Posts for Articles section of History page.
All lives are molded, more or less, by our first teachings. True courtesy, sympathy, and sincerity are the most powerful factors for good in either home or public life.~Harriet Quimby March is Women’s History Month, so while researching a topic for this month, I began looking at notable women from the Mitten State. There are many illustrious
While there’s hardly ever a reason not to visit Mackinac Island and the beautiful area that surrounds it, 2020 presents a particularly magical opportunity. Mackinac State Historic Parks is turning 125 this year and, as such, its team has created 125 days of events throughout the 2020 season, spread across its family of sites and parks. Many
Beaches. Lighthouses. Tulip Time. Dutch Village and Windmill Island. Hope College. The birth of WWJD Bracelets. City of Churches. The Felt House. Civic Theatre. An awesome Civil War muster in the fall at Van Raalte Park. Most Michiganders know the city that includes all of these things--Holland. Located on the shores of Lake Macatawa and just minutes
As alluded to in last month’s article regarding Mackinac Island, the War of 1812 has more than a few conundrums like being named after one year, and lasting for more than two. The primary reason for the war, impressment of American sailors, ceased to be an issue before the war officially began. Remarkably, the biggest battle occurred
Since the Treaty of Ghent was signed in December of 1814, I decided to write about what happened in Michigan during the war. When I started my research, I learned there was a lot more to report than I had anticipated, so this month, I will just focus on the Mackinac area during the war of 1812.
The American Civil War was a conflict that affected most American citizens. More than 620,000 soldiers lost their lives to wounds and disease. Unfortunately, civilians were not exempt from dying either. It was a defining moment in American history and Michigan played a significant role as 90,000 Michigan men served in the Union forces. That was about
For most historians, October 8, 1871, will stick out as the day of the Great Chicago Fire. The blaze in the Windy City killed approximately 300 people, destroyed 3.3 square miles of the city, and left over 100,000 residents homeless. Many people believe the Michigan connection to the Chicago fire is limited to the fact that lumber
Religion. Morality. Knowledge. These are precepts to which Fr. Gabriel Richard lived throughout his entire life. He is a man not often read about in the Michigan history books, which is quite a shame, as he did much to help the early settlers in Michigan. Father Gabriel is also known by some as the second founder of Detroit. If
Shipwrecks have been a danger to sailors, merchants and explorers since biblical times. Ships sailing on the Great Lakes are no exception. Over 6,000 have sunk to the bottom of the five lakes costing 30,000 people their lives. The Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank in 1971 may be the most famous; however, one of the first recorded shipwrecks in
These days for most people, Labor Day means a last long look at summer. Jazz fills the air in Detroit and thousands of people take a stunningly beautiful stroll across the Mackinac Bridge. Boats leave their docks with swimmers aboard and skiers behind. Barbecues and picnics can be found in backyards and parks around the state. People
