Company in Ann Arbor; this image served as inspiration for <br />
Westinghouse Electric's famous "We Can Do It!" poster.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Doyle was born in Inkster in 1924 and graduated from high school in Ann Arbor. In 1942, to demonstrate her patriotism, Doyle (who at the time was known by her maiden name of Hoff) took a job as a metal stamper at the American Broach & Machine Company in Ann Arbor. Two weeks later she quit, deciding that, as a cellist, she couldn't risk injuring her hands in an industrial accident. However, during Doyle's two weeks in the factory, a photographer from United Press International took the photo you see above---a photo that later served as artist J. Howard Miller's inspiration when he designed the posters for Westinghouse's campaign.<br />
<br />
After leaving the factory, Doyle worked at a soda fountain and bookstore. In 1943, she married Leo Doyle, a dentist, and eventually raised six children with him. Though Geraldine Doyle had always known about the UPI photograph, she had no idea that it had inspired a poster until 1984, when she read a magazine article about the image's creation. Doyle's daughter, Stephanie Gregg, told the Los Angeles Times that, although her mom didn't have the bulging biceps flaunted by the woman on the image, Doyle immediately recognized herself. Doyle embraced her newfound fame, gladly signing autographs for fans who wanted to meet the "We Can Do It Girl."<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4BWISLuWwXxWhLuFTc0DqnvXKEMbfHdin-pPgwrjms5PpmPZN1ZKn0ZzV8il5Z_DdEVaGxAO2EZpgmlIvpPppWE93lyxrqx1iVQzh2V08G3S-T41QtMCXmnXHAsXEHhvWFTCD_dgCiwx/s1600/Geraldine+Hoff.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp4BWISLuWwXxWhLuFTc0DqnvXKEMbfHdin-pPgwrjms5PpmPZN1ZKn0ZzV8il5Z_DdEVaGxAO2EZpgmlIvpPppWE93lyxrqx1iVQzh2V08G3S-T41QtMCXmnXHAsXEHhvWFTCD_dgCiwx/s320/Geraldine+Hoff.png" width="169" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geraldine Doyle holding a "We Can Do It!" sign<br />
a few decades after her photograph inspired its creation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Doyle died of complications from arthritis in December 2010 at a Lansing hospice. She was 86 years old. Her husband, Leo, had died earlier that year. During an interview that discussed her role in creating one of the nation's most iconic images, Doyle said that she never made money off the poster, as she was too busy with her post-factory life, "changing diapers all the time." However, she was proud of her status as Rosie the Riveter. As she told a reporter for the Lansing State Journal in 2002, "You're not supposed to have too much pride, but I can't help have some in that
poster."Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-55111553260325819102013-10-15T09:57:00.000-04:002013-10-15T10:08:26.534-04:00A visit to Ugly Dog DistilleryThis past Sunday, my husband Scott and I took a tour of Ugly Dog Distillery, located in Chelsea. I had bought a few tickets for the tour on the website Living Social, thinking it would be a fun way to spend an afternoon. The drive down to Chelsea was beautiful, as it was a gorgeous fall day, and we had a great time at the distillery itself (especially because we got to meet the "ugly dog" after whom the distillery was named). <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJqnDni6w4rW5D6ChSeKqX8Stl4dHyvLhYvfUbxCtwVWUcLzWfsTR-wShlK-SCEdksF1EZtolHOLz9u0FBVp1qbMI6SkM_Jz3_K6vnFUXjjtqlLjxJyJs-sVFB_E-q6GTMMusL2XgkGbj/s1600/T+shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJqnDni6w4rW5D6ChSeKqX8Stl4dHyvLhYvfUbxCtwVWUcLzWfsTR-wShlK-SCEdksF1EZtolHOLz9u0FBVp1qbMI6SkM_Jz3_K6vnFUXjjtqlLjxJyJs-sVFB_E-q6GTMMusL2XgkGbj/s320/T+shirt.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's Ruger, the "Ugly Dog," on this T-shirt.<br />
He's really not ugly; he's a German wirehaired pointer, <br />
and "ugly dog" is the breed's unofficial nickname.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Ugly Dog Distillery has been open about three years, and was built on a dare. One evening, founder Jon Dyer was sitting around a campfire with his friends, Ruger on his lap, when one of the group told Dyer that he should build a still and make whisky. Not one to back down from a challenge, Dyer got to work, and eventually created the business that is now Ugly Dog. The distillery is located in an unassuming storefront outside Chelsea, and produces an array of libations, including its signature product, Ugly Dog Vodka, which won a gold medal at the 2012 MicroLiquor Spirit Awards. The distillery also sells rum and gin, as well as flavored vodkas---black cherry, raspberry, whipped cream, and...bacon. Yes, you read that right. Bacon vodka. Scott and I bought a bottle to use in bloody marys, and though we haven't opened it yet, I'm pretty sure it's going to be awesome.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqoejVs36XiX2e7txdN_O1YYfpEZk7h7qO4t-sGXroolymlXiE4sVpN9hyoZTUrFVETc2W3sfET3jmmb2pdAPH6a1DWdWHa6N4DnYL0nfh7gkW4K2iPRAXbUfkjVDAfWgjLxH0haiJofaz/s1600/Tour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqoejVs36XiX2e7txdN_O1YYfpEZk7h7qO4t-sGXroolymlXiE4sVpN9hyoZTUrFVETc2W3sfET3jmmb2pdAPH6a1DWdWHa6N4DnYL0nfh7gkW4K2iPRAXbUfkjVDAfWgjLxH0haiJofaz/s320/Tour.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During our tour, director of manufacturing <br />
Dewey Winkle described the process of making vodka.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Ugly Dog is truly a "made in Michigan" business. The company makes its vodka from Michigan grain, and Dyer himself built the stills that generate Ugly Dog's drinks. Ugly Dog staff members also fill each bottle and apply decals by hand. The results are sold in hundreds of locations around Michigan, including several Meijer and Kroger stores. Check the company's <a href="http://www.uglydogdistillery.com/home.html" target="_blank">website</a> to learn where you can find Ugly Dog, as well as for information about the spirits themselves.<br />
<br />
And what about Ruger, the face of Ugly Dog? I LOVE dogs, so I couldn't wait to meet him. He was pretty excited about greeting all the new faces he saw in the distillery during our tour, so getting him to pose for a picture was a bit of a challenge, as evidenced by this photo:<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX80KrhvyrHhalVSq6llGCGlGehj3xSWEm2ATB0sTI-tAcr0IHs2X_h8EDAJouwxnM8u6LCOe_LFjCC7yjseV-GWQdHIJY-zlu1g81hCDtMTvAT-gVRGyK72uQ3i1Dx15En1R4XewI3fqy/s1600/Me+and+Ruger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX80KrhvyrHhalVSq6llGCGlGehj3xSWEm2ATB0sTI-tAcr0IHs2X_h8EDAJouwxnM8u6LCOe_LFjCC7yjseV-GWQdHIJY-zlu1g81hCDtMTvAT-gVRGyK72uQ3i1Dx15En1R4XewI3fqy/s320/Me+and+Ruger.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Let go of me, lady, I've got places to go,<br />
people to see."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But later, during the tour, he stopped to admire my purse, so we got a better pic:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkzBYPX1vEFd4yGMbpQn2gYKRngfP276pWHxsXk1_im7LY_AyETA0vXchK-Ee-eFvz0US-dUJj92ZEH50VmIUVdMEl2TdfRovYT24aqED3aLQxD-anJEuvXNhI3_uM95zD1CLV-su3TG1/s1600/Ruger+purse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkzBYPX1vEFd4yGMbpQn2gYKRngfP276pWHxsXk1_im7LY_AyETA0vXchK-Ee-eFvz0US-dUJj92ZEH50VmIUVdMEl2TdfRovYT24aqED3aLQxD-anJEuvXNhI3_uM95zD1CLV-su3TG1/s320/Ruger+purse.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently, Ruger likes Coach products---either that, or he's smelling my own dogs on it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
Ruger is a sweetheart, and everyone at the distillery was friendly and welcoming. Though the company doesn't regularly offer tours (as I mentioned, our tour was part of a Living Social deal), I highly recommend that, if you're ever in the area, you stop at Ugly Dog to purchase your poison of choice. And be sure to look for Ugly Dog products at your local store. Though I can't wait to try our bacon vodka, the whipped cream flavor was also calling my name, so I might need to hunt down that one.<br />
<br />
Ugly Dog Distillery is located at 14495 N. Territorial Road in Chelsea. Its phone number is (734) 433-0433.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-54546698757143230302013-10-10T08:59:00.000-04:002013-10-10T08:59:46.098-04:00In 1975, Kiss played at Cadillac High School's homecoming. Really.If there wasn't photographic and written proof that the following event actually happened, I wouldn't believe it.<br />
<br />
In the fall of 1974, Cadillac High School's Viking football team was down in the dumps. The year before, it had gone undefeated and reached the state playoffs. Now, two games into the new season, the Vikings had suffered two straight losses. Figuring that their players simply needed to "loosen up," Viking coaches played music from the rock band Kiss in the locker room. Their goal was to help the players blow off steam. It must have worked, because the team won the rest of its games---victories that it credited to the face-painted rock band.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjELg-Qfc8j7XoS32VGFV0UK1VmXKNXCKBjWpq7Tu6IUnrYoF_EFHMztGQ0jpOs2YnJE2f3NFzWXdT9dSx_D9adZ6rBFuroLo9p3eRhNKgu0R5zfdjwmtZZ-qY10vTcbRq2Wjvkho_LoLaD/s1600/creepy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjELg-Qfc8j7XoS32VGFV0UK1VmXKNXCKBjWpq7Tu6IUnrYoF_EFHMztGQ0jpOs2YnJE2f3NFzWXdT9dSx_D9adZ6rBFuroLo9p3eRhNKgu0R5zfdjwmtZZ-qY10vTcbRq2Wjvkho_LoLaD/s320/creepy.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing says "football victory" like these guys.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
The story could have ended there, but Kiss members heard about the credit they received for Cadillac High's winning season, and decided to thank the players and the community in person. The next school year, in October 1975, the band arrived in Cadillac for a two-day celebration during the school's homecoming week. Kiss members Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss first met with face-painted players and cheerleaders on the football field. Then they went into the high school for question-and-answer and photo sessions with students.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Zk7KjapOiJ-uUDCIs1xzBQbxtgviyljSjy9gTuuO5YOFVH8F_ZdsNJ5d1sQc0Y04qvd0K1v1GM5Ky1Wpp7kM4Tcain6Wx1o8ZKaz15wapPvpVmrGpgLE7MWi_S4KmTWsmp0j2VHqqhwe/s1600/kiss4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Zk7KjapOiJ-uUDCIs1xzBQbxtgviyljSjy9gTuuO5YOFVH8F_ZdsNJ5d1sQc0Y04qvd0K1v1GM5Ky1Wpp7kM4Tcain6Wx1o8ZKaz15wapPvpVmrGpgLE7MWi_S4KmTWsmp0j2VHqqhwe/s400/kiss4.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not sure where to begin with a caption for this photo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
That night, in the school gymnasium, the band held a concert that was so loud, residents who lived two miles away could hear it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQyuzIrXb7MCHYGj-JWxLkt2Csu4Xv3x4kvBYFomApDxICZ1VSGkMyHSjW9Mskc4CyttX-wdN23crTYoXmpm1KQJV5TgaBHA1DixsrTGeUyZonfxtm1E0sIeanydSc_UA6CWYT1174T-A/s1600/kiss3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQyuzIrXb7MCHYGj-JWxLkt2Csu4Xv3x4kvBYFomApDxICZ1VSGkMyHSjW9Mskc4CyttX-wdN23crTYoXmpm1KQJV5TgaBHA1DixsrTGeUyZonfxtm1E0sIeanydSc_UA6CWYT1174T-A/s400/kiss3.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiss in concert at Cadillac High School</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The next morning, band members met for breakfast with Cadillac's mayor (whose face Simmons painted, Kiss-style) and members of the city council, then appeared in the high school's homecoming parade. The band ended its visit by taking off in a helicopter that had landed on Cadillac High School's football field.<br />
<br />
The event must have been a dream come true for Cadillac High students, but it also made an impression on the band. Simmons later said the visit "was like landing on planet Kiss,” and remembered it as “a lifetime memory and a source of pride for us."<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>For more information:</strong><br />
<br />
YouTube has lots of videos about Kiss's visit to Cadillac. Here's one of them. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/MIN_pTWbElg/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/MIN_pTWbElg&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/MIN_pTWbElg&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
<br />
In 2012, news reports indicated that a movie based on Kiss's visit to Cadillac High was in the works, and was set to be filmed in Michigan. However, I haven't been able to track down any information indicating that the project proceeded beyond those initial reports. If you have an update, let me know!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-82124332436603298372013-10-09T15:40:00.002-04:002013-10-09T15:45:43.055-04:00Bruce Catton brought the Civil War into American homesWhen Bruce Catton was growing up in the Northern Michigan community of Benzonia in the early 1900s, he listened in awe as veterans told tales of Civil War combat. Like many boys his age, Catton thrilled to the sounds and images those stories conjured: the crack of gunfire, the bursts of smoke, the soldiers stalking through fields in pursuit of---or retreat from---the enemy. However, unlike most boys, Catton didn't abandon his fascination with military intrigue once he reached adulthood. Instead, he made a career of it---and became one of the nation's most celebrated historians in the process.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGK1tkvjFbfbMP1BIvXC_1ke90BA_gmkFvbBICjlW_4QE3azM28W8iUoUJjfTdkfj1zkb8namiikzBTe1DTbNgX5k0jVFTb0lWIIaOZML49MZaKKJXJbBT2maMWy5pKDl0f94OIu0cJKr/s1600/Bruce+Catton.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGK1tkvjFbfbMP1BIvXC_1ke90BA_gmkFvbBICjlW_4QE3azM28W8iUoUJjfTdkfj1zkb8namiikzBTe1DTbNgX5k0jVFTb0lWIIaOZML49MZaKKJXJbBT2maMWy5pKDl0f94OIu0cJKr/s320/Bruce+Catton.png" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bruce Catton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Catton, whose birth name was Charles Bruce, was born October 9, 1899 in Petoskey. His family later moved to Benzonia because his minister father accepted a teaching position there. Following his adolescent curiosity about the Civil War, Catton enrolled in Ohio's Oberlin College, but left to serve in the Navy during World War I. (Catton never finished his studies, but did receive an honorary degree from Oberlin in 1956.) After the war, Catton became a journalist, and married Hazel Cherry, with whom he had a son, William Bruce, in 1926.<br />
<br />
Fifteen years later, as the United States entered World War II, Catton took a series of jobs that led to his true calling. In 1941, he became director of information for the War Production Board; later, he assumed similar positions at the Department of Commerce and the Department of the Interior. These jobs gave him an inside look at the war effort as it played out in Washington, D.C., and inspired his first book, "War Lords of Washington," in 1948. Though the book didn't sell many copies, Catton enjoyed writing it so much that he decided to become a full-time author and historian.<br />
<br />
During the 1950s, many scholars wrote in a dry manner that appealed to academics, but made popular audiences yawn. Among these scholars, Catton stood out. His books had a lively tone that made them accessible to almost everyone. Catton didn't just relate a series of dates, places, and names; he told stories that brought history to life. Many of Catton's books were about his childhood obsession, the Civil War. His most famous work is probably the "Army of the Potomac" trilogy, whose third book, "A Stillness at Appomattox," won the 1954 Pulitzer Prize for history. In addition, Catton wrote the "Centennial History of the Civil War," a trilogy that discussed the war's military, social, political, and economic aspects, and published a few books about Union General Ulysses S. Grant. Somehow, in between all that writing, Catton also found time to become the first editor of "American Heritage" magazine. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxNztiOG1llchQwDZKLP77FKVddoR1qBDzhGpwLnrlnfIs5LEnnhwCBv2eAUDtSlhqhh9Dyejz2jojoi0jNmUXidb1RGMZYnprMd8g9QRvMhMeAHExiKI-QvVsJ1FvxuAmxUnsfBa_ssT/s1600/Stillness.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxNztiOG1llchQwDZKLP77FKVddoR1qBDzhGpwLnrlnfIs5LEnnhwCBv2eAUDtSlhqhh9Dyejz2jojoi0jNmUXidb1RGMZYnprMd8g9QRvMhMeAHExiKI-QvVsJ1FvxuAmxUnsfBa_ssT/s200/Stillness.png" width="140" /></a></div>
<br />
Catton continued writing into the 1970s. His status as one of America's most revered historians was cemented in 1977, when he received a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, from fellow Michigander President Gerald Ford. One year later, Catton, who lived in New York City, died at age 78 at his summer home in Frankfort, not far from Benzonia. He's buried in the Benzonia Township Cemetery, where to this day he receives visitors who come to pay their respects to a man who made the study of history not just a dry pursuit for academics, but something accessible to everyone.<br />
<br />
<strong>For more information:</strong><br />
<br />
In addition to his works about the Civil War and other historical events, Catton wrote a few books about his home state. In 1972, he published "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Morning-Train-American-Boyhood/dp/0814318851/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381330453&sr=8-1&keywords=waiting+for+the+morning+train" target="_blank">Waiting for the Morning Train</a>," a memoir about his childhood, while in 1976, he released "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Michigan-Bicentennial-History-States-Nation/dp/0393301753/ref=pd_sim_b_2" target="_blank">Michigan: A Bicentennial History</a>." Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-23605212819889158952013-10-08T15:49:00.000-04:002013-10-08T15:56:47.091-04:00Woman doing it for herself: The story of Madeline La FramboiseMadeline La Framboise faced a dire situation in 1806. Her husband, Joseph, with whom she ran a fur trading business, had just been killed by a Native American customer at the La Framboises' trading post, near the present-day city of Lowell, in West Michigan. Now Madeline was a widow with two young children to support. She was also half French and half Native American---a pedigree that, combined with her sex, stacked the deck against her when it came to business success in nineteenth-century America. However, Madeline had ambition, and wasn't about to back down from a challenge. By the time she retired from the fur trading business in 1818 at the age of 38, she was making up to $10,000 a year (ten times more than her competitors). She had also cemented her status as one of Michigan's first and most successful businesswomen.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4GKogYuNHGsGlEDTnIPJUNk1fqydxlzfTvCcrC-gWe-RzaivH3lTDoCTCiL2I6dA1RaXjoi72J5uT44tUIzT76Va7XwbcIGUWFwi1HwfSweCIfd4Jp0k4l38FdgKUVbptC7GRaoqrDqa/s1600/Madeline+LaFramboise.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4GKogYuNHGsGlEDTnIPJUNk1fqydxlzfTvCcrC-gWe-RzaivH3lTDoCTCiL2I6dA1RaXjoi72J5uT44tUIzT76Va7XwbcIGUWFwi1HwfSweCIfd4Jp0k4l38FdgKUVbptC7GRaoqrDqa/s200/Madeline+LaFramboise.png" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artist's rendering of Madeline La Framboise; <br />
no known photographs of her exist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Madeline was born on Mackinac Island in February 1780 to a French-Canadian father and an Odawa mother. Her father died when she was just three years old, so Madeline grew up in her mother's Native American village near present-day Grand Haven. When she was about 14 years old, Madeline married a Frenchman named Joseph La Framboise, with whom she had two children, a daughter named Josette and a son named Joseph. The elder Joseph was a fur trader, and joined forces with his wife to establish the first trading post in the Grand Rapids area, as well as several other posts throughout West Michigan. Joseph and Madeline built a lucrative business, trading manufactured goods for furs that Native Americans brought to the La Framboises' posts, then selling the furs to Mackinac Island merchants. The couple did well and enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle---until that fateful day in 1806 when Madeline suddenly found the company resting solely in her hands.<br />
<br />
Madeline could have looked for another husband to take care of her and her family; instead, she took the business and ran with it. Madeline successfully managed the trading posts she and Joseph had opened, and even expanded her reach into other parts of West Michigan and Northern Michigan. She gained a reputation as an intelligent, fair trader, and communicated easily with her clients, as she spoke four languages. Her business was so strong that she eventually became a threat to the American Fur Company, which monopolized the fur trade in the United States. Reports differ as to whether she eventually sold her business to the American Fur Company, or instead merged with it, but in the end, she walked away from the transaction in 1818 with a significant amount of money. A few years later, she returned to Mackinac Island to begin her retirement.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTVKOsyg5uyLWzto31K77xe19fCphcbS9v8TM7mdPT22LCco8MJMCYlQFQmSqWV8AIuGKdVsULqFMzUganIfiIkhsetk0f4WEa9RWt3f_WoQEU0fcmgGQVxrzmONZNDPNyRwM3bFtx05c/s1600/LaFramboise+House.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTVKOsyg5uyLWzto31K77xe19fCphcbS9v8TM7mdPT22LCco8MJMCYlQFQmSqWV8AIuGKdVsULqFMzUganIfiIkhsetk0f4WEa9RWt3f_WoQEU0fcmgGQVxrzmONZNDPNyRwM3bFtx05c/s200/LaFramboise+House.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madeline La Framboise's house on Mackinac Island</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Madeline no longer managed a network of trading posts, but her work wasn't over. She was proud of her Odawa heritage, and helped establish Mackinac Island's first school for Native American children. She was also an active member of St. Anne Catholic parish, to which she donated land for a new church with the understanding that, upon her death, she would be buried under the church's altar. Her wishes were granted; when Madeline died at age 66 on April 4, 1846, the pastor made sure she was interred under the altar she had helped build---a fitting tribute to a woman who gave so much to the island and who blazed a path for female entrepreneurs and philanthropists to come.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>For more information:</strong><br />
<br />
Some sources cite Madeline's first name as "Magdelaine," while her gravestone uses the spelling "Magdalene." I've used "Madeline" in this post because it appears in more sources than do the other two spellings. <br />
<br />
The historical marker for Joseph and Madeline La Framboise's trading post is located in Stoney Lakeside Park in Lowell, though no one knows where, exactly, the trading post sat. According to a <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/11/lowell_fur_trading_post_was_ma.html" target="_blank">2011 article</a> in the Grand Rapids Press, staff from the Lowell Area Historical Museum decided that the post's most likely location was on the Grand River's north bank, between Stoney Lakeside Park and Cumberland Avenue.<br />
<br />
Madeline La Framboise's body no longer rests under the altar at St. Anne. The church and its grounds underwent renovation in the 1990s, and Madeline's remains were moved to a garden in the churchyard.<br />
<br />
Madeline's house on Mackinac Island still stands, and is now the <a href="http://www.harbourviewinn.com/photo-gallery-en.html" target="_blank">Harbour View Inn</a> (photo below), located just down the road from St. Anne Church on Main Street.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmm0r799GC5m6t6C5gk_44mPzrGPEkmOoAYPSJU9KZPQRxbqjXStibcnjtXlzfim9zGbCYrwVATWak044aVzEUt23rvUu-M-5KOsbvXF7dBHOgdWOn3iTjuaabe1aEEHPczpd4V3YrJ5_A/s1600/Harbour+View.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmm0r799GC5m6t6C5gk_44mPzrGPEkmOoAYPSJU9KZPQRxbqjXStibcnjtXlzfim9zGbCYrwVATWak044aVzEUt23rvUu-M-5KOsbvXF7dBHOgdWOn3iTjuaabe1aEEHPczpd4V3YrJ5_A/s320/Harbour+View.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And now, a completely random fact: "Framboise" means "raspberry" in French.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-76080747425300565202013-10-04T11:41:00.000-04:002013-10-04T11:46:49.013-04:00Detroit and the last days of Harry Houdini<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When Harry Houdini stepped onto the stage in Detroit's Garrick Theatre on October 24, 1926, he was about to begin the last performance of his career---and his life.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpQxX9tgDtoHylnmGT71PfmE2e6tM2peO9kQITp5Vj1OQteutvoE2YP4y6DUUn2z2pUaUARzY3dnDPqURVcA31uYUlOx9BLyyB92L0FugJ4iVWEgYwNprl7KCb1tiVJy1zC7mqAhaqqSW/s1600/402px-Houdini_in_Handcuffs,_1918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpQxX9tgDtoHylnmGT71PfmE2e6tM2peO9kQITp5Vj1OQteutvoE2YP4y6DUUn2z2pUaUARzY3dnDPqURVcA31uYUlOx9BLyyB92L0FugJ4iVWEgYwNprl7KCb1tiVJy1zC7mqAhaqqSW/s320/402px-Houdini_in_Handcuffs,_1918.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harry Houdini</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Two days earlier, the famed magician and escape artist had been reclining in his dressing room before a show in Montreal when a college student named J. Gordon Whitehead knocked on the door. Houdini frequently told fans that he could withstand any punch, and Whitehead asked if the boast was true. Houdini said it was, and gave Whitehead permission to throw a few jabs. However, Whitehead started hitting while Houdini was still lying down; the magician didn't have time to tense his stomach, so the punches inflicted more damage than Houdini expected. In pain, the magician motioned Whitehead to stop. Houdini managed to complete his performance, but he was in extreme physical distress as he headed toward his next destination---Detroit.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyG4StLGnJcbfmbI3UWPX1A-x4ySKPy-YXuwc67wUw99ofLdEC4_oonaUqGlUDE04FniHPvxzuF-VROlwm1hkTkZb07ngQpr_DwrLBL6LRP6UnZwdl7yDPTeoEd2kG01_W29_ktRjk0n1/s1600/a%255Eold_shot_of_the_Garrick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyG4StLGnJcbfmbI3UWPX1A-x4ySKPy-YXuwc67wUw99ofLdEC4_oonaUqGlUDE04FniHPvxzuF-VROlwm1hkTkZb07ngQpr_DwrLBL6LRP6UnZwdl7yDPTeoEd2kG01_W29_ktRjk0n1/s320/a%255Eold_shot_of_the_Garrick.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Garrick Theatre in Detroit, site of Houdini's last performance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
By the time Houdini and his crew arrived in the Motor City, he was running a fever of 102 degrees and suffering from appendicitis. He refused surgery, though, and showed up for his performance at the Garrick Theatre. By that time, Houdini's temperature had reached 104 degrees, and he passed out while performing his act. Eventually, Houdini acknowledged that he needed medical attention, and was rushed to Detroit's Grace Hospital, where doctors discovered that he had peritonitis (an inflammation of abdominal tissue), likely caused by a ruptured appendix. Though Houdini held out hope that he would recover, his injuries eventually got the best of him, and he died at 1:26 p.m. on October 31. He was 52 years old. His body was taken to Queens, New York, where he was buried in Machpelah Cemetery.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmM2c873DQ5h3WR-4JmES4UlOYRqP0NBhwzuFEiEUrXAPi93AUcNNJwXz3hDm8HslaBgW6CrJlOPnd0ftS0vs32g7JE2YJt8nu_UE0_BDP_9LaFoh0kh-LtUn0BUqj6fSPSPccfMx8k5LZ/s1600/Grace+Hospital.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmM2c873DQ5h3WR-4JmES4UlOYRqP0NBhwzuFEiEUrXAPi93AUcNNJwXz3hDm8HslaBgW6CrJlOPnd0ftS0vs32g7JE2YJt8nu_UE0_BDP_9LaFoh0kh-LtUn0BUqj6fSPSPccfMx8k5LZ/s320/Grace+Hospital.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detroit's Grace Hospital, where Houdini died</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For years afterward, Houdini's wife, Bess, held seances on Halloween in an attempt to contact her husband. Perhaps not surprisingly, especially given the fact that, in life, Houdini had insisted spiritualism was a fraud, she had no luck. To this day, fans of the paranormal gather every Halloween to commune with Houdini's spirit. So far, he hasn't shown up.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>For more information:</strong><br />
<br />
Houdini started life as Erik Weisz, and immigrated to the United States from Hungary when he was four years old. He adopted the name "Harry Houdini" in homage to two of his heroes: an American magician named Harry Kellar, and a French magician named Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin. Houdini was best known for his daring escapes from sticky situations. One of his standards was the "Chinese Water Torture Cell" trick in which his feet were locked in stocks and he was immersed upside-down in a glass container filled with water. A curtain prevented panicked audiences from seeing his struggle to escape, but escape he did, every time.<br />
<br />
<br />
The Garrick Theatre no longer stands, but was located on Griswold Street, near the current site of the David Stott Building. Likewise, Grace Hospital, where Houdini died, is no longer part of the Detroit landscape, having been demolished in 1979. <br />
<br />
<br />
Whatever happened to J. Gordon Whitehead, the man who inadvertently caused Houdini's death? After the incident, Whitehead dropped out of college and became a recluse, eventually dying of malnutrition in 1954. He's buried in an unmarked grave in a Montreal cemetery. Some conspiracy theorists insist Whitehead was hired to kill or injure Houdini by the spiritualists whom Houdini had debunked, but no proof exists that this was the case.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-70197197268356156812013-10-03T14:03:00.001-04:002013-10-09T08:10:10.015-04:00An interview with Steve Lehto, author of "Death's Door"<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yesterday, I wrote about the Italian Hall tragedy, which took the lives of 73 people during a contentious copper mining strike in 1913 ("<a href="http://michi101.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-tragedy-at-italian-hall.html" target="_blank">The tragedy at Italian Hall</a>"). Today's post features an interview with attorney and author Steve Lehto, whose book, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Deaths-Door-Behind-Italian-Disaster/dp/1938018036/" target="_blank">Death's Door: The Truth Behind the Italian Hall Disaster and the Strike of 1913</a>," explores the incident, as well as the labor strife that led up to it. The book is an excellent read, and I highly recommend it. <strong>(UPDATE: "Death's Door" is now in its second edition, which includes the text of the first edition, as well as text from one of Lehto's previous books, "Shortcut: The Seeberville Murders and the Dark Side of the American Dream." Both "Shortcut" and the first edition of "Death's Door" are out of print, but you can find their content in the second edition of "Death's Door," which I've linked to above.)</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's what Lehto had to say about "Death's Door," the tragedy, and the strong emotions his work elicits from readers.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65bHHpuN8F0zZTDc5ipQvWwJvsOrtn0puPIK0kMbGvESTKowZAYyO-X5Har6tYWAp1viVBTQZoH07zYnoGsL1BaDKBeAxaPI0z61WYY618blKeXgvwGpjw3diMFvM5O-I3kdjALKwFvbY/s1600/Steve+Lehto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65bHHpuN8F0zZTDc5ipQvWwJvsOrtn0puPIK0kMbGvESTKowZAYyO-X5Har6tYWAp1viVBTQZoH07zYnoGsL1BaDKBeAxaPI0z61WYY618blKeXgvwGpjw3diMFvM5O-I3kdjALKwFvbY/s200/Steve+Lehto.jpg" width="142" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve Lehto</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><strong><em>What piqued your interest in the Italian Hall disaster? Why did you decide to write about it?</em></strong></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"The Italian Hall disaster had 73 known victims. Of those, 59 were Finnish. My family is Finnish and in the Finnish community, this event is well-known. I liken it to being our 'Titanic.' Everyone knows about it and it is revered. I had always heard about it growing up but did not know much more than the thumbnail sketch of it. After I got a degree in history and my law degree, I decided to research it and see what we could figure out today after looking at the evidence."</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><strong><em>As you conducted your research, what did you find that historians were saying about the incident? Did that differ from what you discovered during your own research process?</em></strong></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Many historians had embraced the 'newspaper' version of the event without taking into account that the local papers were biased heavily in favor of the mines and mine management. As a result, their narratives were essentially, 'This was an unsolvable accident, for which no one was to blame.' It was not the truth. Several of the best-known histories of the event have whole sections of endnotes which are nothing but references to newspapers with names like 'The Daily Mining Gazette.' Guess whose side they were on?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I went back and looked at primary sources and found a lot of legal documentation. Much of it had not been seen before and what had been seen had been misunderstood. People without legal training can miss things. For example, I found a good copy of the coroner’s inquest transcript. I immediately noticed that they did not provide translators for any of the witnesses and made them answer questions in English---even when they spoke little English! (And other inquests from this time used them.) This kind of thing is hugely important but was overlooked by everyone.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Strangely, there are historians who still embrace the 'newspaper' version of events. I’m not sure why they do it. I guess the research is really easy, since all you have to do is read the old newspapers. I admit I find it fun to read old newspapers, but I think historians should recognize that newspapers are often horribly unreliable and biased."</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><strong><em>What were some of the most interesting or significant things you learned while researching the book?</em></strong></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"That many of the stories being told about the hall were fictional. People often said the tragedy was caused by doors that opened 'the wrong way.' This was even put on the historical marker at the site. I found photos that proved the doors opened correctly. Even so, it took over five years to get the marker changed. (It was changed this past June, using language I drafted.)</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I was surprised by how the government was run by big business back then. The people who ran the mines ran the government and could get almost anything done that they wanted. When crimes were committed, they could assure that no one would be prosecuted---most of the time---and they were the ones who saw to it that no one was ever prosecuted for the Italian Hall disaster. This was corruption pure and simple. I know that corruption has always existed, but it was just at such a level that I found it startling."</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEW8DStx1PFXWYyL0m7CVawvqxbGLDgN3tJ-FURBgh7P5Szt3v_iy0Ts8sDkiaTSeOWNNBwPcoQtbbrIndipdjvt3Y30Hcitfk_HVrnz6FiTAR1yWDh2Kqua7te_ceCRzsGlHIyz1Rx2f0/s1600/Death's+Door.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEW8DStx1PFXWYyL0m7CVawvqxbGLDgN3tJ-FURBgh7P5Szt3v_iy0Ts8sDkiaTSeOWNNBwPcoQtbbrIndipdjvt3Y30Hcitfk_HVrnz6FiTAR1yWDh2Kqua7te_ceCRzsGlHIyz1Rx2f0/s200/Death's+Door.png" width="133" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><strong><em>How did the Italian Hall disaster affect the community of Calumet, both in the short and long term?</em></strong></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">"The Italian Hall disaster happened in the middle of a very divisive strike. The disaster caused the divide to be even more pronounced, and that divide remains today, almost 100 years later. I still meet people who are so inclined toward one side or the other they don’t even want to examine the evidence."</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><strong><em>When your book was published, what types of responses did you get from readers, especially those in Calumet?</em></strong></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I met a lot of people who were happy the story had been written, but also heard from people who were upset by it. I have even gotten death threats from people who say that I should have left the story alone. I was surprised, to say the least, by the overreaction. There are also a couple of people in the UP who show up at my talks and yell at me. Literally yell at me. One of them had to be hauled out by security. I had to threaten another with a restraining order. This event can apparently still generate some strong emotions in people."</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><strong><em>What’s next for you?</em></strong></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I am consulting on a documentary which will air [nationally] on PBS in December (the 17th at <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_186525682" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">8:00 p.m.</span></span>) about the Italian Hall. It is called 'Red Metal: The Copper Country Strike of 1913.' I am hopeful it will bring the story to a broader audience. This story is not known as well outside of Michigan just yet. I am also writing a few books, including one on Preston Tucker, which should come out next year. [Ed. Note: Preston Tucker was a Michigan native who designed and engineered many well-known cars, including the 1948 Tucker Sedan, during the mid-20th century.]</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><strong><em>In keeping with this blog’s “Michigan” theme, I always ask this question: What is your favorite thing to do, or favorite place to go, in Michigan?</em></strong></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"I have several but I guess if you had to pick one based on how often I find myself drawn there, it is the top of Brockway Mountain Drive, just outside of Copper Harbor. I go there several times each year."</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong># # #</strong></div>
<div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong>For more information:</strong></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Lehto has written several other books, including several Michigan-themed titles. Check out his <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Steve-Lehto/e/B001JPA7O4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">Amazon author page</a> to see what else he's written.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-205696335005165253.post-30128518958901999192013-10-02T11:46:00.000-04:002013-10-09T08:24:24.802-04:00The tragedy at Italian HallSeveral hundred people gathered in Calumet's Italian Hall on December 24, 1913. Their goal? To celebrate the Christmas season and get their minds off the mining strike that had crippled the community for the past five months. The celebrants were the miners themselves, as well as their wives and children---families who had struggled to make ends meet long before the strike that sought better wages, hours, and working conditions for the region's copper miners. Guests milled about the Italian Hall's second floor, enjoying refreshments, listening to piano music, and visiting Santa, who handed out small gifts that thrilled children already used to deprivation in their short lives.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgGBSwuy9EU86BTB46mKtXshUEXd1pkhxPJeLENugex_YDScfK9rrNQnUCLNlUNrvuDgICVgFQcraLdJaFYV8qq0xcHoMPYETF7E-O-wI_ox2lGrlyGyn6NziSxGZCP_5JcYrt9D9r1br/s1600/Italian+Hall.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgGBSwuy9EU86BTB46mKtXshUEXd1pkhxPJeLENugex_YDScfK9rrNQnUCLNlUNrvuDgICVgFQcraLdJaFYV8qq0xcHoMPYETF7E-O-wI_ox2lGrlyGyn6NziSxGZCP_5JcYrt9D9r1br/s1600/Italian+Hall.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1913 photo of Italian Hall, located in the <br />
Houghton County village of Calumet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Suddenly, a man called out a single word: "Fire!" At first, no one paid much attention, but the calls continued, growing in urgency: "Fire! Fire!" There was no sign of a blaze, no acrid smell of smoke, but in the confusion, crowd members panicked and rushed toward a stairwell that led to the front door. As the first guests hurried down the narrow passageway, dozens, then hundreds, of people clamored after them. The force of all those bodies sent the first guests to the floor. The people behind them stumbled, and soon, the staircase was full of bodies, one on top of another, trying desperately to escape, but slowly suffocating in the cramped space. By the time rescue workers cleared the staircase, 73 people had died, 59 of them children.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNb0nOgJZUNmYggaQI-gvSQuO_ZtKplpnQB3XeDtJbITP96vNVvJ__FY0p8UZ67fZFTT3Zp-FcWDC6cWbuC4lmb73bZ3CfyFZa_XCx-5MwL02qlfkzFnChbrxa7J1DEPr8WJGiRuxOB3Rf/s1600/Hall+after.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNb0nOgJZUNmYggaQI-gvSQuO_ZtKplpnQB3XeDtJbITP96vNVvJ__FY0p8UZ67fZFTT3Zp-FcWDC6cWbuC4lmb73bZ3CfyFZa_XCx-5MwL02qlfkzFnChbrxa7J1DEPr8WJGiRuxOB3Rf/s1600/Hall+after.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Italian Hall's second floor, the day after the tragedy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In the following days, as community members laid to rest their deceased family and friends, questions abounded. Who had raised the false alarm of "fire"? Why had he done it, and was he in any way connected to the mining companies---especially Calumet and Hecla, the area's largest copper mining operation? The Christmas party had been sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Western Federation of Miners, the union to which many of the region's miners belonged, and witnesses reported that the man who yelled, "fire" had worn a button identifying him as a member of an anti-union group known as the Citizens' Alliance. Was some sort of pro-management conspiracy behind the tragedy that took the lives of 59 children?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjM_YiZZ4veDM2AWiO7D4n6WRdwb6iXeBKH8BQFAme_qyoGWNafTYbQjVri42DfcgQEz9Vc72rW0D5OoGfjN_wEVED_W5FpE-cEjtS30KDDJ5-TF25Aaq_iLC2lcnsLxy497iXwQwWTM7/s1600/Funeral.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjM_YiZZ4veDM2AWiO7D4n6WRdwb6iXeBKH8BQFAme_qyoGWNafTYbQjVri42DfcgQEz9Vc72rW0D5OoGfjN_wEVED_W5FpE-cEjtS30KDDJ5-TF25Aaq_iLC2lcnsLxy497iXwQwWTM7/s320/Funeral.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Funeral procession for the victims of the Italian Hall tragedy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
(Note: That question has never been definitively answered, though theories abound as to the mystery man's identity. Tomorrow, I'll post an interview with Steve Lehto, author of "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Deaths-Door-Behind-Italian-Disaster/dp/1938018036/ref=la_B001JPA7O4_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381320692&sr=1-3">Death's Door: The Truth Behind the Italian Hall Disaster and the Strike of 1913</a>," a book about the Italian Hall tragedy that reveals the identity of the man Lehto believes gave the false alarm. If you're interested in reading or purchasing this book, make sure you get the second edition [to which I've linked], as the first edition doesn't contain this information.)<br />
<br />
The strike ended in April 1914, and the results were mixed for the miners. They could not bargain collectively, nor could they stop using potentially dangerous tools like the one-man drill. However, many miners returned to find that they now had eight-hour workdays, and would eventually receive higher wages. In the following years, federal labor laws, as well as the increasing power of unions, achieved even more gains.<br />
<br />
All this was likely little comfort to those who lost people they loved in the Italian Hall that fateful Christmas Eve in 1913. The hall was eventually torn down, though its front archway remains, and now stands in a park maintained by the Keweenaw National Historical Park. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6eUUksiym6E6IA94fpEIJM56Bv_nNPS52pyc3Vpw4pQIywrVu-t6PjPFgi9jljNQETTDEOh2oa3suyCBxf0EXV4FGR1VcuHq52SCBfGe9JMLNtyaQBt-k3sv5t8PXv-OYApfBJrwOTbB4/s1600/Arch.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6eUUksiym6E6IA94fpEIJM56Bv_nNPS52pyc3Vpw4pQIywrVu-t6PjPFgi9jljNQETTDEOh2oa3suyCBxf0EXV4FGR1VcuHq52SCBfGe9JMLNtyaQBt-k3sv5t8PXv-OYApfBJrwOTbB4/s1600/Arch.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Italian Hall arch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<strong>For more information:</strong><br />
<br />
Folk singer Woody Guthrie wrote a song about the Italian Hall tragedy. It's called "1913 Massacre." Here's a clip:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/oz7oguguIZE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08331164240971120413noreply@blogger.com0