Category Archives: The Michigan Pages: History: Magazine

The S.S. Badger Car Ferry and the Steamer 43 Song

June 22, 2010 – 7:57 am

S.S. Badger – Ludington Mi. by R.J.E. As a kid, I used to ride the Badger frequently back & forth to Wisconsin to see my dad. It might have cost $20, and on just about every trip there 6 or 8 people were taking a round trip,playing cards and generally had a great time. The [...]

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Michigan’s Rich African American Past

February 10, 2010 – 7:28 am

For years, February has been recognized as Black History Month. In nearly 250 years of living in Michigan, African Americans have made many important-and often overlooked–contributions to our state’s past. One of the earliest records of African Americans living in Michigan came in the early 1760s when the British replaced the French at Detroit. Two [...]

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Michigan History: Hollywood’s First African-American Cowboy

October 5, 2009 – 10:24 am

Herbert Jeffries has acted, sung, even ridden–his way to the top of the entertaining world. In the 1930s, when white singing cowboys like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers carved out names for themselves, Jeffries decided there should be black cowboy films* especially since there had been many African American cowboys in the American west. Born [...]

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Michigan History: Rediscovering Our Covered Bridges

July 30, 2009 – 12:06 pm

The July/August 2009 issue of Michigan History tells the stories of Michigan’s three remaining covered bridges. Back in the days when couples rode in a horse and carriage, covered bridges were known as “kissing bridges.” The walls provided privacy and the horse was reined to a stop while the pair took advantage of their opportunity [...]

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Michigan History: Michigan’s Head Start on Going Green

March 24, 2009 – 12:16 pm

Michigan citizens backed “green” laws and lawmakers before the term was even popular. Ours is one of ten states that require a deposit on bottles and cans. In the 1950s and 1960s, pop and beer bottles and cans were not returnable. The roadsides were littered with these bottles and cans. In 1974, State Representative Lynn [...]

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Michigan History: Beauty and the Bow

March 10, 2009 – 9:47 am

Born in England in 1938, Ann Marston immigrated to the United States with her parents in 1949. Already an accomplished archer—and British national champion–Ann soon dominated the field of American archery. Throughout the 1950s, she won numerous competitions. After winning every junior award and consistently breaking world records in the junior classification, she was allowed [...]

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Motoring through Michigan’s snow

February 19, 2009 – 8:47 am

Snow Plow by Seeking Michigan As the wind howls through the state this morning, I thought it might be a good time to shovel out a few stories – you can see a photo a snowplow in Bessemer from the Archives of Michigan over on Michigan in Pictures this morning! Last week mLive reported that [...]

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Michigan History: Five Decades with Bob Seger (Pssst, music always makes a great gift)

December 11, 2008 – 11:42 am

If there is a single word to describe the musical career of Bob Seger it is “durable.” For almost fifty years, Seger has been writing, playing and singing rock ‘n roll tunes-everything from hard-driving rock to tender ballads. Born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1945, Seger moved to Ann Arbor as a young boy. He began [...]

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Michigan History: Where the Model T Began

November 17, 2008 – 1:17 pm

6 seater Model T – b&w by LindaB. Jerald Mitchell calls the Ford Motor Company’s Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit “a fulcrum point of human history [where] the balance of history shifted.” It was at this factory in Detroit that Henry Ford and his cohorts conceived the Model T automobile. For nine months, these men [...]

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Michigan History: A wok down memory lane with La Choy

October 7, 2008 – 12:47 pm

As America began its experiment with Prohibition in the early 1920s, some Michiganians concocted illegal spirits in their bathtubs. However, at least one Detroiter reportedly used his bathtub to grow bean sprouts. From such modest beginnings sprang the Chinese food brand La Choy. The origins of La Choy can be traced to Ilhan New, a [...]

By Absolute Michigan | Also posted in Articles, Books & Magazines, Community, Dig Michigan, Dig Michigan Features, Food & Dining, Food, Health & Nutrition, History & Libraries, Media, Michigan, Shopping, The Michigan Pages | Comments (0)