There may be no greater figure in Michigan’s history than Lewis Cass. He served for 18 years as governor, longer than any other. He wrote the state motto, “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you.” He designed the state seal.
Bela Hubbard made his mark on Detroit, as a geologist, lumber baron, land agent, lawyer, farmer and historian. His lasting imprint is Grand Boulevard, inspired by his trips to Paris.
Charles B. King may have been the first on Detroit streets with a gasoline powered motor carriage, but as early as the 1880s Detroit’s mechanics, machinists, engineers and amateur tinkers were all feverishly working on some version of a steam, electric or gasoline powered contraption.
Terry McDermott didn’t view himself as anyone all that special. And this mop-topped rock ‘n’ roll band from England? Well, he was only faintly aware of their budding stardom.
By Neal Rubin / The Detroit News It was 70 years ago, in the middle of World War II, that Glenn Husted sat down at a typewriter and first made his contribution to the cause. The date was Nov. 6, 1943. In the Solomon Islands, the Marines had just landed on Bougainville. In Ukraine, the … Continue Reading →
By Laura Berman / Detroit News columnist A tour of the Ulysses S. Grant House at the state fairgrounds raises this question: Who’s been sleeping in the waterbed? Ulysses S. Grant and his wife lived in the Greek Revival house in 1849, on Fort Street. Threatened by bulldozers as factories moved in, the house was … Continue Reading →
By Bill Loomis / The Detroit News The names are still familiar on street signs in Detroit: Rivard. St. Aubin. Dubois. Chene. Dequindre. Charlevoix. Cadieux. Riopelle. And many others. A legacy of the city’s French beginnings, several of the streets mark the location of ancient family “ribbon” farms, narrow strips of farmland that ran from … Continue Reading →
Parades, rallies and picnics popular from the 19th century as unions sought support, pushed for workers’ rights By Bill Loomis / Special to The Detroit News In Detroit the earliest versions of a “holiday for labor” can be traced back to before the Civil War, when joining labor unions and agitating could be dangerous for … Continue Reading →
For Michiganians, it’s all too easy to become almost immune to the charm of vast stretches of lake and sky and a brisk, watery breeze.It takes someone from a landlocked state to remind us why people would travel for days in sweltering trains, trams and steamers to bask on one of our lakes in the … Continue Reading →
House in Palmer Woods is restored to its former glory By Maureen Feighan | Detroit News Design Writer In January 1955, Dorothy Turkel of Detroit wrote a letter to America’s most famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, asking him to design her a new home. After he agreed, Turkel, whose family owned a chain of parking … Continue Reading →
