HISTORY OF THE MICHIGAN PEOPLE

(a work in progress and any available information would be appreciated)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION:
Michigan, the "Lady of the Lakes" and "Wolverines," has developed as a caldron of culture with many major influences on it. Such examples would be the tribes of the Kitchi-Gumee Anishinabeg, the flags of France, Spain, Britain and America that have occupied the territory and, most importantly, the Great Lakes. The Michigan shares a particular affinity toward Canada, as it was once a member of Quebec under British rule, and a distrust of its neighbors, Indiana and Ohio, since they have stolen Michigan land in border disputes. The industries of lumbering, mining and automobile assembly have encouraged the more than 130 ethics groups that make up the "blue-collar" traditions of Michigan. Michigan's pride, shared experiences and distress have been expressed through the First Constitutional Convention, the Union Movement, building the Mackinac Bridge, Motown's cultural revolution, race riots and the rebuilding of Detroit. The events Michigan has gone through have influenced its art and its identity.

HISTORY
The history of Michigan begins perhaps 50,000 years ago with pre-historic tribes that would eventually form into a loose-knit nation of Kitchi-Gumee Anishinabeg (the People of the Great Lakes). By the time of the invasion of the Europeans beginning in 1622 with the French explorer Étienne Brulé. This nation, which included the Chippewa, Menominee, Miami, Ottawa, Potawatomi, Ojibwa, Wyandot and other tribes in the Great Lakes region, spoke Algonquian as well as developed tools, fishing equipment and established settlements consisting of wooden cabins. The tribes would migrate seasonally due to shifts in food supply to fish, collect or harvest their daily rations.

The French Empire claimed Michigan beginning in the 1620's and exploited it's natural resources for fishing and furred animals. The French brought with them Jesuit missionaries (Blackrobes) to convert the native population to Christianity. Father Jacques Marquette and Claude Dablon established the first mission in Michigan and founded the oldest city between the Alleghenies and the Rocky Mountains. In 1701, Fort Pontchartrain (renamed Detroit) was established by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and soon after Fort Michilimackinac at the Straits of Mackinac. The French had successfully occupied Michigan by 1715. Despite this occupation of Kitchi-Gumee Anishinabeg land, the French forts were not seen as a threat, but as an agreement between two nations as a convenience. The Kitchi-Gumee Anishinabeg would provide fish, fur and land to the French and in return they would receive guns, gunpowder, provisions and the protection of the French government.

Though the French and Indian Wars began in 1689, it didn't affect Michigan until about 1755 when British Commander Jeffrey Amherst began defeating the French and Indians, who fought side-by-side, and captured most of the Great Lakes forts by 1760 when the French had surrendered Detroit.

Many changes came under British occupation for Michigan tribes. The British Empire refused to continue trade with the Kitchi-Gumee Anishinabeg to the extent that the French had for 140 years because they saw it as bribery for "good behavior." This led to many major difficulties for everyday life as the Kitchi-Gumee Anishinabeg had become dependent on European technology. The French had supplied the Indians with an ample supply of ammunition and provisions, especially during the winter months, but the British were instructed to keep "Indians short of ammunition" and required all trades to be done inside of forts to restrict the sale of guns, ammunition and rum to the occupied population.

Kitchi-Gumee Anishinabeg unrest grew rampant as the British refused to restore the trade. This led the great warrior, Pontiac, to begin uniting the Michigan tribes against the British occupation. Pontiac believed that the French would support the revolt and reclaim the forts as well as restore their previous trade policies with the Michigan tribes. At a grand council of tribes and warriors, Pontiac organized the plot to capture Fort Detroit, which would cause other forts to fall to the Michigan tribes. France was rumored to be planning a reoccupation of its former forts and was supported by Spain, who had just entered the conflict. The plan was not carried out because the British had been informed of Pontiac's plan, but the warriors regrouped across the river and began to attack the British outside the fort and spare the French. This marked the beginning of Pontiac's Revolt. The English were being intercepted while travelling between forts and Pontiac inspired other tribes in the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes region to revolt. Pontiac had also created a currency to repay the French people living in Michigan for food and supplies, which was birch bark with an otter inscribed. In less than two months, Michigan tribes and their allies had captured every British fort in the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley region except for Fort Detroit and Fort Pitt, which were in constant battle. Due to the success, several other tribes joined Pontiac's Revolt. Several battles and ambushes under Pontiac's command had forced British retreat. But, as the war dragged on and Fort Detroit remained in British control, tribes began to make their peace with the British as did the French. Peace between the Michigan Tribes and Britain was made in the spring of 1765 as the war ended and the British negotiated that the Michigan tribes still owned the land and they were leasing it. Pontiac left the Detroit region with a small band of followers to hunt and trade in Illinois and Cahokia (now a suburb of St. Louis) where he was assassinated by a member of the Peoria tribe for unknown reasons. Pontiac was likely buried in Cahokia, but a legend could also be true that his body was taken across the river to St. Louis where the French Commander Louis St. Ange de Bellrive buried his remains.

Once peace was achieved, better relations between the Michigan tribes and Britain were established and their occupation strengthened. The (Northwest) Ordinance of 1787 gave standards for acquiring statehood and the British Parliament's Constitutional Act directly led to the first elections held in Michigan.

During the American Revolution, Michigan settlers favored British rule and attacked the American settlements in the region. Michigan was occupied by the Americans in 1783, but the British maintained their control over Michigan shipping routes until 1796 by holding control over Detroit and Fort Mackinac. Then, in 1805, Detroit was officially made the capital on the Michigan Territory under legislation from Washington D.C. and soon was destroyed by fire. Fort Detroit was rebuilt and was recaptured by the British, along with Fort Mackinac, in the War of 1812. A year later, Washington forces reoccupy Detroit and Lewis Cass is appointed military and civil governor of the Michigan Territory, which was under martial law at the time. In 1819, the Treaty of Saginaw took away six million acres of Michigan tribes land for new settlers and Michigan sent it's first delegate to Washington D.C.

From 1804-17, Indiana and Michigan had a border dispute.

In 1835, the Toledo War began between Michigan and Ohio. The war started because Ohio was officially recognized as a "state" in 1803 and claimed the Toledo strip, which was in contradiction to the Northwest Ordinance that divided the territories. Tom Jones, former director of the Historical Society of Michigan, said of the conflict, "Had the matter gone to the Supreme Court, it probably would have been resolved in Michigan's favor, But President (Andrew) Jackson didn't want that. The year 1836 was an election year. He was courting Ohio's electoral votes, and he worked out a political compromise. But, the compromise came too late. Ohio expanded their jurisdiction over the Toledo Strip and Stevens T. Mason, Michigan Territorial Governor promised to resist the Ohio invasion. Militiamen from both Michigan and Ohio chased each other in the wilderness, but never came into contact. When commissioners from Ohio ran a survey of the Toledo strip, a Michigan posse instructed them to leave and fired shots when they refused. No one was wounded, but they were arrested under the Pains and Penalties Act that made it illegal for Ohioans to proclaim authority in the Toledo Strip. Soon after, Governor Mason ordered the militia to arrest Ohio officials in the disputed territory. Michigan's recognition of statehood was delayed because of the dispute. Eventually, Congress recognized Michigan's statehood if it would give up the Toledo strip in exchange would receive the western portion of the upper peninsula, which Michigan already maintained the eastern section. In 1972, the Supreme Court took a case that tried to reunify the Toledo strip with Michigan.

The First Constitutional Convention was held in 1835 and Stevens T. Mason was made the first governor, who was Michigan's youngest governor at age 22. The Michigan Constitution was the first to provide for public libraries, guaranteed state education and made University of Michigan the first state school in the United States. The University then moved from Detroit to Ann Arbor and the Capital also left Detroit for Lansing. Michigan prospered during these years with the discovery of copper and iron in the upper peninsula and the opening of the ship canal at Sault Ste. Marie. After the Civil War, which 90,000 Michigan men served, the new Capital building was completed in Lansing. Ford Motor Company began the Automotive boom in 1908 that created the "Motor City" with the release of the Model T. Then in 1920, WWJ was the first radio station in the United States to regularly broadcast commercial programs. The Great Depression led to the unionization of Michigan citizens with the creation of the United Automobile Workers (UAW) in Detroit. These unionized workers converted the factories to wartime production in 1941 making Michigan the "Arsenal of Democracy" during World War II. Then in 1957, the Mackinac Bridge was completed and strengthened the ties between the people of the upper and lower peninsulas. But, it was in 1959 that Berry Gordy, Jr. started the cultural revolution with the founding of Motown Records with acts like the Temptations, Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder. The second Constitutional Convention was held in 1963 a mere four years before Detroit erupted into riots due to racial tensions. "White flight" and relocation of corporations in the suburbs had crippled the once great city and it wasn't until 1977 that a bold plan of building the Renaissance Center was realized. The Renaissance Center was the largest privately financed venture ever and it attracted people back into Detroit. This revitalization of Detroit was put into turmoil when the auto industry was hit hard because it failed to foresee the effects of the oil embargo of the late 1970's early 1980's. By the time the embargo was lifted, many workers were left unemployed as factories were being closed down and moved to nations, such as Mexico, because of their lack of environmental and employee protection laws. In 2001, the city of Detroit celebrated its 300th anniversary and was undergoing some major restorations. Detroit looks to exploit its geographical location on the Great Lakes and as a border city with Canada. This includes a new baseball stadium and bringing the Lions back into the city in a new football arena, casinos, tearing down abandoned buildings, construction and renovation of homes, Renaissance Center Improvements, massive volunteer efforts and much more.

PEOPLE
Prehistoric people resided in Michigan approximately 50,000 years ago and the land was inherited by the native tribal nation of Kitchi-Gumee Anishinabeg (Anishinabeg translates into "the first or original people."). The land was rich in resources and had very fertile hunting grounds. Michigan's first encounter with Europeans was in 1622 when French and French-Canadians began exploration of the region and established forts, missionaries and trading posts throughout the region. The British entered Michigan in the 1700's and was taken over by American forces in 1813. During this period, many immigrants moved to Michigan, especially from the New England region, because of the booming lumber, mining and, later on, automobile industry. People of Dutch, German and Polish heritage are the largest of the 130+ ethnic groups that reside in Michigan. Today, most immigrants are from African-American, Asian, Hispanic or of Middle East origin. Dearborn, a city in the metro Detroit region, is home to the largest Middle Eastern population outside of the Middle East in the world. Over 4% of the population is foreign born, mostly from Canada, Germany, United States, Poland, Italy and England. So diverse is the Michigan population that Detroit holds weekly ethnic festivals yearly that run from May through September.

The population in Michigan is highly centralized, when compared to similar polities. Of the 83 counties that make up Michigan, 35 have populations over 50,000 residents and 20 have over 100,000 people. 53 of these 55 counties are located in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula. Even more amazing, 40% of Michigan's population live in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.

Michiganders have even come up with another of describing themselves based on geographical location. A person from the Upper Peninsula tends to be called a "Yooper," derived from the Upper Peninsula abbreviation of U.P. A Yooper language, based mostly on English, has evolved because of its immigrant population and isolation from other surrounding regions. A person from the Lower Peninsula is known as a "Trolls." This is because the Lower Peninsula lies south of the Mackinaw Bridge and it is said that people from the Lower Peninsula live under the bridge like trolls. An interesting trait held by people of the Lower Peninsula is their way of showing geographical locations in that region. It is common that they will show you the palm of their right hand and use their hand as a map since the Lower Peninsula of Michigan is in the shape of a "mitten." Another classification commonly heard is "Canadian." Although Canada is outside of the Michigan border, there are so many Canadians living, working and traveling in the area that they have been assimilated into the culture. So much so that Canadian currency is acceptable throughout Michigan.

THE GREAT LAKES:
The Great Lakes give Michigan a physical shape, unlike the arbitrary borders of places such as Pennsylvania and Colorado. You can't mention Michigan without mentioning the Great Lakes. Every aspect of life revolves around the abundant water resources available to Michiganders. They provide a mild climate, source of energy and transportation, a natural defense from neighbors and an attraction to a booming tourist industry. Four of the five Great Lakes (Erie, Huron, Superior and Michigan) create the two peninsulas of Michigan and allows for the 11,037 inland lakes to exist. There are 36,350 miles of rivers and over 150 waterfalls, the largest being Tahquamenon Falls. A study of the Michigan people would be ignorant and incomplete without a look at the Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes were a source of life for the people of the Kitchi-Gumee Anishinabeg. It provided food and water year round for the many tribes of the First Nations. Fishing was year-round and water was readily available for early agriculture. The Kitchi-Gumee Anishinabeg nation had perfected the construction of building birch bark canoes. These canoes made it possible for the tribes in the area to travel 300-miles in a little more than two weeks with supplies to trade. Every aspect of life for the First Nations of Michigan revolved around the Great Lakes and other inland lakes that it supports. These people saw used the Great Lakes as inspiration for their spiritual practices. Around Lake Superior, they "are known to say a prayer, accompanied sometimes with a gift of tobacco, whenever they pass a remarkable or dangerous place on the Great Lakes."

Étienne Brulé came to Michigan by boat and claimed Michigan as a part of New France in 1620. Then in 1634, Jean Nicolet began his exploration of the Upper Peninsula. Missionaries arrived in the Keweenaw Bay area to establish a mission on Lake Superior. The first permanent settlement of the French was Sault Ste. Marie, which was a vital link between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. The city was probably established as a way to get goods from Huron to Superior since it would have been impossible to do so before the locks were built in 1855. By the 1700's, French explorers, such as Jacques Marquette, Louis Joliet and Sieur de la Salle, had scouted out the region and built missions and trading posts throughout Michigan, mostly at key points on the Great Lakes. In 1701, the French wanted to protect Michigan and other interest in the area from the British by building Fort Ponchartrain (Detroit). This fort would prevent the British fleet from entering Lake Huron and access to Lake Superior and Lake Michigan as well. To assure safety to the region, Fort Michilimackinac was constructed in 1715 to protect Lake Michigan. The French fortifications would protect the French merchant fleet who were trading goods and furs in Michigan. The French and Indian War began in 1754 and Detroit was occupied by the British in 1760 giving them control over the Great Lakes.

But the French and Indians are credited for the naming of the Great Lakes. Lake Huron was first called La Mer Douce (sweet or fresh water sea) and called "Karegnondi" in 1656. Of course, this is before the French had discovered the other Great Lakes. It was most often referred to as Lac des Hurons (Lake of the Huron Indians). Lake Erie came from the Erie tribe that lived south of it. Erie translates into "The People of the Panther" and explains why the French called it Lac du Chat (Lake of the Cat). Lake Superior was named "Kitchi gami" or "Kitchi-gummi" by the First Nations. The French called it "Lac Superieur" (Upper Lake) because it sits north of Lake Huron. A Jesuit priest had named Lake Superior "Lac Tracy," but never caught on. Lake Michigan was named "Grand Lac" by Champlain before being renamed "Lake of the Stinking Waters" and "Lake of the Puants" (Lake of the Winnebago Indians) who lived on the Wisconsin shore. In 1676, Allouez and other writers had called Lake Michigan "Lake St. Joseph." It was renamed again in 1679 to "Lac des Illinois" (Lake of the Illinois Indians). French missionaries and explorers, Marquette and Joliet, gave it the name Lake Michigan after a tribes name for it, that called it "Michi gami."

American forces had taken control over most of Michigan in 1783 and gained control over Detroit and Mackinac in 1796 from the British. The War of 1812 began as a trade dispute between the British and Americans. The British had to protect Canada from American interests with a limited fleet since they were fighting a larger war again Napoleon. The American invasion into Canada began with Governor William Hull at the Detroit River because there was more support for the war than New England states, where "public opinion ranged from mere apathy to actively expressed opposition to the war." Settlers moving west mostly supported the war since they were constantly fighting the First Nations that were being supplied weapons by the British. Fort (Michili)Mackinac was surrendered without a fight to the British troops consisting of a few British soldiers, fur traders and members of the First Nations. Governor Hull retreated backed to Detroit fearing British reinforcements. A few days after arriving in Detroit, General Brock of the British led an invasion across the Detroit River where American forces surrendered before the attack could be carried out. Most of the British troops left Detroit after their victory to support troops in at Fort Niagara. General William H. Harrison, of the American Army, led troops toward Detroit, in hopes to reclaim it, heading to Lake Erie. A thousand men headed to Frenchtown, 26 miles south of Detroit in Canada, where they were easily defeated and American prisoners were brutally massacred by Indian guards. Harrison delayed the invasion of Detroit because of the winter and built Fort Meigs and Stephenson near the Michigan border. Col. Richard M. Johnson moved his forces toward Detroit the following summer as Harrison invaded Fort Malden. Both forts were unmanned as the British retreated and later defeated. With the capture of Detroit, the Americans now had control over Lake Erie and no fighting occurred there for the rest of the war. Harrison had set up the defense of Michigan and sailed to Niagara to support the invasion of Montreal.

In 1835, the Toledo War begins and Michigan has the Toledo Strip stolen by Ohio and supported by Washington. Not only does Michigan lose the important port city of Toledo, but its access to the Maumee River, which is important economic center to the region. The main reason why Ohio wanted the territory in the first place.

The First Nations have been found to use Michigan copper as long ago as 5,000 B.C. from Isle Royale and parts of the Upper Peninsula. 1841 was the beginning of Michigan's copper boom. Douglas Houghton, Michigan's first government geologist, discovered the region's copper resource and Julius Eldred promoted copper mining by bringing the "Ontonagon Boulder," a two-ton mass of copper, to Detroit. The rush to the Keweenaw to mine copper began in 1843. The first profitable mines were the Cliff Mine of Eagle River and the Minesota Mine near Rockland. All of Michigan's copper is pure metal and found weighing up to 1,000 ton deposits. While these large deposits were famous, the long-term success of the mining industry depended on amygdaloid, almond-shaped deposits in rocks, and conglomerate, rocks held together by copper, deposits. These type of deposits led to the construction of communities such as Laurium and Calumet. The Quincy Mine were so consistent with its profitability that it was nicknamed "Old Reliable." A mining complex that had 91 levels reaching 1 1/4 miles below the surface. The shafthouse of the mine was an architectural landmark for the region that was destroyed by fire in 1956. The Great Lakes were a major contributor to the success to Michigan's mining operation. Ships were used extensively to bring people and supplies to the port cities of Marquette, Copper Harbor and Escanaba and the copper was then shipped to Detroit, Chicago and Cleveland. The Sault Sta. Marie (Soo) Canal began operations in 1855 reducing time and costs of transporting the copper. Canals were also added at Portage Lake and the Lake Superior Ship Canal at the Keweenaw Peninsula. Due to winter conditions, shipping was halted in Autumn and resumed in the Spring. The first railroad in the Upper Peninsula opened in 1877 allowing copper to be shipped year-round. The last copper mine was closed down in 1997

Iron Ore was discovered in 1844 by William Burt. A year later, Philo M. Everett and others from the Jackson Mining Company were escorted to deposits by Chief Marji-Gesick of the Chippewa tribe. The Jackson Mining Company was originally set-up to mine copper, but switched to iron when in began operations in Negaunee on Carp River. Other companies joined soon after and struggled with funding, transportation, supplies and difficult manual labor early in the industry as they fought to survive. Conditions improved as time went on with the introduction of dynamite, power drills, the Soo Canal and the railroad. Michigan iron mines are still open today and depend on the Great Lakes as much as the copper industry has.

The Erie Canal was first suggested by French Engineer, Vauban, in 1699 to connect the Great Lakes Erie and Ontario. In 1724, Cadwallader Colden made another suggestion to link Lake Erie with the Hudson River with no success. In 1768, H. Moore suggested to the Earl of Hillsborough that a canal and locks should be constructed around Canajoharie Falls on the Mohawk River in 1768. About 16 years later, Christopher Colles began to advocate for the improvements on the Mohawk River and published a proposal on the subject in 1785. A bill was introduced to the American government the following year and defeated. Although, an act authorized a survey and estimate of the Mohawk River in 1791. The next year, the New York legislature passed "an act for establishing and opening lock navigation within the state and the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company Incorporated formed to link Albany to Lakes Seneca and Ontario. The Northern Inland Lock Navigation Company Incorporated was to do the same between the Hudson and Lake Champlain. A private firm built the first locks in America to bypass Little Falls in the same year. Then in 1798, the Niagara Canal Company was formed to link Lake Ontario with Lake Erie. It wasn't until 1817 that the construction of the Erie Canal began at Rome, New York. Sections of the canal opened in 1822 linking the cities of Pittsford and Little Falls to the Great Lakes and the eastern section was completed a year later. The first passage from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario occurred in 1825 forever opening the rest of the Great Lakes to development and for the mining and automobile industries to boom in Michigan.

The Sault Ste. Marie (Soo) Canal was constructed to allow shipping between Lake Huron and Lake Superior. The St. Marys River that connects the two Great Lakes has a section known as the St. Marys Rapids. The water drops 21 feet at this point preventing boat passage. The First Nations and early European settlers to the area use to carry their canoes around the rapids. The city of Sault Ste. Marie began as a portage city taking goods from a boat on one lake and bringing them by wagon to a boat on the other lake. The first locks were constructed by the Northwest Fur Company in 1797on the Canadian side of the river. This allowed small boats access to the other lake. It was destroyed in the War of 1812 and the boats were forced to portage again. In 1853, the Fairbanks Scale Company, with many mining interests in the Upper Peninsula, began the process of constructing a canal with the support of the Michigan Government. A two-year completion date was set by the Michigan Government who assumed control of the canal in 1855. The Soo Canal was retained by Michigan until 1881 when the American government assumed control.

Without a doubt, Detroit became "The Motor City" because of the Great Lakes. Cities all over North America had automobile manufacturers, but by 1910 the only major automobile resided in Detroit. The reason is that Detroit sits on the Detroit River between Lake Erie and Lake Huron. This gave the city ample supplies of copper from the Upper Peninsula and Steel and Coal from the surrounding area. Many of the famous auto makers, like Olds and Ford, were trained to build cars by Detroit's shipbuilding industry. Olds Motor Works was the first automobile factory in Detroit and it was located on the Detroit River near the Belle Isle Bridge. Five years later, Olds was the world's leading car company. Also in 1899, The Detroit Automobile Company was formed and disintegrated two years later. One of the defectors of the Detroit Automobile Company was Henry Ford who started the Ford Motor Company with his supporters in 1903. In ten years, Ford applied the assembly-line to auto manufacturing and was paying employees $5-a-day, twice the average wage. Detroit's population boomed between 1900 and 1927 as the city grew six times larger within that period. Ford closed the Highland Park Plant in 1927 for the famous Ford Rouge Plant in Dearborn on the Rouge River that connects to the Detroit River. Part of the new plant included a new channel connecting the Detroit River to the Rogue River and a turning basin for freighters. Ford owned ships and railroads brought raw materials to the plant for processing. This was the factory that inspired Diego Rivera to paint the mural "Detroit Industry" that resides at the Detroit Institute of Art. Great Lakes Steel built a plant in Ecorse on the Detroit River and was one of the world's biggest producers of steel providing most of its supply to the automobile industry in 1928. Another steel mill was built in 1949 to keep up with demand in Trenton, also on the Detroit River, at the McLouth Steel Plant. While the lake was important in creating these industries, the industries did a lot of harm to the lakes. Pollution had harmed much of the fish, plant, air and human conditions for the Great Lakes region due to the large-scale industrialization. The McLouth Steel Plant polluted the Detroit River so bad that residents in the area refer to that section as "Black Lagoon." The condition of the Great Lakes have improved in the last few decades of the 20thCentury as environmentalism advocacy has gained momentum and the accidental introduction of Russian Zebra Mussels into the Great Lakes.

The Mackinaw Bridge was opened in 1957 linking the people of the Upper and Lower Peninsulas together. The Straits of Mackinac is the closest point between the two peninsulas as the Great Lakes separates them. While the Great Lakes was a barrier to uniting the Upper and Lower Peninsulas, the two are inseparable with the world class Mackinaw Bridge.

The St. Lawrence Seaway project can be traced to the French who controlled much of the Great Lakes region from 1608-1760. "Nouvelle France's" economy was dependent on the Fur Trade and the Great Lakes were a vital link for the region to Europe. While canoes were able to support the industry, the French understood that improvements for ships would have to be completed for the survival of the fur trade and France's control over the region. Francois Dollier de Casson began the Seaway construction in 1689 and failed because of technical difficulties and excessive costs. This plan would have provided flour mills power as well as being a canal for shipping. While this project failed, it laid the foundation for future Seaway development. The American Invasion of 1776-77 of Canada forced the British Military to begin the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway by connecting Lake St. Louis and Lake St. Francois. At Coteau du Lac, the first locks were built in 1783 to improve military shipments between Montreal and Kingston. The War of 1812 lead to studies by the British to improve ship navigation in the area for military purposes. While plans were made, funding was not readily available. The Americans began started construction of the Erie Canal in 1819. This threat to Montreal's shipping economy lead to the creation of the Company of the Lachine Canal with the intent of building a canal between Montreal and Lachine. A couple years later, the company went bankrupt and the Lower Canadian government took over the project. It was completed in 1825 and enlarged between the years 1843-48. As industries were attracted to the Montreal area because of shipping and hydraulic power generated by the canal, enlargement of the canal occurred again from 1873-79. The Lachine Canal was closed in 1970 because of the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, but discussions in the 1990's may lead to its reopening. Construction of the Seaway continued as tension between the American, British and Canadians persisted. Military and economic forces both wanted improvement, but had a different vision of what should be done. Business leaders wanted a direct route that would mean working with the Americans at a time of tense relations. The military wanted a more indirect route through Canada that would be more secure. The military eventually won as the War of 1812 proved how unsafe it could be for Canadians to work with Americans. It was completed in 1832 and was quite a detour from the other plan. Soon, other canals and locks began to appear along the Seaway. Cornwall Canal opened in 1842. The Beauharnois Canal was opened in 1845, closed down in 1901 because of the Soulanges Canal, but was re-opened when it was enlarged as a part of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The Williamsburg Canals were all in operation in the 1840s. All of these canals and locks are a part of the complex system known as the St. Lawrence Seaway that links the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean, which officially opened in 1959.

The sinking of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald is Michigan's own Titanic. In 1975, the ship was crossing Lake Superior heading to Detroit with a heavy load of iron. A severe storm hit the area and punished the ship with waves as high as 30 feet. The crew of the ship were then subject to horrible misfortune as the ship's two radar systems failed and a back-up generator for signals failed to turn on when power was knocked out at Whitefish Point. While the light was restored at the station later on, the radio beacon remained out of commission. A ship, the Arthur M. Anderson, was eight-to-ten miles behind the Edmund Fitzgerald offering navigational assistance before losing radar and radio contact with the ship. The ship sank, with its 29 crew members, with its iron ore in Lake Superior where it lies in two pieces. In late 1975, Gordon Lightfoot wrote his most famous song, Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, as a tribute "to the ship, the sea, and the men who lost their lives that night." Many Michiganders know the lyrics that detail the tragic event:

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they called "Gitche Gumee."
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
when the skies of November turn gloomy.
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty,
that good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
when the "Gales of November" came early.

The ship was the pride of the American side
coming back from some mill in Wisconsin.
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
with a crew and good captain well seasoned,
concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
when they left fully loaded for Cleveland.
And later that night when the ship's bell rang,
could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'?

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
and a wave broke over the railing.
And ev'ry man knew, as the captain did too
'twas the witch of November come stealin'.
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
when the Gales of November came slashin'.
When afternoon came it was freezin' rain
in the face of a hurricane west wind.

When suppertime came the old cook came on deck sayin'.
"Fellas, it's too rough t'feed ya."
At seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in; he said,
"Fellas, it's bin good t'know ya!"
The captain wired in he had water comin' in
and the good ship and crew was in peril.
And later that night when 'is lights went outta sight
came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does any one know where the love of God goes
when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
if they'd put fifteen more miles behind 'er.
They might have split up or they might have capsized;
they may have broke deep and took water.
And all that remains is the faces and the names
of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
in the rooms of her ice-water mansion.
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams;
the islands and bays are for sportsmen.
And farther below Lake Ontario
takes in what Lake Erie can send her,
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
with the Gales of November remembered.

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,
in the "Maritime Sailors' Cathedral."
The church bell chimed 'til it rang twenty-nine times
for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they call "Gitche Gumee."
"Superior," they said, "never gives up her dead
when the gales of November come early!"

Today, a booming industry in Michigan is tourism. Mostly related to the recreation industry that is directly related to the Great Lakes. Many of the over 100 State Parks are located on the Great Lakes and the dunes near the lake have been protected to promote the areas natural beauty. The more than 3,200 miles of shoreline provide plenty of beaches to relax at and ample availability of pleasure boats as Michigan has the highest rate of private boat ownership in North America. Water sports and fishing are other big attractions for the Michigan tourist industry.

Great Lakes survival is threatened by places like California and Texas, that have had poor planning when it comes to their water resources. Proposals have been drafted by many governments to build a pipeline to drain the Great Lakes in order to make up for their city planning shortfalls. Because of this threat, many organizations have appeared to combat this potential catastrophe. Most notable is the Council of Great Lakes Governors. This is a non-partisan organization made up of the Governors of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Also included are the Premiers of Ontario and Quebec. Established in 1983, this group was brought together to address the environmental and economic issues surrounding the Great Lakes. This region is responsible for 1/5 of the earth's fresh water supply and 60% of North America's steel and automobile production. The organization also promotes environmentalism as it makes good economic sense. Many changes in education, welfare, trade and land management have come as a direct effect from this partnership as the region works toward economic prosperity and environmental stability as it loses its identity and claims to being the "Rust Belt."

MICHIGAN FIRST
Unity of a people is more than skin deep. While a nation may understand another group because they have a common race, language and other traditional national unifiers, it doesn't always translate into unity. What unifies people is common struggles and suffering. It causes dead languages, cultures and traditions to be reborn in a struggle against their oppressors. Nothing can break through the barriers of race, language, culture and religion as much as a common threat again a common vision of the future.

Unifying the People of Michigan began when the British began efforts to take over French maintained forts in Michigan in 1760 during the French and Indian War. Eventually, this lead to Pontiac's Rebellion in 1763. These efforts largely failed by 1765.

This was followed up when American forces took control of the area and territorial integrity began to dissolve. Most notable, when Ohio claimed the Toledo Strip and started the Toledo War in 1835. The Americans sided with the Ohio government's claim despite the facts proving otherwise and refused recognition of the Michigan government. The dispute was later resolved when the Americans would recognize Michigan's government in exchange for the western Upper Peninsula and to surrender its claim to the Toledo Strip. The claim to the Toledo Strip did continue in 1972 when a case was tried before the American Supreme Court and lost.

THE AUTO INDUSTRY:
There were thousands of automobile manufactures in the American nation at one time, but only a few survived and all headquartered in Michigan. General Motors, Ford and Chrysler would become known as the "Big Three" and the center of Michigan pride and protest for a century.

Michigan still remains a strong center of Unionism as it was in the early days of the labor movement. The first unions to organize in were in Detroit with the population boom following the completion of the Erie Canal. More housing was needed and carpenters were being overworked and underpaid. This lead to the first workers strike in Detroit on April 3, 1837 as carpenters and other skilled labor demanded 10-hour workdays and $2 compensation. Unionized printers joined the union movement in 1839 by publishing Michigan's first union paper, The Rat Gazette to support organized labor. Business leaders were quick to try to crush Unions by forming the Detroit Employers Association, which fired and blacklisted union organizers.

Despite the opposition, unionism continued and Detroit held its first Labor Day celebration in 1884, which include a parade down Woodward Avenue lead by the "Old Warhouse," ship carpenter Richard Trevellick, to Recreation Park where 50,000 Trade and Labor Assembly and Knights of Labor gathered. Trevellick was blacklisted from the shipyards and became the President of the first American continental union, the National Labor Congress. He was so well-respected that a house was built for Trevellick for his contributions to labor by Detroit workers.

In the late 19th century, Detroit's world famous automobile industry began to bloom as the Olds Motor Vehicle Company opened the first factory in Detroit. Soon after that, Ford, Hudson, Dodge, Cadillac, Chrysler, Buick, Pontiac, Chevrolet, American Motors and others formed the backbone of the auto industry. Another population explosion occurred because of the booming auto industry from 1910 to the Great Depression as immigrants and southern Americans fled to the "Motor City."

While the men in corporate boardrooms became extremely wealthy, the working class were putting in long hours for little pay. It all came to an abrupt end when Detroit was thrown into an economic downfall following the stock market crash of 1929 and the 10-year Great Depression that came with it. The auto manufactures could not sell their products to struggling and hungry families and closed their factories leading to more poverty and more factory closings. Workers were dying from eating rotten food from the garbage and homeless lined the street since there wasn't a modern welfare program in place. Families, charities and unions had to pick up where the government and corporations were unwilling to provide for their people. Henry Ford angered citizens after laying off more than 1/3 of his employees by saying anyone "who wanted a job could find one." Unemployment had reached 43% and 35,000 people walked to Ford's employment office in Dearborn protesting for jobs and food. Ford had their security forces try to break up the crowd, which lead to the murder of four protesters by gunfire.

The United Automobile Workers (UAW) was formed in Detroit in 1935 to further unite workers against abuse and exploitation. Up until this time, strikes were not very effective as employers would replace striking workers with "scabs" and the weather, police and boredom would await the organized workers on the outside. In 1937, unions devised a strategy known as "sitdown strikes." Workers would show up to work, shut down production by preventing scabs from working, were sheltered from the elements and the development of new solidarity. The 44-day take over of a General Motors facility in Flint was a great success as it force the company to deal with the Union in 1937. It marked a wave of sitdown strikes that would be used as an important tool for recognizing worker's rights and earning their just pay and benefits. The years that followed were very prosperous until 1982.

Ronald Reagan's policies had thrown the country into recession leaving many autoworkers jobless. The Labor Day parade in 1982 drew 170,000 supporters, including striking air traffic controllers fired by Reagan, to protest the attacks on worker's rights. This continued through the rest of the Reagan Administration. Probably one of the most notorious films of this era was the film Roger & Me, by Michael Moore who founded The Flint Voice, an NPR commentator and editor of Mother Jones magazine, on the conditions in Michigan.

The shortsightedness of the "Big Three" caused much of the problems and they laid blame on cheap, efficient mostly Japanese imports for why workers were being laid off from their jobs. The auto manufacturers were still producing oversized, gas-guzzling vehicles during the oil embargo and people could not afford to own them anymore. This and factory relocation was the true cause of Detroit workers losing employment. Yet, the blame stuck temporarily as Japanese racism was stirred up and imported cars were being destroyed on a regular basis in Michigan.

Just as things were getting back to normal, the Clinton Administration passed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to allow major corporations to pit the workers of North America against each other for their jobs. Factories closed at an alarming rate as the went to Mexico were labor rights were largely nonexistent. Corporations would threaten to close factories and relocate if workers decided to unionize and would follow through with their threat, even if the unionization failed. This decay of worker's rights has led to the de-industrialization of Michigan and looks to continue in the near future.

The Free Trade of the Americas is the latest example of the American government allowing corporations to exploit the citizens of Michigan and abroad. It's an American lead plan of the 34 countries of the Americas of "free-market fundamentalism" that will have detrimental effects on the environment, wages, human and workers rights as well as democracy in the interest of corporate profits. The corporate interest promote policies like NAFTA and FTAA as the inevitable process of globalization, but critics have stated it is nothing more than means of exploitation of the weak. Many alternatives have been promoted and can be seen at http://www.globalexchange.org/economy/alternatives/.

General Motors, Ford and Chrysler (now DaimlerChrysler) have been an important factor in united the people of Michigan with other worldwide fighting for the same basic rights and benefits such as overtime pay, vacations, sick days, safety regulations and access to insurance.

RACIAL TENSIONS:
The Riots of 1943
Michigan industry during World War II was known as the "Arsenal of Democracy," but some jokingly called it the "arsehole" of democracy as major social and cultural changes occurred within a short span of time. Black and white southern American's were recruited and promised high wages in the factories in Detroit that had a severe housing shortage. Blacks were wrongly told of the "Promised Land" free from bigotry and hate in the area as many southern whites infused traditional southern prejudice in the Detroit political arena.

During World War II, everything was in short supply. There just wasn't enough housing, transportation, education or recreational facilities available for the citizens of Detroit and its new residents. Everything was subject to rationing and important programs, such as childcare, were not available. Workers would put in 48-hour work weeks and earn plenty of money, but had nothing to buy.

The harsh times were even more difficult for the black community. Segregation ran rampant during as Washington D.C.'s military, public services and housing projects were divided by black and white. The Packard engine plant was shut down in June of 1943 to protest the promotion of three blacks and others just like it occurred because whites were "resentful over working next to blacks." Worker's Unions tried to tone down the racial tension in order to keep production numbers high despite the high visibility of the Ku Klux Klan and the Black Legion in the factories.

Housing projects were poorly planned and were a constant burden for everyone involved. The Sojourner Truth housing project were built in 1942 in a white neighborhood and had trouble filling them because of the tension surrounding them. The American government declared the project for whites only and soon changed their minds to allow blacks when another location was not available. Soon, crosses were being burned and whites were protesting allowing black homeowners into the neighborhood and they were armed. Racial fights broke out and police fired tear gas and shotguns to break up the angry mob. Project operators postponed allowing blacks to move in even though "Detroit newspapers, union leaders and many other whites campaigned for the (American) government to all the black workers to move into the homes." After the inaction of the American government, Mayor Edward Jeffries gave orders to allow blacks into the housing development with the protection of the police and state troops.

The problems continued a year later as the black population doubled. In frustration, blacks initiated a "bumping campaign". This meant that blacks would bump into whites purposefully to get them off of the sidewalks or into elevators. Racial motivated fights broke out constantly and the police began to search cars owned by blacks as they entered Belle Isle because of previous incidents while whites did not have to deal with the burden. A brawl still occurred involving 200 people before police broke it up.

Over 500 blacks began to riot when rumors that a black woman and her baby were thrown off of the Belle Isle Bridge. Not too far away in a southern white neighborhood, and angry white mob began beating black streetcar passengers because of a rumor that a white woman was raped on the Belle Isle Bridge by a black man. During the riot, six police were shot with 75 others being injured. White gangs flipped and ignited 20 cars and looted stores. Grand Circus park became crowded with over 100,000 people as the 2,000 police and 150 state troopers tried to regain the peace to no avail.

A white man was killed with a taxicab and a black man was shot by four white youths. A few white police officers had shot a few blacks in the back as they ran from police in the Paradise Valley area. An Italian doctor was killed after a house call in a black neighborhood where his, Joseph De Horatiis monument, now stands. A black man was beaten on Woodward after getting off of a bus by a white mob as four police officers watched. In 36 hours, 25 blacks and 9 whites died, 1,800, mostly blacks, arrested, thirteen unsolved murders happened before the military moved in to restore order in armored vehicles and fully-armed jeeps.

In the aftermath, several people were put on trial and sentenced for their actions during the riot. The Detroit police were attacked for showing "restraint" towards blacks even though 17 blacks, and no white, were shot by police. Commissioner Witherspoon continued to defend "his force and his refusal to issue shoot-to-kill orders saying hundreds could have been killed." To install more trust in the Detroit police, Mayor Jeffries had Reverend White find 200 blacks to be employed in the police force. As this riot was laid to rest, this was a sign of things to come.

The Riots of 1967:
The Detroit police raided an "illegal black drinking establishment" on Sunday, July 23, 1967 and made arrests as a crowd gathered outside. The police fled the area in for personal safety concerns and the crowd attacked white-owned businesses in the area as rumors of police brutality had spread. The looting that took place was very quick as people rammed cars through security measures and burned black and white-owned businesses down. There were many accounts on all sides that said that the police were in the area, but did absolutely nothing the regain control of the city.

The city was clouded with black smoke as the city of Detroit was lit on fire. Fireman had a difficult job since there were so many fires to put out and snipers were waiting to ambush the predominately white firemen. Orders were given to residents to turn off their lights and to go home as a dusk-to-dawn curfew was put into effect. Military vehicles roamed the area and gunfire was all over the city.

When order was restored, 43 people died, 1,199 were injured and 7,200 were arrested. Most of the stores were never rebuilt and social, economic and cultural problems plagued the city. Blacks in Detroit were stranded in economic stagnation as the city faced major urban decay. "White Flight" to the suburbs occurred at an alarming rate leaving many building charred and vacant to this day. The efforts to rebuild Detroit is directly related to the events of 1967.

PROTECTING THE GREAT LAKES:
Michigan, known for bordering four of the five Great Lakes and having 11,037 inland lakes, recognizes that the water is essential for its cultural, territorial and economic life. The lakes are a major part of Michigander life as they swim at one of the 3,288 miles of shoreline or drive their over one million private boats (highest rate in North America). The three largest industries, manufacturing, tourism and agriculture, could not survive without the benefits and access to the Great Lakes. Michigander's are never more than six miles away from a lake and have access to 1/5th of the worlds and 9/10ths of North America's fresh water supply. It is an understatement to say that the Great Lakes is an essential part of the Michigan lifestyle.

The United Nations has issued a warning that the Great Lakes region would be a center of intense political conflict within 25 years because of Great Lakes themselves. Michigan, being in the center of the Great Lakes, is usually in the center of the Great Lakes debate. There are 1.5 billion people without access to fresh water and growing while 12 million people are expected to "die as a result of water pollution, poor sanitation and shortage" according to the UN and millions more will remain in bad health and poverty as a direct result. The major problems facing the distribution of fresh water supplies are mainly population growth, water pollution, increasing needs for agriculture and manufacturing and over-consumption by individuals. This is particularly true in North America where the average person consumes 92 gallons per day compared with Europeans at 44 gallons and Africa at 5 gallons daily. Aquifers and reservoirs are drying up across the North American continent because of the persistent drought and the demands to drain water from the Great Lakes increases. There have been several proposals to have pipelines built to supply Texas and California water because of poor city planning in desert areas. What effects the lakes effects the people and they take the issue seriously as politicians discovered when proposing drilling for natural gas in the Great Lakes. Michigan, Ontario, Quebec, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana citizens have come together to protect the environment and forced their governments to form an organization known as the Council of Great Lakes Governors, a non-profit, non-partisan partnership, dedicated to protecting the Great Lakes from pollution, water diversion and other dangers toward the bodies of water.

 

ARTS:

INSTITUTIONS:
THE DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS:
Need information
CRANBROOK ACADEMY OF ART:
Cranbrook Academy of Art was established in 1932 by George Booth, owner of The Evening News paper (renamed The Detroit News paper) and Finnish architect, Eliel Saarinen. Cranbrook was named after a town in England where Booth's father was born, his grandfather worked as a coppersmith and Queen Elizabeth I founded the first Cranbrook School. The school was established during the Art & Crafts movement under Englishman, John Ruskin, that believed "good moral art was nature expressed through man" and the ideals of personal craftsmanship. Southeast Michigan was an appropriate location for this type of school when one takes into account that Detroit was the crown jewel of mass production with its massive auto industry.

Saarinen was the first president of Cranbrook and chief architect. Along with designing the school, Saarinen brought over many artists from Europe to develop the institution. They wanted the Academy to be like artisan apprenticeships in Europe and an utopia for the creative community. Today, Cranbrook is now "an intense, interdisciplinary, highly creative community" and has had artists such as Carl Milles, Harry Bertoia, Charles Earnes, Maija Grotell, Eero Saarinen, Florence Knoll and many others who have had largely influenced art, design and architecture.

It wasn't until 10 years after their founding that the Academy had the ability to issue degrees. Cranbrook now offers degrees in Master of Fine Arts and the Master of Architecture. The Academy remains a small community of artists and students sitting on the George Booth estate for which his foundation's mission was to "add and strengthen the educational and cultural facilities within the state of Michigan." This is an internationally recognized institution known for its high-quality education in the arts.

PAINTING: (add Thomas Hovenden, Edwin Blashfield, Douglas Volk)
Michigan is home to many influential painters. While their techniques, concepts and ideals are different, they still consider the same place home.

Patricia Hill Burnett is an internationally recognized portrait painter and has been commissioned by Indira Ghandi, Margaret Thatcher, Betty Ford, William Milliken, Martha Griffiths, Marlo Thomas, Benson Ford, Betty Freidan, Corazon Aquino, Dennis Archer, Max Fisher, Barbara Walters, Margaret Chase Smith, Helen Neis, Joyce Carol Oates, Kate Millet, Michelle Engler and her triplets. Along with that, Burnett is an elite member of the Council of Leading Portrait Painters, has had 41 one-woman shows, receive countless awards, including Miss Michigan and runner-up for Miss America, and founded the National Organization for Women Michigan chapter. She had served on the NOW national board and eventually became president of NOW international. Burnett was also a public servant working for Detroit's City Planning, Human Rights and Library Commissions as well as president of Michigan Women's Commission and of the National Association of Commissions for Women. Her achievements also include work for the U.S. Department of State as a speaker for the arts, women and human relations and as an international speaker. Patricia Burnett established a scholarship fund to aide mature women complete college degrees on the Midland campus.

Frederic Carl Frieseke was born 1874 and raised in Owosso, northeast of Lansing before starting his training at the Art Institute of Chicago and later on at the Art Student League in New York City. It was in 1898 that he left for Paris to study at the Academie Julian, but soon began to work independently. He remained in France until his death in 1939 and achieved international success rather quickly. Frieseke paintings used allegory with his decisions for his female model's clothing and the props that were chosen.

Percy Ives was a native of Detroit and was trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and six years in Paris. Ives was an official for the Detroit Museum of Art and the Archaelogical Institute of America as well as a member of the Society of Western Artists. Some of his important works include portraits of Secretary Alger of the War Department and President Grover Cleveland.

Joseph Gies was born in Detroit, trained with William A Bouguereau and Robert-Fleury in Paris and the Royal Academy in Munich, then returned to Detroit as a major contributor to the Michigan arts. Gies was an important painting faculty member when the Detroit Museum School opened in 1890 and was involved in exhibitions with the Art Club of Detroit with many other important Michigan and western artists, including private collections of western paintings. He founded the Detroit Fine Arts Academy (renamed Wicker School of Fine Arts) and retired in 1911 to pursue painting full-time.

Robert Hopkin was a Scotish immigrant who moved to Detroit at the age of ten. Most of his youth was spent along the wharves where he painted his first marine painting at age 15. The only instruction he received was how to mix colors from Frederick E. Cohen, who was a portrait painter. He painted marine and landscapes of Michigan and murals for churches and public buildings. They were so successful that he moved to Chicago briefly before coming back to Detroit when his studio was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1871. Hopkin traveled extensively painting landscapes and didn't keep track of his work, which no two were alike.

Seth Arca Whipple was born in New Baltimore, Michigan in 1855. He was well known for his paintings of the Great Lakes region until his death in 1901.

Zoltan Sepeshy was born in Kassa, Hungary in 1898. He painted landscape-structures as a resident artist in Birmingham, Michigan. Sepeshy began working in 1930 as an instructor and eventually became president in 1959.

Charles McGee is a Detroit artist known for his paintings and sculptures with jazzy themes.

Aris Koutroulis was another important Michigan painter

As is John Wesley Carroll

Gerome Kamrowski moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan from New York to become an instructor at the University of Michigan. He was a part of the development of American Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism, working with such artists as William Baziotes, Robert Motherwell and Jackson Pollock. When asked about his move to Ann Arbor, Kamrowski said, "If I'd stayed in New York I'd be very rich or I'd be dead. I've outlived most of my contemporaries. It's a benefit, actually, that I left." He continues to work in his Ann Arbor studio creating "colorful and exuberant paintings, sculptures, wind machines, domes, fantastic beaded wooden creatures, installations for public spaces, and varied elements of the glass and tile mosaic projects that have most recently claimed his interest."

Sarkis Sarkisian was a Michigan artist.

MONUMENTS:
THE SPIRIT OF DETROIT:
The "Spirit of Detroit," a.k.a. the "Jolly Green Giant," was created by Marshall Fredericks and installed in 1958. Today, the large sculpture is seen as a symbol of the city. Fredericks cast the statue in Oslo, Norway. The statue had to be shipped at night, when there was little traffic, because it was so large that public utilities had to be taken down. The "Spirit of Detroit" "was the largest cast statue made anywhere since the Renaissance and was designed to require no repairs for 100 years." Fredericks didn't charge a creative fee for his creation and paid for some of it himself, something he did for many of his public works as a part of his "civil responsibility." The people of Detroit have a lot of pride in their giant. In fact, they gave it the name "Spirit of Detroit" and it was something that people just started calling it themselves. Before the St. Patrick's Day parade in 1982, an unknown person had painted large green footprints from the "Spirit of Detroit" across the street to the Manzu sculpture of a nude woman washing her hair. In the spring of 2000, the green giant wore a giant Red Wings jersey to celebrate their winning of the Stanley Cup. What seems to be the beginning of a new Michigan tradition as Red Wings fans swarmed the area to have their photographs taken with their beloved sculpture.
DODGE FOUNTAIN:
Anna Thomson Dodge, wife of Horace E. Dodge of automobile fame, gave $2 million to Detroit to construct a fountain in honor of her husband and son, Horace Jr. Japanese artist, Isamu Noguchi designed the piece that was installed in 1978. It stands 30-feet tall with a large stainless steel ring held up with two supports with water shooting up the ring. Noguchi has said "I wanted to make a new fountain, a fountain which represents our times and our relationship to outer space."
STEVENS T. MASON, "Michigan's Boy Governor:"
In Capitol Park in downtown Detroit, where the government headquarters were in the early years, is a statue of the young Stevens T. Mason. At age 19, Mason was a territorial official who became Michigan's first governor. He lead the charge to protect Michigan from Ohio's successful occupation of the Toledo strip and eventually a compromise that gave Michigan the western portion of the Upper Peninsula. He served a couple two-year terms of governor before moving with his wife to New York where he died of so-called "suppressed scarlet fever" at age 31. The Capitol moved to Lansing soon after and the old Capitol building was converted into a schoolhouse. In 1905, the ashes of Stevens T. Mason were returned to Michigan where he was properly buried in Capitol Park, one of his best achievements as governor.
SHRINE OF THE SNOWSHOE PRIEST:
In Baraga, there is a monument dedicated to Rt. Rev. Frederic Baraga, who was a Catholic missionary that build a church of logs with the aid of people from the First Nations in 1832. Father Baraga became the Upper Peninsula's first Catholic Bishop in 1853 and served until his death in 1868.
OUR LADY OF THE WOODS SHRINE:
"This massive Shrine-Grotto is a composite of all the major Marian shrines of the world. Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of LaSalette, Our Lady of Czestochowa are shrines of the Old World; Our Lady of Gaudalupe and the Canadian Shrine are shrines of the New World. In visiting this Shrine-Grotto, one cannot see all the separate shrines in one glance. It is suggested that visitors make individual, private pilgrimages to each shrine separately." It is located in Mio, Michigan.
MICHIGAN'S FIREMAN'S MEMORIAL:
In Roscomon, a 12-foot tall sculpture of a fireman saving a child from a fire in bronze is a well-known monument.
PAUL BUNYAN:
GRAYLING, MICHIGAN:
There is a large sculpture, made of used automobile parts, of Paul Bunyan in Grayling, Michigan.
PAUL BUNYAN:
MANISTIQUE, MICHIGAN:
There is another rather tall sculpture of Paul Bunyan in Manistique, Michigan.

PAUL BUNYAN:
OSCODA, MICHIGAN:
A Paul Bunyan monument is also in Oscoda, Michigan.

THE CROSS IN THE WOODS:
In Indian River, Michigan stands the second largest crucifix in the world at 55-feet tall. It is part of a religious complex.
ELLEN MAY TOWER:
Tower was the first Michigan woman to be killed under the American government in the Spanish-American War and was honored with a military funeral in 1899. Her friends and organizations gave funds for a monument to be placed on her grave in Byron, Michigan. A post office was built in 1899 in Onaway, Michigan where her father lived and the post office and city were named "Tower" in her honor.

WRITERS:
Terry McMillan was born in Port Huron, Michigan in 1951. She had a difficult life as her parents divorced when she was age 13 and her abusive drunk father died three years later. McMillan had little interest in literature while growing up and the only book in their how was The Bible. That changed when McMillan got a job at the local library at age 16 and discovered The Brontes and other black writers. She in journalism at the University of California, Berkeley where she published her first short story, The End. Later, McMillan studied film at Columbia University and joined the Harlem Writers Guild. She also had her son, Solomon Welch, while in New York. She struggled with cocaine and alcohol abuse during the 1980's before finding an associate professor at the University of Arizona. McMillan's novels are about contemporary black women and they are very upbeat. Some of her most memorable works include Mama, Disappearing Acts, Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

Elmore "Dutch" Leonard was a respected hardboiled crime writer and called Birmingham (now called Bloomfield Hills) his home. Much of his career was spent working for Detroit advertising agencies and his novels often used Detroit as their settings.

Russell Kirk was trained at Michigan State College and then Duke University. Kirk returned to Michigan State as a lecturer and a writer. He aided the founding of National Review and wrote a national syndicated newspaper column. Kirk was a conservative intellectual and known for his books The Portable Conservative Reader, The Roots of American Order, Eliot and His Age, Program for Conservatives and The Conservative Mind.

Jim Harrison is a novelist and poet who resides in northern Michigan. His writings are amazingly independent from the commercial book market and is much acclaimed. Some of his works include several collections of poetry, Letters to Yesenin, Ealva, The Woman Lit by Fireflies and Legends of the Fall.

SCULPTURE:
Carl Emil (Vilhelm) Milles was a sculptor of classical figures and monuments and born in Sweden. He has a large collection in the Cranbrook Academy of Art Museum in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan where he was a professor. Milles was trained at the Technical School in Stockholm and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris and as an atelier to Rodin. He taught at the Royal Academy of Art in Stockholm before moving to Michigan where he became a citizen. Milles has received the French Legion of Honor and several honorary doctorates for his hundreds of public works.

Harry Bertoia was born in Italy and immigrated to Canada before moving to Detroit at age 15. He was a scholarship student at the School of the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts and later a teaching scholarship at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Bertoia taught metalworking, graphic design before moving to Los Angeles to design furniture for Knoll Associates and took welding classes. His many works include the Bertoia Collection of furniture in 1952, General Motors Technical Center sculpture, and many other works elsewhere.

Marshall Fredericks was born in 1908 inIllinois, moved to Florida briefly and was raised in Cleveland, Ohio before attending the Cleveland School of Art and studying with Carl Milles in Sweden and academies and studios in Denmark, Germany, France and Italy. He spent ten years as an instructor at the Cranbrook Academy of Art and the Cranbrook and Kingswood Schools before becoming a Lieutenant Colonel for the Air Force during World War II. Fredericks worked at his studios in Royal Oak and Bloomfield Hills until his death in 1998 creating numerous fountains, memorials, free-standing sculptures, reliefs and bronze portraits. One of his most well-know works is his large sculpture "The Spirit of Detroit."

Morris Brose is a Detroit artist that emigrated from a small Jewish village in Poland in 1931 and became a watchmaker in Highland Park. He eventually bought a furniture store in Ferndale and befriended another Detroit artist, Sarkis Sarkisian. Brose began to study sculpture at the Cranbrook Academy of Art and became a full-time artist after selling the furniture store. His most recognized pieces are Sentinel X, Tzedek, Metamorphosis Fountain and Holocaust Doors. Brose also taught at Cranbrook and collaborated with Susana Lindburg, his widow, on a line of fine jewelry for a manufacturer.

CEREMICS: (add Pewabic Pottery Studio)
John Glick was born in Detroit and trained at Wayne State University, Detroit and the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Glick is an internationally recognized studio artist with several honors, published works and as a workshop leader.

ARCHITECTURE: (add Wirt Rowland)
The idea for the Mackinac Bridge date back to the late 1800's. But, Sen. Prentiss M. Brown, Sr. was a key figure in its construction, along with Governor Mennen "Soapie" Williams who created the Mackinac Bridge Authority in 1950. Affectionately called the "Mighty Mac," the bridge stands 55 stories tall and five miles long. That's over 2000 feet longer than the Golden Gate Bridge, but the center span of the Golden Gate Bridge is longer. The Mackinac Bridge isn't just a major achievement in engineering, but a vital cultural and economic link between the two peninsulas of Michigan. Before Michigan constructed the Mackinac Bridge, one had to take an hour-long ferry ride across the Straits of Mackinac. During busy periods of travel, ferries were in such high demand that people would wait 24 hours to board them. It was such a problem that many travelers found it quicker and more convenient to drive around Lake Michigan through Wisconsin or around Lake Huron in Canada. The Mackinaw Bridge Authority is in charge of collecting tolls as well as providing other services. People who are afraid of heights, nicknamed "timmies" for their timidness, may be chauffeured across the bridge in extreme circumstances. Maintenance of the Mackinac Bridge is also a major undertaking. It has to be made safe for the high winds and severe rain and snowstorms of the area. Currently, the paint is being completely stripped off the bridge and repainted. A process that will take more than 20 years to complete. And around 2016, a total resurfacing of the roadway will be undertaken. If adequately maintained, the Mackinaw Bridge is expected to last about 1,000 years.

The Renaissance Center was a beacon of hope after the riots of 1967 that had charred Detroit. In 1970, 26 of Michigan's most influential civil and entrepreneurial leaders began a long journey to rebuild Detroit's cultural and economic vitality. The Renaissance Center was to consist of hotel, office, residential and retail space housed in four 39-story complexes and a 70-story hotel. General Motors, American Motors, Chrysler, S.S. Kresge, Federal Mogul, Burroughs and the Budd Company each gave $33 million a piece for the first phase of construction. A project that would eventually cost over $500 million and the largest privately funded project in the world. The Renaissance Center was not built without controversy. Most notable were the concrete berms housing the heating and cooling units. The slanted slabs of concrete surrounding the building were interpreted as fortifications against the poverty outside from the wealthy business interests inside. It has been criticized for its isolating design and poor riverfront planning. Declining population in the 1980's also caused the developers to scrap "Phase III," which was the residential complex. The Renaissance Center stop for the People Mover was later opened in 1987. General Motors purchased the Renaissance Center in 1996 and began a $500 million renovation program for what later became the General Motors World Headquarters. Detroit continues to rebuild its cultural and economic infrastructure. This time without the concrete fortifications as General Motors had them removed.

The Michigan State Capitol Building, located in Lansing, Michigan, has been in continuous use since 1878. Elijah E. Myers won a design competition against J.C. Cochrane of Chicago and Alfred H. Piquenard and promptly moved to Detroit where he resided with his family for the rest of his life. Myers design was based on Greek structures with the dome inspired to the central church of the largest military hospital in France, Le Hotel des Invalides in Paris. Myers was also the designer of the State Capitol in Texas. The tympanum of the Capitol Building has a relief of Lady Michigan surrounded with symbols of Michigan's strength in the 1870's. She holds out the Book of Knowledge and the globe of worldly experience to the people of Michigan. Lady Michigan is surrounded by wheat, Lady Agriculture with the fruits of the land, Lady commerce with goods and an anchor from the shipping trade. There are rocks and other tools depicted for the mining trade and an axe and shingles to display the lumber industry. In 1963, the people accepted a new Constitution for Michigan. Plans were devised for a new capital center to replace the current capitol building. The designs, by Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, was a three building complex for the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches centered around the "Light of Freedom" sculpture. A referendum was held in 1969 and turned down by the voting public. It was largely unpopular and lost momentum when Governor Romney joined the Nixon Administration. Over a hundred years old, the Capitol Building was in dire need of renovations that were completed in 1992. It has all the amenities of current technology, while keeping in line with the buildings historical design. The Michigan Capital Building is one of the few buildings to be recognized as a Historical Landmark, mostly because of the well preserved Victorian decoration of the interior.

The Detroit People Mover opened in 1987 and was designed to be a modern version of Chicago's elevated train line. The general public pays 50 cents for service in downtown Detroit, while it's 25 cents for disabled customers and free for elderly. The wait between trains is only 2-3 minutes and all cars and stations are equipped for the handicapped. There is also the possibility of expansion of the People Mover to Comerica Park and Ford Field as well as four subway lines, two regional commuter rail lines and improved bus services. What really makes the People Mover and attraction is the artwork. The Downtown Detroit People Mover Art Commission has turned each station into a gallery with its own design using tile, mosaic, neon lights and other major works of art by mostly Michigan artists.

Tiger Stadium dominated "The Corner" of Michigan and Trumbull hosting Tiger baseball for over a century and generations of fans of one of the most famous ballparks. The ballpark was built in 1895 by Tiger's owner, George Vanderbeck, with a wooden grandstand and fans could stand in the outfield behind the roped off area. Known as Bennett Park at the time, it was about half the size of the current Tiger Stadium. The old stadium was surrounded by "wildcat" seat, bleachers and other structures about 50 feet high and costing 5-10 cents. The Tiger's were purchased by James D. Burns in 1900 and he wanted to play games on Sunday. To avoid Detroit's "blue laws" prohibiting games on Sunday, games were held just outside of Detroit on Burn's property and were known for their wild crowds before having Sunday games in Detroit in 1907. In 1911, Frank Navin was the owner and built a new home for the Tigers called Navin Field. The new 23,000 seat structure was a concrete-and-steel design famous for its giant scoreboard in left field and the 125-foot flagpole, which still holds the record for being the tallest obstacle in fair territory in a ball park. Three major renovations and expansions of Navin Field over the next 26 years. A second level was added in 1924 to boost capacity along with a press box. Walter Briggs became owner in 1935 and increased capacity to 36,000 a year later. Three years later that capacity would reach 53,000 with the addition of double-decked stands in the outfield. The stadium was renamed Briggs Field and remained basically the same for the next 60 years. Along with the Tigers, the Detroit Lions, who use to play at University of Detroit Stadium when they began in 1934, called Briggs Field home between the years 1938 to 1974. They returned to their old home in 1940 and into the Pontiac Silverdome in 1975. Tiger Stadium was the last American League team to install a lighting system for night games in 1948. Briggs Field was officially renamed Tiger Stadium in 1961 when John Fetzer became club owner. Tiger Stadium was home to baseball greats such as Ty Cobb, manager Hughie Jennings, Herman "Germany" Schaefer, "Wahoo Sam" Crawford, Al Kaline, Kirk Gibson, Willie Horton, Gates Brown, Mark Fidrych, Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker and manager Sparky Anderson as well as Tiger broadcaster Ernie Harwell. More than 102 million fans packed Tiger Stadium between the years 1912 and 1999 making it a place full of sentimental memories. September 27, 1999 was an emotional day as the sell-out crowd witnessed the last Tiger's baseball game in their beloved park. A sign in the upper deck read "Today, there is crying in baseball. Goodbye old friend" as the Tiger's won 8-2 and had a celebration with many of those who were important to Tiger's baseball. Ernie Harwell gave to final farewell speech to Tiger Stadium as home plate was removed and escorted to the new Tiger's home, Comerica Park, less than a mile away.

Comerica Park was a $300 million project orchestrated by Tiger's owner, Mike Ilitch who also owns the Detroit Red Wings and Little Caesar's pizza. The stadium features a classic baseball stadium design overlooking the Detroit skyline, carousel, ferris wheel, musical fountain and a Tiger's Walk of Fame Museum. And there isn't a bad seat in the house. Comerica Park is part of a complex of eight buildings housing 106,000 square feet of retail and office space in the Foxtown district. It has the largest scoreboard in the world with a video screen and two matrix boards. The new stadium is not only meant to be the new home of the Detroit Tiger's, but part of the larger plan to revitalize the downtown area.

The Pontiac Silverdome has been the home of the Detroit Lions since 1975 and the 1978-88. It has the highest capacity of any NFL stadium at over 80,000 people (90,000 for other events) and remains the largest air supported domed stadium in the world. Not to mention the first successful fiberglass fabric roof. The Silverdome was host to the 1982 Supebowl between the 49ers and the Bengals, which was the first Superbowl to be held in outside of the Sunbelt. The Silverdome also held the first World Cup Soccer match indoors and required natural grass to be brought in. The Lions have a new home, Ford Field, in downtown Detroit next to Comerica Park and the Silverdome will continue to be used as a venue for concerts, rallies and other public gatherings.

Ford Field, named after the owner of the Detroit Lions, uses the old Hudson's warehouse as a cornerstone of the new facility. A wall off glass allows visitors to look over the Detroit skyline while enjoying a game in the 65,000-seat stadium. Ford Field is an amazing stadium that will host the Super Bowl in 2006. Detroit hopes to have many of the revitalization projects finished by then so that they may show off the city to the world.

A link between Detroit and Canada had been in the works since 1872. But plans for a drawbridge were scrapped by shipping and ferry companies. The economic benefits of a bridge though were too great to pass up. A major plan was devised after World War I to build a bridge that would suit cars, trains, streetcars, and pedestrians. The structure would have barely allowed ships to navigate under the bridge, at 110-feet, and the approach would have had to begin a mile away. Construction costs would have exceeded $28 million and had no public funds. An investment scheme was drawn up by Russell T. Scott that eventually let to the failure of the project and $2 million of the architect's, Charles Even Fowler, own money. Joseph Bower took up the project in 1924 and wanted to build the world's longest suspension bridge and a clearance of 152-feet above the Detroit River to link the two nations. It was widely approved by voters and business interests alike, except for Detroit's mayor, who feared that the bridge costs would be burdensome on Detroit citizens for the profits of its owners. A referendum was to be held that became heated as companies and citizens replaced their ads with propaganda for their side of the debate. The debate lead to an extremely large turnout of voters that supported the bridge at an 8-to-1 margin and Mayor Smith was defeated because of the controversy in the next election. The construction of the bridge had already begun almost two months earlier as the corporation would have expired if it would have waited until after the referendum. Two years later in 1929, the Ambassador Bridge was opened. The two 386-foot tall silicon towers with signs reading "Ambassador Bridge" were now permanently a part of the Detroit landscape. The Ambassador Bridge has been the involuntary host of many spectacles over the years. Planes have flown under it, a man parachuted from it, a man walked it backwards and another pushed a friend in a wheelbarrow, toe-danced across and several weddings on the international line. The bridge owners faced bankruptcy and as they reorganized, World War II began. This lead to the increased security of the Ambassador Bridge to prevent sabotage. Despite the patrols, restrictions, extra fencing and other security measure, traffic had increased. The Detroit International Bridge Company had thwarted bankruptcy in the end and went on to be very profitable. The bridge lead to custom house expansions on both sides, duty-free stores and a renovation of the Ambassador Bridge occurred in 1969, it's 40th anniversary, which rewired the bridge and installed new lights and electrical transformer. The Ambassador Bridge signs were replaced in 1952 with new letters standing 6-feet tall. The Ambassador Bridge was sold in 1979 to the Detroit-based Cartage Company. Many improvement on and around the Ambassador Bridge have been made and it has maintained a great cultural and economic link between Canada and Michigan.

The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel linking downtown Detroit and Windsor's business district with a mile-long tunnel. A debate about its construction occurred in the 1870's, around the same time as the Ambassador Bridge debate. Construction began in 1871, but ended when workers refused to return to the tunnel because of a gas leak that had made them all sick the previous day. Another tunnel was started in 1878 and stopped when limestone formations were encountered that would have been too costly to remove. Windsor's mayor, Edward Blake Winter, proposed tunnel construction as a war memorial in 1919 to soldiers of World War I because plans were made for a war memorial tunnel between England and France. There wasn't much support for the project since experts predicted everyone using the tunnel "would die from carbon monoxide poisoning." The project was still being pursued by Captain, Fred W. Martin of Windsor and eventually won support when it was found that a tunnel could be build that was safe and profitable. Detroit bankers organized funds for the project and had plans drawn up. Construction began on both sides of the Detroit River in 1928 using advanced mining techniques. The river section of the tunnel was constructed on land. The nine steel tubes were towed into the river and lowered into place where divers cemented them together and held it in place using 20-feet worth of material. Also included was an efficient ventilation system that replaces the tunnel air every 90-seconds. So well designed, in fact, that the air would remain safe if the ventilation fans were to stop working. The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel construction ended a year before anticipated and was marked with a grand celebration on both sides of the Detroit River. The tunnel is jointly owned between the cities it connects and a $50 million renovation project was started in 1993 to update and restore the tunnel. This tunnel is such an important connection that it is the second largest connection between Michigan and Canada.

The Guardian Building was opened in 1929 as the "Cathedral of Finance" for the prosperous city of Detroit as it was home to the Guardian Detroit Union Group. It was designed by Wirt Rowland, only in his early 30's, of the firm Smith, Hinchman and Grylls and also designed other notable buildings including the Buhl, Penobscot, and the Music Hall. The Guardian Building consists of a steel frame, specially made bricks and Pewabic tile and has forty-stories standing 486-feet tall. The building is mosted recognized for having it's bright orange brick exterior. The interior was just as flashy and expressive and the exterior of the building. Specially glazed tiles were used and the marble came from a quarry that was closed for thirty years and re-opened just for the Guardian Building. Elaborate works of Copper, nickel and aluminum line the hand painted ceiling as one enters the banking hall. The Guardian Detroit Union Group was dissolved after many problems surrounding the stock crash of 1929 and the Depression. The Guardian Building was an Army Command Center during World War II and returned to the New Union Building Company after the war. After a couple of bankruptcies in 1949 and 1952, the Guardian Building was auctioned to the Michigan Bank Corporation. MichCon became the largest tenant until they moved to their new facility and later bought the Guardian Building in 1975 to sell it to General Electric Pension Trust under a lease and moved back in 1983. SHG (Smith, Hinchmen & Grylls) who designed the building moved 270 employees to the Guardian Building in 1998 in the spirit of rebuilding Detroit.

Detroit's Fox Theater was known as the "Temple of Amusement" when in opened in 1928. The lobby of the Far Eastern influenced building took up 6 of the 10 stories and was the second largest theater at the time. Draped in gold and red, visitors would walk under the organ as they entered the building. The floor of the lobby was covered by an enormous rug weighing about 3,000 pounds. The canopy of the auditorium was constructed with skylights and made in the style of the durbars in India. Each row of seats had three feet of legroom so people could remain seated when others returned or left their seats. The Fox Theater was designed by Charles Howard Crane that was the architect for the Orchestra Hall, the Capital Theater, the State Theater and the United Artists Theater. The interior was the work of Eve Leo, who was the wife of founder of Twentieth Century-Fox, William Fox. Over the next few years it had several changes in ownership. It was home to a children's dance school with 14,00o students, hosted the "war-worker dawn show" for 9,000 factory workers at a 2 a.m. show in 1943 and Berry Gordy's Motown Revue was a ten day show of Detroit's musicians, like the Temptations, in the 1960's. Ilitch, owner of Little Caesar's Pizza, Detroit Tigers and Red Wings, bought the Fox Theatre in 1987 and renovated the historic landmark. Today, it has been restored to its original condition.

James Scott gave $500,000 to the city of Detroit, after his death in 1910, to construct a fountain on Belle Isle. Along with the fountain, Scott requested that a life-size bronze statue of him be built as well. So controversial was Scott that a Bishop, along with alderman, civic leaders and others, protested its construction. A prankster, loaf and gambler, Scott had angered a lot of important people in the community. To spite his neighbors, the McMillan's of Detroit's leading grocery store, Scott had a large hog carved and attached to his home. When a neighbor refused to sell his property to Scott, he spent $20,000 to construct a wall to block sunlight from reaching their property. Since Scott only requested a life-sized sculpture, many wanted to use it to mock him by placing it in the fountain as if he were bathing or designing the fountain as a large roulette wheel with poker chips. After all the mockery, the city accepted the money from Scott's estate because it supported "such a good cause" as Mayor Philip Breitmeyer stated. It was dedicated in 1925 and designed using elements of Detroit's history. A great bowl of marble with a pedestal of carved figures in the center. Along with Neptune and animals spewing great streams of water were several Greek drinking horns. The Scott statue overlooks the fountain and constantly has people taking pictures of themselves sitting on his lap.

MUSIC:
MICHIGANDERS AND THEIR MUSIC:
It's nearly impossible to separate the two. Children are trained in elementary school how to play an instrument and are integrated into the vibrant music scene usually around high school. Whether it is in Harpo's, Clutch Cargo's, St. Andrew's Hall or at bars, garages and basements of houses music is the lifeblood of the Michigan spirit. The capital of the Michigan music scene is Detroit and has earned its name "Detroit Rock City."

BERRY GORDY JR. & MOTOWN RECORDS:
Berry Gordy Jr. was the child of middle-class businesspersons Berry and Bertha Gordy of Georgia immigrants and went on to form the most important independent label of the 1960's.

Gordy dropped out of school to become a respectable featherweight boxer and was on the same card as Joe Louis, the "Brown Bomber," at the Detroit Olympia Stadium. He's career ended right before he was shipped to Korea by the American army from 1951-53. After he was released, Gordy opened th 3-D Record Mart-House of Jazz that failed because he refused to sell Blues records because of his love of Jazz. Around this time, he had married Thelma Coleman and had three children. Gordy went to work on the Ford Lincoln-Mercury plant assembly line before quitting to become a professional songwriter in 1957.

At the Flame Show Bar, a famous showplace for black talent in the 1950's, the Berry family was in charge of photography. The owner of the club, Al Green, hired Berry to write songs for artists such as Jackie Wilson. Berry, Roquel "Billy" Davis and his sister Gwen wrote "To Be Loved," "Lonely Teardrops, "That's Why (I Love You So)," and "I'll Be Satisfied" and began to produce.

Gordy met his 2nd wife when he auditioned Raynoma Liles and her sister, Alice. Together, they wrote music and ran the Rayber Music Writing Company to assist artists in every aspect of the music business. The Rayber Voices were the back-up vocalists in the early acts of Motown Records.

At an audition, Gordy had been introduced to the Matador's (who became the Miracles) and the lead singer, Smokey Robinson. Gordy became their manager and produced the 1958 single "Got a Job" on End Records. The meager royalties from that was enough for Gordy to start Tamla Records. This also lead to the formation of Jobete Publishing named after his children, Joy, Berry and Terry, which wrote for Motown and much of the music industry. After an $800 loan from his family, Gordy leased a house in West Grand Boulevard to start Motown Records and issued records under other labels with limited success.

Smokey Robinson recorded "Shop Around" in 1960 and convinced Gordy that Motown Records should distribute their own records. It shot to number one on the charts and brought Motown and Gordy's other music related businesses with it. Motown continued to expand as hit after hit was sung by mostly "girl groups." Mary Wells, founder of the "Motown sound," was signed after singing a song to Gordy that she wrote for Jackie Wilson. She went on to have hits such as "Bye, Bye, Baby," "Laughing Boy," " Your Old Standby" and "My Guy." Wells joined with Smokey Robinson to record other hits like "The One Who Really Loves You," "You Beat Me To the Punch" and "Two Lovers." The Marvelettes were signed in 1961 and recorded Motown's first hit record, "Please Mister Postman" and toured in the first Motortown Revue. Martha Reeves, a secretary at Motown, release previous recordings and was signed to Motown and sang backup on Marvin Gaye's "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" and "Hitch Hike." They later charted with songs like "Come Get These Memories", "Heat Wave," "Quicksand," and "Dancing In the Streets." Gordy hired Maxine Powell, who ran a finishing and modeling school, to groom the artists he had found on the street of Detroit to make them acceptable to mainstream music consumers. Choreographer, Cholly Atkins, was hired soon after to train Motown artist how to handle their stage performances. Gordy had been able to transform poor Detroit youth into successful black musicians.

Andrew W.K. was raised in Ypsilanti, Michigan and was trained as a classical piano player. Andrew learned to play the drums in his teens and began to play in numerous Detroit punk and metal bands before recording solo material. At age 18, he moved to New York City to pursue a career in the music industry. His worldwide release of I Get Wet was recorded in New York, Colorado, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Florida and Michigan.

Eminem, a.k.a. Marshall Mathers III, was born in Kansas City and was between there and Detroit until his mother moved to Eastside of Detroit when he was 12. He was constantly changing schools, which made it very difficult growing up. Although, school was where Marshall learned to rap before he dropped out to work several minimum-wage jobs. He released his debut album, Infinate, in 1996 and was quickly accepted into Detroit's underground scene, but not so quickly else where. It was a time of growing up as he tried to develop his own sound. Eminem later had a performance at the Rap Coalition's 1997 Rap Olympics where he won second place in a freestyle competition in Los Angeles, California. While in California, he met up with Interscope Records and had his major radio debut on the Wake Up Show with Sway and Tech and his career began to take off. Dr. Dre, of N.W.A. and solo fame, sought out the Detroit rapper and signed Eminem to his Aftermath label. Always controversial, Eminem lyrics of violence and vulgarity talks about life in southeastern Michigan. A place he obviously takes pride in as the gothic Detroit "D" on his left arm shows.

D12, the Dirty Dozen, is Marshall Mathers other project that also sports the famous gothic Detroit "D." Released on Mathers' label, Shady Records, debuted with their album, Devil's Night. Devil's Night stirs up lots of emotions as it relates to the three-day period before Halloween where arson erupts throughout the city and became famous in the 1980's. This six-man group were introduced at Detroit's Hip Hop Shop known for it's "Saturday Open-Mic Sessions." All of the members had respective careers in the underground hip-hop scene, but decided to come together to help each other out. They had made a pact that said that who ever was the first to get famous would come back and get the rest of them. Obviously, Eminem was the one to do so. One member, Proof, has said "D12 is the latest piece of the Motor City's musical legacy" and "we try our best to expose the city's culture: to make sure that Detroit is felt and remind ourselves of the old Motown days." D12 has been controversial, but what else would you expect from a place once known as the "the murder capital of the world?"

Da Yoopers is a musical comedy close out of Ishpeming, Michigan that also runs Da Yooper Tourist Trap that sells everything with a Yooper sense of humor. Tee shirts, kitchen supplies and collectibles. You can also expand your rock collection at Rock Knockers Rock Shop.

Esham is the "inventor, pioneer and well, The Godfather of the Detroit 'Acid Rap' scene." He has influenced musicians such as Kid Rock, ICP and Eminem and has released over 12 records in the past ten years as a solo artist and with NATAS. Esham is a "self-made millionaire" by pushing sales over a million records without any support from the major music distributors.

Madonna Louise Ciccone, better known as just Madonna, was born in 1958 in Bay City, Michigan. The most commercially successful artist in history is famous for being able to reinvent her image and probably has something to do with having complete control over her own career. She studied dance and drama while at University of Michigan and North Carolina before leaving for New York for a modeling career. In New York, she studied with choreographer, Alvin Ailey and later moved to France to be in a disco show with Partick Hernandez. Madonna met Dan Gilroy and formed the band Breakfast Club when they returned to New York City. Later, she and Detroit drummer Steve Bray formed the band Emmy and had a record deal with Sire Records. They wrote several disco hits such as "Everybody," and "Holiday." It was in 1984 that she had the hit single "Like A Virgin" that started off her solo career and became known for her Marilyn Monroe motif. She was an internationally recognized star by 1985 and married actor Sean Penn in the same year. Her music career continued to soar and spread into making movies such as A Certain Sacrifice, Desperately Seaking Susan, Shanghai Surprise and Dick Tracy. Madonna had signed a multi-million dollar deal with Time Warner in 1992 that allowed her production company, Maverick, to distribute albums, films and books they made. This lead to the release of the infamous book Sex and the less successful album Erotica. Her career continued to boom with the release of Bedtime Stories and her role as Eva Peron in Evita in 1996. The same year, she gave birth to Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon. Madonna released Ray of Light in 1998 to much critical acclaim and commercial success. In 2000, she had another child, Rocco and later married film director Guy Richie. To this day, this Bay City native still has a stronghold over the pop music scene.

Iggy Pop, James Newell Osterberg, was born in 1947 in Muskegon, Michigan. The "Godfather of Punk" was raised by an English father in Ann Arbor, Michigan and joined his first band in high school as a drummer called the Iguanas where he got the nickname "Iggy." He was briefly in a Denver blues-style band Prime Movers before dropping out of the University of Michigan to learn about blues drummer Sam Lay in Chicago. He returned to Detroit and formed the Psychedelic Stooges with Ron Asheton of the Chosen Few. They debuted in Ann Arbor on Halloween 1967 and Iggy also acted in a Francoise De Monierre film the same year. They became just The Stooges and signed to Elektra Records in 1968 and had moderate success with their now classic albums. They broke up in 1970 because of Iggy's heroin addiction. David Bowie, helped Iggy save his career by recording Raw Power in 1972. Problems persisted with management because of Iggy's drug addiction and the Stooges had their final show in 1974 at the Michigan Palace in Detroit. The show ended with a legendary battle between The Stooges and a local biker gang. Iggy later admitted himself to a mental hospital because of his self-destructive tendencies. In 1977, Iggy and David Bowie moved to Berlin, Germany where they produced two albums. He signed to Arista Records releasing a few albums before disappearing after writing a biography, Zombie Birdhouse, in 1982. By 1985, he was married, drug-free and ready to record more albums. Iggy acted in the films Sid and Nancy, The Color of Money, Hardward and was even on Miami Vice. David Bowie produced his 1986 release Blah Blah Blah and began to rebuild his career. Over 50 years old, Iggy continues to have exciting live performances and a large following in the music scene.

The White Stripes, from Detroit, formed in 1997 and are at the forefront of the back-to-basics rock. The Duo, who are either brother and sister or a divorced couple, compliment their minimalist music by dressing in only red and white for their stage performances. They released several singles including "The Big Three Killed My Baby," which probably references the Detroit "Big Three" auto makers and a critically acclaimed self-titled full-length album. They've gone on to have great success in the United Kingdom and have been compared to acts as diverse as Jimi Hendrix, the Sex Pistols, the Kinks and many garage/punk bands, which is evident in their album White Blood Cells.

Kid Rock, a.k.a. Robert James Ritchie, had put out two albums, Grits Sandwiches For Breakfast and Polyfuze Method, before reaching mainstream success in 1998 with Devil Without a Cause and later The History of Rock. Anthems for rednecks full of explicit lyrics and dedications to oral sex. Born in Romeo to partying religious parents, he ran away from home at 17 to live in Mt. Clemens, Michigan where he enjoyed barn parties, Trans Am cars and break dancing. Robert had a son out of wedlock with Kelley South, who he is in constant custody battles with. His stage performance is known for its use of porn stars and he's been linked with many notorious Hollywood actresses, most recently Pamela Anderson.

Ted Nugent was born in Detroit in 1948. He began bow hunting in 1953 and playing the guitar in 1956. Since then, he has recorded 29 albums between 1967-99 that have sold over 30 million copies. He was the #1 grossing act in the world in 1977, 1978 and 1979 before forming the group Damn Yankees in 1989. Nugent has also hosted the Ted Nugent Morning Show and the Ted Nugent Commando Radio show in Detroit as well as being honored as Michigan Conservationist of the Year 1999 and Father of the Year at his children's school. He has founded the Ted Nugent United Sportsmen of America, Ted Nugent Kamp for Kids, Ted Nugent Bowhunting School, Sunrize Safaris and publisher of Adventure Outdoors. Nugent is also the author of Bloodtrails: The Truth About Bowhunting in 1990 and Ted Nugent-God, Guns & Rock-N-Roll in 2000. He was the creator and producer of the PBS series Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild and an outspoken advocate for hunting, being drug-free, individualism, outdoor sports and conservation. A Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association in 1995 and a spokesman for the National Field Archers Association, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) and appointed to the Michigan Year of the Family Council by Governor John Engler. Nugent has also been named Archery Commissioner for the Great Lakes State Games, member of Michigan's Hunting and Fishing Heritage Task Force, Appointee of Michigan State Parks Foundation, Board of Directors of Lyme Alliance, a Michigan County Sheriff Deputy from 1978-present, a nominee for Handgun Hunters Hall of Fame and Outstanding American Handgunner Award. An inductee of the Native American Strongheart Society by the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne and Arapahoe Tribes, a certified Hunter Safety Instructor & International Bowhunter Education Foundation instructor, a Huron School District Student Youth Counselor, designer of signature hunting gear. Also a professional staff advisor for Browning, GameTracker, Mossy Oak and LaCrosse. A regular columnist and contributor to more than 32 publications and a life member to about 31 organization. About six months a year are dedicated to his rock and roll career and the other six months to hunting. Whether you love him or hate him for his politics, many respect him for his dedication to the community.

The "Crown Prince" of Motown has always been Marvin Gaye when he began as a drummer for the Detroit-based label. A successful solo artist, he's also been paired with such singers as Mary Wells, Kim Weston and Tammi Terrell. Gaye has left a legacy of romantic love ballads trying to find "some balance between celebrating sexual gratification and morbid spirituality."

Mary Wells was known as the "Founder of the Motown sound" and a major part of the success of the Motown label. As a child, she was temporarily paralyzed, deaf and partial blindness in one eye because of spinal meningitis. Wells regained all of her physical capabilities before auditioning for Berry Gordy to become a songwriter and instead became a performer. Smokey Robinson was a major influence in developing "her intimate and assertive voice, mixed with a soulful urgency" that was the backbone of the Motown style. She wrote and recorded many hits before leaving Motown five years later. Wells' career peaked in 1964 when she released the popular song My Guy and performed duets with Marvin Gaye. The Beatles invited Wells to tour England with them after saying she was one of their favorite songwriters and "their sweetheart." They began a creative exchange and Wells released an album in their honor called Love Songs to The Beatles. She was diagnosed with larynx cancer in 1990 effectively ending her singing career before passing away from pneumonia in 1992.

Stevie Wonder, a.k.a. Steveland Judkins, was born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1950 and immediately set in an incubator. While in the incubator, he received too much oxygen that caused his permanent blindness. In 1954, Stevie's family had moved to Detroit where he joined a church choir that was a major influence on his work. His piano training began at age seven and had become accomplished at drums and harmonica by nine. Ronnie White of the Miracles discovered him in 1961 and arranged an audition with Motown, where he was signed and renamed "Little Stevie Wonder." His early albums developed his skills as a musician and reached commercial success in 1963 with the release of Fingertips (Part 2). He was promoted as "the 12-year-old genius" as his next few albums did not fair so well. Wonder's career was halted when his voice began to change in 1964. When he returned a year later, his sound had closer ties to Motown and recorded several hits over the next six years. Stevie's Motown contract expired in 1971 and he recorded two self-financed albums while forming his own company, Black Bull Music. These albums were more experimental than his Motown work and covered his humanitarian interests covering racism and spirituality. Wonder re-signed with Motown, which gave him total artistic control and the rights to music publishing. These changes placed Stevie Wonder as a leader of black music. His new musical direction met commercial success with the release of Talking Book in 1972 and was seriously injured in an automobile accident soon after that greatly influenced his work down the road in Fulfillingness' First Finale and Songs In the Key of Life. His personal work was put on hold for the next few years as he worked on the instrumental soundtrack to The Secret Life of Plants that had disappointing results and returned in 1980 with Hotter Than July with much better reception. Wonder was more cautious about his work after the soundtrack disappointment and released a compilation of his work in 1982 called Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I and decided not to release an album entitled People Move Human Play in 1983. Another soundtrack was to be composed for the film The Woman In Red, which had his most famous song "I Just Called To Say 'I Love You'" on it. His next albums, In Square Circle and Characters, reached back to his musical roots. As an advocate of black rights, Wonder lead the charge to have Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's birthday celebrated as a holiday and was successful in 1986. He continued to release recordings and collaborated with other performers over the years making him one of the most recognized artist of our time.

The Temptations were a group known just as much for their choreography as they were for their music. This was a versatile group that began singing soul and entered into progressive funk and rock later on. The original Temptations group was a combination of the two Detroit groups, The Distants and The Primes. The members were Eldridge Bryant, Eddie Kendricks, Otis Williams, Paul Williams and Melvin Franklin and they signed to Motown in 1961. Bryant was replaced by David Ruffin three years later around the same time Smokey Robinson began to write and produce some of their most successful hits such as "The Way You Do The Things You Do" and "My Girl." These romantic songs were complimented with they dance songs as well. Norman Whitfield became their producer in 1966 and introduced social consciousness and psychedelic guitars into The Temptations with their release "Cloud Nine." At this time, they had also replaced Ruffin, who went on to have a moderate success as a solo artist, with Dennis Edwards. The group continued to produce hits through the late 1960's and early 1970's. In 1973, Williams left because of health and alcohol problems while Kendricks went on to start a solo career. Paul Williams used a gun to commit suicide as well.The group released a few more hits before decaying with the loss of Whitfield and "lack of direction" of Motown before leaving the label in 1977. Then returning a few years later. Edwards would perform for brief periods in the 1980's while Williams and Franklin toured with new members with few ties to their early days. In 1991, Ruffin died as a result of a cocaine overdose and Kendricks passed away the following year from lung cancer. Franklin suffered a brain seizure in 1995 leaving Otis Williams the only remaining member.

Anita Baker was born in Toledo in 1958 and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. She grew up with her grandparents and, after their deaths, the Lewis family singing gospel music for the church. Baker began to sing for local bands as a teenager and joined Chapter 8, on of Detroit's most popular bands at the time. Although, not popular enough to sell enough records to maintain their record contract. She became a waitress worked for a law firm for a brief period of time. A record executive, who knew her from Chapter 8, convinced her to go to Los Angeles to record The Songstress in 1983 followed up by a tour. She signed with Elektra Records in 1985 to release Rapture and earned international recognition and two Grammys. Her career continued to blossom with collaborations and new albums over the next few years. In 1988, she married Walter Bridgforth, who was a real estate developer and IBM marketing executive, and eventually moved into their new home in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. She had her first child, Walter Baker Bridgforth, in 1993 and returned to recording five months later. Her second child, Edward Carlton, was born in 1994 while she put finishing touches on her album Rhythm of Love. Along with music, Baker has been an advocate for causes, like child immunization, and started a foundation with her husband to help low-income children find scholarships for education.

Bill Haley was born in Highland, Michigan in 1925 and one of the first to be immortalized in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Tommy James, a.k.a. Thomas Jackson, was born in Niles, Michigan in 1947 and began his career at age four as a child model. At 12, he formed The Tornadoes' and began playing shows locally. They signed a record deal with a local label, Snap Records, and changed the band name to The Shondells'. The same year, they release an album that was a local hit before breaking up. Two years later, the record took off in Pittsburgh and Tommy was unable to reorganize the band. So, he hired a local band to play their music with him with their first hit, "Hanky Panky" by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. A couple of weeks later, Tommy signed with Roulette Records and added producers, Bo Gentry and Richie Cordell, to the staff that produced hits such as "I Think We're Alone Now", "I Like the Way" and "Mony Mony." Tommy and the Shondells released Crimson and Clover in 1969. After several successful records, they left Roulette Records of New York for Fantasy Records in San Francisco for a couple of albums before signing with Millennium Records. His music has been an inspiration to many artists worldwide as many musicians have covered his music several times over and been used in many memorable cultural works.

Suzi Quatro was born in Detroit in 1950 to jazz musician Art Quatro. She and her two sisters formed The Pleasure Seekers while they were teens and were together for five years. She was signed to a British producer's, Mickie Most, RAK record lavel in 1970 and recorded her album in England where she was on tour with Slade. She has had much success, mostly in Europe.

Martha Reeves was born in Eufaula in 1941 and moved to Detroit before she was even a year old, where she formed Martha and the Vandellas. In the early days, they were backup vocalists for Motown acts, like Marvin Gaye before they released their solo single "Come and Get These Memories" in 1963. From there they had several hits like "Heat Wave" and "Dancing In the Streets." The group broke up in 1972 and Martha went on to have a solo career signed with MCA Records in 1973. Four years later she was with Arista Records where she released a few disco albums. Martha joined other Motown acts for a tour and eventually got back together with Martha and the Vandellas. They signed with Motor City Records where they released Step Into My Shoes in 1989.

Diana Ross was born in Detroit in 1944 and grew up in a housing project. She began her music career at Motown Records with the Supremes and went on to have a successful solo career in music and acting. Ross has also been able to maintain a career while raising her three girls and two boys. Ross' accomplishments have been hard won and is why she deserves every bit of her success.

Bob Seger was born in Ann Arbor in 1945 and been credited to many hits about Michigan like "Coming Home" and "Roll Me Away."

Del Shannon, a.k.a. Charles Westover, was born in Coopersville, Michigan in 1939. He was in the American Army and spent time in Germany before starting the Midnight Ramblers, who regularly had shows in Battle Creek at the Hi-Lo Club. There, he adopted his stage name and wrote his biggest hit "Runaway," which made him an instant success and toured with Jackie Wilson and Dion. He went on to write other hits like "Do You Want To Dance" and "I Go To Pieces" before his music career began to fade and went on to become a music producer. Del Shannon returned to music in 1981 with his album Drop Down and Get Me produced by Tom Petty with the hit Phil Phillips cover "Sea of Love." This lead to a rebirth of his career and he nearly completed another album when he committed suicide in 1990. Shannon was known for writing his own music and not having a corporate manufactured image. His influence on the music industry continues as his songs have been covered by over 200 artists.

Aaliyah, a.k.a. Aaliyah Dan Haughton was born in New York in 1979 and moved to Detroit when she was five. She began singing at age six, a school production of Annie at nine and an audition for the sitcom Family Matters at eleven. Also at eleven, she was on the show Star Search and had a show with Gladys Knight in Las Vegas. Her uncle managed R. Kelly and Kelly produced Aaliyah's debut album Age Ain't Nothing But A Number and, later, One In A Million in 1996. Aaliyah had a 4.0 GPA when she graduated from the Detroit High School of the Performing Arts and had an audition for the Broadway show AIDA by Elton John at age 21. There were a movies she had soundtracks for and starred in the movies Queen of the Damned and Romeo Must Die. She is probably most remembered for being a rising star that never reached her peak as she died in a plane crash in 2001.

ICP, a.k.a. Insane Clown Posse, formed in Detroit as a hardcore rap group called the Inner City Posse. They are known for their "Carnival" music and their love for Faygo pop, a Detroit-based beverage company.

Other internationally recognized artists include Les Baxter, jazz musician Betty Carter, Dave "Babe" Cortez, Marshall Crenshaw, Franki Venee, Suicide Machines, Robert Lowe, Johnny Desmond, Glen Frey, Earl Klugh, Ray Parker Jr., Della Reese, Harry Von Tilzer, Margaret Whiting, Jackie Wilson, MC5 and Alice Cooper.

EVENTS: (ADD MUSKEGON SUMMER CELEBRATION, MUSKEGON & KAZOO AIRFAIR, GRAND HAVEN COAST GUARD FESTIVAL, TIP-UP TOWN IN HOUGHTON LAKE, 1-500 SNOWMOBILE RACE IN SAULT STE. MARIE, INVITATIONAL NORDIC SKI RACE IN NEWBERRY, SNOWMOBILE FESTIVAL IN BOYNE CITY AND COPPER HARBOR, MAPLE SYRUP FESTIVAL IN SHEPHERD AND VERMONTVILLE, BLOSSOMTIME FESTIVAL IN ST.JOSEPH/BENTON HARBOR, HIGHLAND FESTIVAL AND GAMES IN ALMA, GRAND PRIX IN DETROIT, BRAVARIAN FESTIVAL IN FRANKENMUTH, MUZZLE LOADERS FESTIVAL IN DEARBORN, INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM FESTIVAL IN DETROIT, YACHT RACES IN MACKINAC ISLAND, ANN ARBOR ART FESTIVAL MICHIGAN FESTIVAL IN LANSING, UPPER PENINSULA STATE FAIR IN ESCANABA, MONTREUX/DETROIT JAZZ FESTIVAL MICHIGAN WINE AND HARVEST FESTIVAL IN PAW PAW AND KALAMAZOO, FALL COLOR TOURS, RED FLANNEL DAYS IN CEDAR SPRINGS, HUNTING SEASON, )
DEVIL'S AND ANGEL'S NIGHT:
Devil's Night, the night before Halloween, is a very dark and destructive tradition that took its stronghold in the early to mid-1980s when Detroit and the rest of Michigan was taking a hard hit because of the failing automobile industry. Years of pent up frustrations, racism and urban decay took its toll on Michiganders, especially in Detroit, which lead to the growth of Devil's Night. All one has to do to participate in Devil's Night is to commit arson. The targets are usually tires, cars and abandoned buildings, which there are plenty of. On a normal night, the city of Detroit experiences about 50 fires. During the three-day period leading up to Devil's Night, they have recorded up to 297 fires, mostly arson. With the economic and housing boom Detroit is currently experiencing the city of Detroit started a program, called Angel's Night, to end the tradition of destruction. Former Mayor Coleman Young began the program and it has lead to much success. Efforts include an awareness campaign, demolition of thousands of vacant buildings, towing abandoned automobiles, discarding hundreds of thousands of tires that could be used as fuel, limiting sales of gasoline in small containers and placing a curfew on minors. Another major part of the program is organizing volunteers to patrol the street with flashlights and radios provided by the city. With 35,000 volunteers and growing, it's the largest municipal volunteer program in North America. Angel's Night has been so successful that only 41 fires were reported in 1995, nine less than the average. In 2001, they were slightly more fires than the average.
ELECTRONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL:
In Hart Plaza in Detroit, is the Annual Detroit Electronic Music Festival. The city where the music genre originated. It's a free event held on the waterfront over a three-day period showcasing Detroit and International artists on several stages. The event is attended by over 1.5 million people making it the 2nd largest music festival in the world, behind Berlin's Love Parade.
MICHIGAN STATE FAIR:
Held at the State Fair Grounds in Detroit, the State Fair brings many attractions to the area. Exhibits like the "Miracle of Life," the Department of Natural Resource's "Pocket Park" where children learn to fish, parades, horse shows, agricultural showcases, arts & crafts, pig races, rabbit and poultry displays, rides, games, two midways and the World's Largest Stove. The Michigan State Fair is the oldest in North America beginning in 1849 and use to be held in different locations around Michigan before it was permanently located in Detroit at the State Fair Grounds. The reason the fair located in Detroit was Joseph Hudson, founder of the Hudson Department Store, formed the State Fair Land Company with three associates in 1904. They acquired land over the next year in an area between 7 1/2 and 8 Mile Road, which was rural farmland at the time, for the event. The land was then sold for $1 to the Michigan State Agricultural Society in 1905 and later purchased more land. It was expanded again in the 1980s and 1990s to 207 acres. In 1921, the Fairgrounds were given to the Michigan Government and placed under the control of the Michigan Department of Agriculture under a board of managers. They were replaced in 1956 by the Michigan State Fair Commission and the Michigan State Fair Authority in 1962. In 1965, the State Fair became a separate division of the Department of Agriculture. The division was then placed under the Department of Natural Resources in 1978 and then the Department of Commerce (now the Department of Consumer and Industry Service) in 1994. The Department of Agriculture in 1997 was given control of it once again. The role of the Michigan State Fair is to showcase Michigan farming and to encourage the continued success and improvements to Michigan's Agricultural Industry.
TRAVERSE CITY CHERRY FESTIVAL:
The Cherry Festival was first held in 1926 as a way to "promote the cherry industry, promote tourism, and community involvement, and to cultivate the business, entertainment, and cultural interest of the Grand Traverse region." It is attended by over 500,000 people over an 8 day period bringing in $15-20 million to the area annually. It brings entertainment to the area as well as a sense of community pride building the cherry industry and benefiting several other industries, organizations and causes.
HOLLAND'S TULIP TIME FESTIVAL:
Lida Rogers of the Women's Literary Club introduced the idea of the Tulip Time festival in 1927 because of the areas ties with the Netherlands and Mayor Ernest C. Brooks funded the first project in 1928. That project was to have the city purchase 100,000 tulip bulbs from the Netherlands and sell them to the residents for one cent a piece. Holland invited people to visit their city in 1929 when the tulips bloomed and the success of the event is the reason it continues to this day. Ethel Telling became the first chairperson of the event and promoted "the revival of old Netherlands customs and traditions naturally followed." The event became a part of the Chamber of Commerce in 1933 and became a well-known event. That same year, that a high school gym teacher, Ethel Perry, trained the Dutch Villagers (later the Klompen Dancers) and introduced the 12 person group to the Tulip Time Festival. Since then, the group has grown to more than 1,500 members. The festival was cancelled during World War II, although flower shows and music shows kept the interest alive and revived again in 1946. The event grew even stronger in 1947 as tulip bulbs from the Netherlands became available in limited supply and the Dutch began to reach out toward Holland, Michigan because of the aid they sent to them following World War II. A Dutch ship arrived in Holland Harbor that year with a barrel organ given by the city of Amsterdam with other gifts and used in many festivals. The organ was restored in the 1990s and on display on Windmill Island as well as in the Tulip Time parade. Another tradition began in 1947 of having the Governor attend the event wearing a Dutch costume starting with Governor Kim Sigler. Governor George Romney was featured in Time Magazine performing the traditional scrubbing of the streets. In 1976, The Civic Center and Kollen Park entered a Tulip Time float into the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, California and received a lot of publicity. Also, Gerald R. Ford, president in Washington D.C. at the time and Grand Rapids, Michigan native, brought his family to the Tulip Time Festival bringing international attention to Holland. The Tulip Time Festival has grown immensely over the years and has built stronger ties with Michigan's Dutch connections.
HOUGHTON'S WINTER CARNIVAL:
Houghton is home to Michigan Tech University and home to Winter Carnivalsince 1922, which has been sponsored by the Blue Key National Honor Fraternity since 1934. Blue Key is responsible for organizing the annual event. Located in Michigan's Keeweenaw Peninsula, the area usually receives over 200 inches of snow a year and provides most of the activities for the Carnival. This includes "a two game intercollegiate hockey series, a parade, skiing, skating, snowshoe races, and a dance to round out the celebration." It was in 1936 that snow statue competitions were added to the festival and quickly became its best known tradition. The annual event has a different theme related to snow each year and provides a great time for the Yoopers.
MACKINAW BRIDGE WALK:
Every September on Labor Day over 60,000 Michiganders are lead by the Governor across the five-mile long Mackinac Bridge, a tradition that began in 1957.

REBUILDING DETROIT:
The first signs that Detroit was going to be rebuild after the 1967 Race Riots was the construction of the Renaissance Center in the heart of downtown Detroit. Expectations for the project were extremely high and success wasn't as easily won as planners had expected. In 2002, the Renaissance Center is now the new world headquarters of General Motors who is investing $500 million to the renovation to the facility and restoring the dream of rebuilding Detroit and giving Michigan a new sense of pride.

Detroit is in the middle of a complete renovation as it celebrates the 300th anniversary of its founding. The complete reconstruction of Detroit is very important to the people of Michigan as it is our main stage to show off who we are to the international community as well as how we see ourselves. After 40 years of neglect, blight, suburban flight it is time to build us a new home.

The rebirth of Detroit touches every aspect of the live of the people of Michigan and can be compared to the rebuilding of the German capital of Berlin. The Renaissance Center is a completely new facility as it has taken down its fortification in the front and opened itself up to Detroit. The new home of General Motors and has brought many new businesses and residents to the downtown area. The city has been criticized in the past for lacking a plan to develop the riverfront, but has sought to solve that issue with a continuous walkway along the Detroit River to encourage local and tourist activity in the area. To meet the demands of the burgeoning new city, a $1.6 billion expansion was completed at Detroit Metro Airport with all of the latest amenities currently available. Another aspect of transportation infrastructure getting attention are the roads, which have been receiving $400 million in repairs in recent years. Due to changes in the way that taxes are collected, Michigan schools are receiving quite a bit more money to make improvements and expansions of their programs and facilities. Detroit Public Schools are no different as they are laying the foundations for a renewed school system with $925 million for new schools and another $300 for rehabilitation of buildings. There is a $72 million project for the redevelopment of public housing in Detroit's west side that is a model for other cities in a similar situation. General Motors is overseeing plans $660 million plans to renovate the General Motors Technical Center. Cultural institutions are also receiving a much-needed facelift. The Orchestra Hall was renovated with an investment of $80 million and the Detroit Opera Theater is also brand new. About $35 million was spent to turn the Ford Auditorium into a Science Museum on Detroit's lakefront. The city of Detroit also has a $17 billion program for the demolition of abandoned building to make way for new development. In the thriving Foxtown district are two new sports stadiums. Comerica Park, the home of the Detroit Tigers, replaces Tiger Stadium and has revived new life into the area along with the new casinos. This is also where Ford Field, the new home of the Detroit Lions, is located. For people looking to move to Detroit, one might want to look at what is being called "dollar homes." The city of Detroit will sell you a house for $1 in exchange for renovations for the house. To top things off, after 26 years Motown Records returned home. With all of the new investments into the city of Detroit you can be certain that there are other major projects going on and planned for the future.

It's a very emotional time in Michigan as it transforms itself and revives new life into its world-class city. It's hard to imagine the "Motor City" being anything other than a blue-collar town full of bustling automobile factories. Yet, Detroit is changing before our very eyes and things never seemed so good. There's a sense of hope that has been missing for the last few decades and its good to see.

LANGUAGE:
The Michigan Dialect of English is sometimes called "Finglish" because of the integration of Finnish introduced by Finnish immigrants or "Yooperism" since it's most widely spoken in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula, although this list is not exclusive to the northern region. Other influences on the Michigan dialect. Some comes from the nasally city of Chicago, the Canadians and the Welch and Dutch who settled in Michigan in the early days. Migration from southern America has been a major influence as they moved up to Michigan to work on assembly lines during World War II. What is common in the Michigan dialect in the shortened diphthong where the second element is subordinate to the first element and barely audible. Also, vowels that appear before the consonant "R" tend to have less "air time" when spoken. Another example is the letter "A," which is said with less of a jaw opening and back of the mouth placement. This causes the "A" to be lateral and somewhat nasal. With words ending in the letter "Y," Michiganders lean toward the "Long I" usage. Back vowels tend to be moved into a lateral placement as well. Here is a glossary of terms:
Apple Knocker - A person from the Lower Peninsula who hunts in the Upper Peninsula
Babysit - urine in a baby diaper
Big Bad John - sixty-foot statue of a miner in Vulcan, Michigan
Big Beaver - major road off of I-69 named after a nearby beaver pond and thought of as "dirty" by out-of-towners.
Big Lake - Which ever the closest Great Lake is.
Big Mac - Mackinac Bridge.
Blind Pig - A bribed police officer.
Choppers - deer skin mittens
Chuke - stocking cap also called "Touke."
Clunker - bad or worn out automobile.
Crits - Critters.
Da - equivalent to "the."
Da Bridge - Mackinac Bridge.
Eh - word usually used to end a sentence.
Eino and Toivo - Famous Finnish who are commonly the "butt" of jokes.
Flatlander - Person from the Lower Peninsula.
Frigerraider - The refrigerator.
Fudgie - A tourist to Mackinac Island
Give 'er tarpaper - To work hard
Head 'er for Sagola - equivalent to "paint the town red."
Heikki Lunta - mythological god of snow.
Holywha - equivalent to "holy shit."
Hourlies - workers paid by the hour, usually in the automotive industry.
How 'zit goin' - The equivalent to "what's up?" or "how are you?"
I-munna - "I am going to."
Kazoo - nickname for the city of Kalamazoo
Knockin' pine - A dateless Saturday night.
Lats - skis, usually homemade.
Loper - Person from the Lower Peninsula.
Marble orchard - graveyard
Michigan - pronounced "Michigin."
Michigander - A person from Michigan sometimes called a "Michiganian."
Michiganian - A person from Michigan sometimes called a "Michigander."
Mitten - The Lower Peninsula also called "Troll Land," "Flatlands" and "Detroit."
Mo Fo - short version of Ford Motor Company.
Muskeeda - Mosquito
Noseeums - annoying gnats
Parking Deck - A parking garage.
Parking Ramp - A parking garage.
The Plant - any factory.
Pop - widely accepted name for carbonated beverages
Raha - money or other exchange.
Ren Cen - Renaissance Center.
Ruff - Roof.
Scansin - Wisconsin version of English
Side-by-each - to stand next to each other.
Sisu - A person who loves winter.
Sitt - Manure.
Skeeter - Mosquito.
Smart Pill - Rabbit droppings said to improve intelligence according to legend.
Snowboat - A rusty car sometimes called a "snowtank."
Snowtank - A rusty car sometimes called a "snowboat."
Soda - Baking soda
Soo - Nickname to the city of Sault Ste. Marie.
Sownah - Sauna.
Sparklers - A new pair of white socks
Speed beef - animals that jump in front of a moving automobile.
Squo - "For real."
Stop and Go - A traffic light.
Suomi Kutsu - The longest running Finnish-Michigander television show that translates into "Finland Calling."
Swampers - Rubber boots.
Swat and shovel - seasons of summer and winter
Terrorist - A person from Detroit that visits the Upper Peninsula in November.
There ya havit - "There you have it."
Thumb - southeastern Michigan north of Detroit and east of Bay City.
Tink - To think. Past tense is "taught."
Townies - derogatory name for residents who are from Detroit or Chicago that spend their summers in northern Michigan.
Trasher - A party that people bring their own alcohol and mix it in a garbage can with everyone else's alcohol to share it.
Trenary Toast - Stale cinnamon toast used to dip into coffee.
Troll - A person from the Lower Peninsula also known as a "Flatlander" or "Loper."
Troll Turnpike - Mackinac Bridge.
The Union - Despite having many unions, "The Union" refers to the United Automobile Workers.
Up north - Anywhere north of the city of Alma.
U're album is bangin' - a good music album
Quill Pigs - Porcupine.
Wha - Wow
The Windsor Ballet - The strip clubs in nearby Windsor, Canada.
Ya know - "Do you agree?"
Yah, hey - "You have to be kidding."
Yuh - You.
Yooper - A person from the Upper Peninsula
Yooperland - The Upper Peninsula.
Youbetcha - "Yes."
You guys - equivalent to "y'all," but no Michigander would ever say "y'all" except to mock Texans.

TRADITIONS:
STATE SONG:
Michigan, My Michigan

Written by: William Otto Miessner & Douglas M. Malloch

A song to thee, fair State of mine,
Michigan, my Michigan;
But greater song than this is thine,
Michigan, my Michigan;
The whisper of the forest tree,
The thunder of the inland sea;
Unite in one grand symphony
Of Michigan, my Michigan.

I sing a State of all the best,
Michigan, my Michigan;
I sing a State with riches blest,
Michigan, my Michigan;
Thy mines unmask a hidden store,
But richer thy historic lore,
More great the love thy builders bore,
Oh, Michigan, my Michigan.

How fair the bosom of thy lakes,
Michigan, my Michigan;
What melody each river makes;
Michigan, my Michigan;
As to thy lakes the rivers tend,
Thy exiled children to thee send
Devotion that shall never end,
Oh, Michigan, my Michigan.

Thou rich in wealth makes a State,
Michigan, my Michigan;
Thou great in things that make us great,
Michigan, my Michigan;
Out loyal voices sound thy claim
Upon the golden roll of fame
Our loyal hands shall write the name
Of Michigan, my Michigan.

 

TALL TALES AND LEGENDS:
Da Creation of Da U.P.

In da beginning, dere was nuttin'
Den...

On da FIRST day, God created da U.P.

On da SECOND day, He created
da partridge, da deer, da bear,
da fish and da ducks.

On da THIRD day, He said "Let dere be
Yoopers to roam da Upper Peninsula":

On da FOURTH day, God created
da udder world down below

On da FIFTH day, He said "Let dere
be trolls to live in da udder world
down below".

On da SIXTH day, He created da bridge
so da trolls got a way to get to heaven.
God saw it was good and so on da

SEVENTH day, He went huntin'.

PAUL BUNYAN:
With help from his ox, Babe, Paul Bunyan is credited with logging Michigan to rebuild Chicago after the "Great Fire" and create hundreds of cities across North America. As Paul would clear cut the woods, Babe would stomp the stumps into the ground creating the more than 11,000 lakes in Michigan. Lake Michigan was dug out so Babe could have a drinking hole and he camped in the Upper Peninsula. The whales in the Great Lakes were herded and he dug the Mississippi River to help the people of Illinois irrigate the corn. One night while camping it got so cold in northern Michigan that the flames in the lanterns froze and no one could put them out. So, they were put the lanterns outside of camp so they wouldn't keep the lumberjacks up at night. They forgot about them and when it got warmer they set the northern woods on fire. Paul Bunyan had to put the fire out with his large boots.

THE ORIGIN OF MACKINAC ISLAND:
From the Ojibwe Tribe:
High in the heavens there lived a woman, a spirit. In her solitude she asked Kitche Manitou (The Great Spirit) for some means of dispelling her loneliness. Kitche Manitou took compassion on the sky-woman and sent a spirit to be her consort.

Sky-woman and her companion were happy together, and in time she conceived. Her consort left and sky-woman gave birth to two children--one pure spirit and the other pure physical being. Because of their opposite natures, Sky-woman's children hated each other. In a fiery sky battle they fought and destroyed each other.

After the destruction of her children, the spirit woman again lived in solitude. Kitche Manitou knew of her desolation and so sent her another companion. Again sky-woman conceived, and again her consort left.

The water creatures observed what was happening in the heavens and pitied the spirit woman. In their compassion, they persuaded a giant turtle to rise to the surface of the waters and offer his back as a haven. Then, they invited the sky-woman to come down.
Sky-woman left her home in the sky and came down to rest on the back of the great turtle. When she had settled on the turtle, sky-woman asked the water animals to get some soil from the bottom of the lake.

The animals tried to serve the sky-woman. The beaver was one of the first to plunge into the depths. He soon surfaced, out of breath and without the soil. The fisher tried, but he too failed. The marten went down, came up empty handed, reporting that the water was too deep. The loon tried. Although he remained out of sight for a long time, he too emerged, gasping for air. He said that it was too dark. All tried to fulfill the sky-woman's request, but all failed.

Finally, the least of the water creatures, the muskrat, volunteered to dive. At his announcement, the other creatures laughed in scorn, because they doubted this little creature's strength and endurance. Nevertheless, the little muskrat was determined to dive. Undaunted, he disappeared into the waves.

The onlookers smiled. They waited for the muskrat to emerge as empty-handed as they had. As time passed, smiles turned into worried frowns. Finally, the muskrat floated to the surface, more dead than alive, but he clutched in his paws a small morsel of soil.
While the muskrat was tended and restored to health, the sky-woman painted the rim of the turtle's back with the small amount of soil that had been brought to her. She breathed life into the soil, and immediately, the soil grew, covered the turtle's back, and formed an island. The turtle had given his service, which was no longer required and he swam away. The island formed in this way was called Mishee Mackinakong, the place of the turtle's back, now known as Michilimackinac (now Mackinaw Island).

THE LEGEND OF SLEEPING BEAR DUNES:
Long ago in the land that is today Wisconsin, MotherBear and her two cubs were driven into Lake Michigan by a raging forestfire. The cubs swam strongly but the distance and the water proved too much for them. They fell further and further behind and ultimately slipped beneath the waves. When Mother Bear reached the Michigan Shore, she climbed to the top of the bluff and peered back across the water, searching vainly for her cubs. The Great Spirit saw her and took pity on her plight. He raised North and South Manitou Islands to mark the place where her cubs vanished and laid a slumber upon Mother Bear.
-Ojibway Indian Legend
HEIKKI LUNTA:
The mythological god of snow in Michigan, especially in Houghton, is Heikki Lunta and lives in the back woods of a Finnish farming community located 20 minutes south of Houghton in Tapiola, Michigan. Heikki Lunta could perform a dance that would cause snow to fall. There was a song in the 1970's by David Riutta called the "Heikki Lunta Snow Dance Song" to bring snow and "Heikki Lunta Go Away" to stop the snow.

LABOR UNIONS: A MICHIGAN TRADITION:
The Labor Union movement in Michigan has existed since the opening of the Erie Canal when carpenters unionized during a population boom because they were overworked and underpaid. It lead to Michigan's first labor strike in 1837 and a tradition that has endured throughout Michigan culture. Unionized workers built the automobile industry in Michigan and were officially recognized when the "sit-down strike" tactic was devised in Flint, Michigan in 1936. A strategy that was far more successful than picketing. As the automobile industry grew in Michigan, so did the labor movement. It was common to have several members, entire families, working for one of the auto manufacturers and was even more likely that they were involved in their labor unions. Union halls across the state are home to many community activities. There are parades, picnics, benefits and other charitable causes for Michigan workers. If the union hall isn't being used for the promotion of worker causes, then it is rented out to groups for birthday parties, bingo and a favorite place for Michigan's famous underground musicians to perform. To show Michigan's Solidarity, the Labor Legacy Landmark project was established to display Michigan's labor history. The monument was designed by Michigan sculptors, David Barr and Sergio DeGiusti, for the main entrance of Hart Plaza and the UAW-Ford Program Center.

MICHIGAN SPORTS TRADITIONS:
THE DETROIT TIGERS:
Tiger's baseball began in Detroit in 1901. The origin of the name is uncertain, but some theories do exist. One says that a sports writer referred to the team as the "Tigers" and it stuck while another says that the brown and black socks worn by the players looked like tiger stripes. Whatever the reason, the Tiger's have been a part of an over hundred year tradition at an area known as "The Corners" at Michigan and Trumbull. The most famous Detroit Tiger off all-time was Ty Cobb, who played for Detroit from 1905 to 1927. He was a part of a team that captured three consecutive league championships and "still holds more records that any other player in major league history." Cobb also spent a brief period as the manager of the team. Mickey Cochrane is another well-respected Tiger who played catcher and managed at the same time. During his career, Detroit won the pennant in 1934 and 1935. They took it again in 1945 and sought new talent, such as George Kell. Al Kaline was in the Tiger's uniform and became the youngest player to win a batting title in 1955. Denny McLain had a 31-6 pitching record in 1968, which helped him win the Cy Young award and the World Series for Detroit. Sparky Anderson became manager in 1979 and brought two division titles and World Series title to Detroit in 1984. Jack Morris pitched a no-hitter during the playoffs that year and the Tigers were the first team to be in first place from the first game to the last since 1955. The Detroit Tiger logo, a gothic letter D, has become more than just a symbol of the Tiger's, but of Michigan pride. It is not uncommon to see that symbol on t-shirts, cars and even tattoos completely unrelated to baseball.

DETROIT RED WINGS:
Detroit is known as "Hockeytown" and its team is the Detroit Red Wings who have captured several titles during its existence. The Red Wings have a tradition that has become world famous since it started in 1952. Brothers, Pete and Jerry Cusimano, owned a fish shop in Detroit. During a game, an octopus was thrown onto the ice, each tentacle symbolized wins needed for the Stanley Cup when there were only six NHL teams there was a shorter playoff championship. The largest octopus ever thrown on the ice was 50 pounds and rode around the ice on top of the zamboni in 1996.

THANKSGIVING AND DETROIT LIONS FOOTBALL:
In Michigan, Turkey and a Lions game are common Thanksgiving traditions. Since 1934, the Detroit Lions have hosted the event. The first game was the idea of G.A. Richards, the Lions' owner, who organized the game against the Chicago Bears at the University of Detroit Stadium. It was the only scheduled game and it became a Michigan tradition. The game occurs every year, usually against the rival Green Bay Packers, and was cancelled between 1939 to 1944 because of World War II. In 1966, the Dallas Cowboys decided to steal the tradition from the Lions now known as the "Thanksgiving Classic." Part of the tradition of this game is that the teams wear uniforms from a time of past glory of the club.

THE DETROIT PISTONS:
The Pistons are one of the National Basketball Associations oldest teams, founded in 1948 as the Fort Wayne Pistons before moving to Detroit in 1957. They hold a dubious record of playing 41 years before winning a championship. No other basketball, baseball, football or hockey team has endured such a long winning drought. The team didn't have a consistent home court early on. They played at Olympia Stadium, University of Detroit and even had a game at the Grosse Pointe High School gym. The Piston's first winning season in Detroit wasn't until 1970-71 under coach Butch van Breda Kolff. While the team wasn't very good, there were a few good players. George Yardley was a league scoring leader in 1957-58 where he established many records. Dick McGuire to a player-coach in the 1959-60 season and retired as a player to focus more on coaching. In 1961, the Pistons made Cobo Arena their home. They drafted Dave DeBusschere in 1962 and he became a lead rebounder and all-star. In the 1964-65 season, he was named a player-coach making him the youngest coach in league history. Outside of the Pistons, he was a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox in 1962 and 1963, worked in the offices of the New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks and an American Basketball Association commissioner in 1975. The 1978-79 season had the Detroit Pistons move to the Pontiac Silverdome. In 1980-81, the Piston's drafted their most loved player, Isiah Thomas who played in 13 consecutive All-Star games. Near the end of the 1985-86 season, the Pistons were forced to finish playing at Joe Louis Arena and Cobo Arena since a freak winter storm collapsed the roof at the Silverdome. The next year, the Detroit Piston's earned the nickname "the Bad Boys" because of their strong defense and physical aggressiveness. During this period, the Pistons were become a strong contender for the championship, but lacked experience in the playoffs. In 1989, the Detroit Pistons moved to their new home the Palace of Auburn Hills. The same year, the Pistons "Bad Boys" including Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Mark Aguirre, Vinnie Johnson, Rick Mahorn, James Edwards, John Salley and Bill Laimbeer who was known as a villain to other teams because of being suspended for fighting and famous for having to wear a face guard because of a broken nose. That year, the Pistons won their first championship. They won again against the Chicago Bulls in the 1989-90 season.

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, The Wolverines:
FOOTBALL:
The University of Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor play in one of the world's largests stadiums, Michigan Stadium. It opened in 1927 with the capacity for 72,000 patrons and has grown over the years to its current capacity of 107,501 people. U of M has lead collegiate attendance 26 of the past 27 seasons. Over a 160 consecutive games have been played before at least 100,000 fans. "The last time Michigan did not have 100,000 in attendance in Michigan Stadium was on October 25, 1975, vs. Indiana." Only 93,857 were saw the 55-7 defeat of Indiana. The Wolverine's famous "winged" helmets were designed by Fritz Crisler in 1938 from their original all black helmets. Painted in the colors of maize and Michigan blue, they have been an integral part of the Michigan football tradition.
BASKETBALL:

MICHIGAN FIGHT SONG:
The Victors © (L. Elbel)/Regents of the University of Michigan
Now for a cheer they are here, triumphant!
Here they come with banners flying,
In stalwart step they're nighing,
With shouts of vict'ry crying,
We hurrah, hurrah, we greet you now,
Hail!

Far we their praises sing
For the glory and fame they've bro't us
Loud let the bells them ring
For here they come with banners flying
Far we their praises tell
For the glory and fame they've bro't us
Loud let the bells them ring
For here they come with banners flying
Here they come, Hurrah!

Hail! to the victors valiant
Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan
the leaders and best
Hail! to the victors valiant
Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan,
the champions of the West!

We cheer them again
We cheer and cheer again
For Michigan, we cheer for Michigan
We cheer with might and main
We cheer, cheer, cheer
With might and main we cheer!

Hail! to the victors valiant
Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan,
the champions of the West!

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, The Spartans:
GREEN & WHITE:
Michigan State University was originally Michigan Agricultural College and so it would be appropriate that it uses green and white as its colors related to plant life. When they officially became the school colors is unknown, but records "show that on April 11, 1889, the organization took steps toward adoption of a green monogram, 'to be worn only by athletes who subsequently take part in intercollegiate events.'" It is widely believed that the first full-time athletic director, Chester L Brewer, was responsible for the school colors when he arrived in 1903 as coach of the football, basketball, baseball and track teams.
THE SPARTANS:
Michigan Agricultural College became Michigan State College in 1925 and held a contest to replace their nickname "Aggies" as well. The school chose "The Michigan Staters" to the disappointment of sports editor, George S. Alderton of the Lansing State Journal. He was given access to other contest entries by Jim Hasselman of Information Services and found the name "Spartans." It was used sparingly and spelled incorrectly at first, using "o", before it made the headlines. The contestant who suggested the name never received credit since Alderton "forgot to write it down." A few days later, the rival paper, Lansing Capitol News, began using the name Spartans as well. Alderton said "No student, alumnus or college official had called up the editor to complain about our audacity in giving the old school a new name, so we ventured into headlines with it. Happily for the experiment, the name took. It began appearing in other newspapers and when the student publication used it, that clinched it."
SPARTY:
Michigan State's mascot, Sparty, first appeared officially in 1955 through Theta Xi. Many versions were introduced over the years and the current "gruff" Sparty was introduced in 1984 by Sigma Pho Epsilon that was unshaven. The Sparty mascot running around the football field today is made up of high-tech materials, used similarly in the Muppets, that are breathable, flexible, moveable and washable and costs about $8,000. A drastic difference from the paper mache Sparty from the 1950s. Michigan State has a "mascot program" to maintain Sparty. It includes planning "the schedules, coordinate the escorts, make the transportation arrangements and supply Sparty with water and towels during performances." Becoming Sparty is a prominent position and try-outs are held. Applicants must be 5' 10" to 6' 2" because of the costume size and after that requirement they are chosen based on a "process that includes interviews and rehearsals."
THE SPARTAN STATUE:
Leonard D Jungwirth of the Michigan State art department was the creator of "The Spartan." A 10' 3" tall statue on a 5' 4" brick-and-concrete base, making it "one of the largest free standing ceramic figures in the world." The 12 varsity sports programs are inscribed in the base and it stands outside of the athletic department.
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY FIGHT SONG:
On the banks of the Red Cedar
Is a school that's known to all;
Its specialty is winning,
And those Spartans play good ball;
Spartan teams are never beaten,
All through the games they fight;
Fight for the only colors,
Green and White.
Go right thru' for MSU,
Watch the points keep growing.
Spartan teams are bound to win,
They're fighting with a vim.
RAH! RAH! RAH!
See their team is weakening,
We're going to win this game.
Fight! Fight! Rah! Team, Fight!
Victory for MSU.

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY SHADOWS (ALMA MATER):
MSU, we love thy shadows
When twilight silence falls,
Flushing deep and softly paling
O'er ivy covered halls;
Beneath the pines we'll gather
To give our faith so true,
Sing our love for Alma Mater
And thy praises, MSU.

When from these scenes we wander
And twilight shadows fade,
Our mem'ry still will linger
Where light and shadows played;
In the evening oft we'll gather
And pledge our faith anew,
Sing our love for Alma Mater
And thy praise, MSU.

 

THE UPPER PENINSULA IS "SUPERIOR?"
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan was home to a movement to become Superior, named after Lake Superior, and to be a separated from Michigan. The movement has been around since 1837 because of anger related to the Toledo War. The Lower Peninsula did not want the western portion of the Upper Peninsula instead of the Toledo strip as the Detroit Free Press stated "If they should determine to take away from us our bread, and give us, in return a stone, let them not offend us by calling it a compromise." Not to mention that the western portion of the Upper Peninsula was difficult to reach because there was no physical connection to the Lower Peninsula since the Mackinac Bridge wasn't built yet. The 1840's led to a "mineral rush" for iron and copper. During this period, Yoopers complained of being overtaxed and receiving too little in return in Michigan government spending. A complaint that continues to this day. Abner Sherman of Ontonagon was sent to Washington D.C. as a Senator in 1857 and presented a petition for statehood that was backed by the journalist Horace Greeley because he believed it would help the anti-slavery movement. Two conventions were held, after the American Civil War, and were ultimately rejected. The movement lost momentum in the 1920's when many improvements were made in roads, railroads and other infrastructure. The last major effort for succession was made in 1970 when Dominic Jacobetti of Negaunee was sent to Washington D.C. as a Representative and introduced a bill for statehood that was ignored. Many still talk about having an independent state of Superior, but it doesn't seem to be a reality as cultural ties between the peninsulas have increased dramatically since the construction of the Mackinac Bridge and economics would make it the poorest group of people in the region.

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