The last look at Jimmy Hoffa

Posted on by farlane
Last portraits of Jimmy Hoffa by Tony Spina

Last portraits of Jimmy Hoffa by Tony Spina

50 years ago on the morning of July 30th, 1975 Chief Photographer for the Detroit Free Press Tony Spina took what would be the last pictures of former Teamsters president James Riddle Hoffa. Wayne State’s Walter P Reuther Labor Library shares:

Spina was sent to visit Hoffa at his cottage on Square Lake in Lake Orion to take portraits of him for the Free Press and Newsweek. The images were not intended for a specific story; they were meant to update older photo files, which were likely outdated due to Hoffa’s incarceration from 1967 to 1971. At the time, Hoffa was challenging a federal restriction that barred him from holding a leadership position in the Teamsters until 1980, thus making him newsworthy once again.

According to Spina’s account, the backyard photo shoot was almost entirely uneventful. The two were old friends and chatted as they moved around the backyard, chasing the best light. The only notable moment occurred when Hoffa had to step away to take a call about a meeting scheduled for after lunch. It is assumed that this was the meeting held at the Machus Red Fox Restaurant in Bloomfield Hills, from which Hoffa never returned. 

Lots more in the Reuther Library and for sure check out photos in the awesome Tony Spina Collection online!

Jimmy Hoffa Negatives Walter P Reuther Library.jpg
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Bridging the Gap between US & Canada … with Bikes!!

Posted on by farlane
Canadian & US Flags on Gordie Howe International Bridge

Canadian & US Flags on Gordie Howe International Bridge

Last week the Gordie Howe International Bridge shared that the Canadian and US flags have found their permanent home at center of the bridge deck, adding “Soon you’ll be able to see the flags for yourself from the multi-use path as you walk or bike across the bridge.” Bike to Canada you say?? Beauty!!

The Gordie Howe Bridge multi-use path will be one lane and will accommodate two-way pedestrian and cyclist traffic. It will be 1.5 miles in length and 11.8 feet wide. The multi-use path will be toll-free & connect to local road and trail networks. In Windsor, there will be connections to the Broadway Street Multi-Path and the Trans Canada Trail. In Detroit, there will be linkages to the Great Lakes Way which provides water & land routes from Lake Erie to Lake Huron and Iron Belle Trail that runs all the way to the far western corner of the Upper Peninsula!

Lots more from Gordie the Bridge! And you can bet I’ll be getting you the info about riding the Bridge just as soon as I have it! More bikes & biking on Michigan in Pictures including (very soon) the scoop on this Iron Belle Bike Trail!

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(keep) Staying Cool

Posted on by farlane
Stay Cool by Steve Swarz

Stay Cool by Steve Swarz

Michigan is in the grip of another heatwave or perhaps the same heatwave because honestly at this point who can tell? Temperatures today are expected to be in the 90s with heat indexes flirting with 100 degrees.

Since it’s not expected to break until a cold front comes through on Wednesday afternoon, I thought it would be an excellent time to bring back one of my favorite photos from 10 years ago! Check out Scott’s latest on Flickr and please STAY COOL!!

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Detroit’s Hottest Day was also its 233rd birthday!

Posted on by farlane
Trolly to the Tigers, Detroit 1934

Trolly to Navin Field, Detroit 1934 by Corktown Historical Society

Yesterday Model D editor Aaron Foley took a fascinating look at July 24, 1934 which remains the hottest day in the Detroit’s recorded history when the temperature struck 104.6°F at 4:10 PM on Detroit’s 233rd anniversary:

That brutal day came during a nationwide heat wave that swept from the West Coast through the Great Plains and into the Midwest, ultimately settling over the Motor City. More than 700 people died across the country due to the heat. Detroit’s death toll was lower than most. An eight-month old baby named Rosie May died of heat exhaustion and two men drowned swimming while trying to cool down. But low death toll or not, the city felt the heat.

And 105°F isn’t just “hot.” It’s desperate. On Van Dyke, on the city’s east side, a lumber yard fire broke out, engulfing nearly 10 acres. The blaze destroyed nearly 3,000 telephone lines, and claimed five lives

The Corktown Historical Society shares this photo depicts the historic intersection of Michigan & Trumbull aka “The Corner” in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood in 1934, a year the Tigers won the AL pennant. They share “Trolley cars were a popular source of transportation to Tigers games during the 1930s, at least for those who could afford the fare during the Depression. In this photo, hundreds of fans exit a trolley car near Navin Field.”

Click through to their Instagram to see photos of Bennett Park & Briggs Stadium & follow them on Facebook for the latest … or is that earliest? 😉

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Happy 324th Birthday to Detroit!

Posted on by farlane
Friday Night on Woodward by Retta Billy

Woodward on a Friday Night by Retta Billy

The city of Detroit was founded on Sunday July 24, 1701 by Antoine de la Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac. Throughout the history of the city, Detroit’s industry has been a driving engine of Michigan and the nation, reaching its zenith with the auto industry. To my mind, there’s few things that capture the indomitable spirit of the city like Woodward Avenue. I particularly love that this photo features the new Hudson’s building as a backdrop with one of the auto industry’s more out of the box experiments and a partly people powered pedal pub from Handlebar Detroit.

Enjoy this selection of nighttime scenes of the city from Michigan photographer Coretta Billy that capture that spirit. For sure follow her on Facebook and view her portrait & event photography on her website.

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Wienerlicious

Posted on by farlane
Wienerlicious by Dan Gaken

All American by Dan Gaken

Dan took this back in 2014, but Weinerlicious in Mackinaw City is still serving yummy Koegel’s hot dogs every day!

See more in Dan’s Straits of Mackinac gallery on Flickr & check out more weird Michigan roadside attractions on Michigan in Pictures!

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Bird Flu is endangering Michigan’s Bald eagles comeback

Posted on by farlane
Waiting for the sunrise... by Kevin Povenz

Waiting for the sunrise… by Kevin Povenz

Bridge Magazine recently reported that bird flu is killing Bald eagles in Michigan:

…at least 18 eagles in Michigan that have lost their lives to bird flu so far this year, according to testing data provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Disease Laboratory. Results from 16 more suspected cases are pending. If they come back positive, that could bring the total to 34.

In the middle of the last century, the nation’s eagle population was devastated by the introduction of the insecticide dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane or DDT. It wreaked havoc on eagles which, as predators, ingested the chemical compound in high concentrations. But then, starting in 1972, a series of steps were taken to restore the eagle population. DDT was banned, bald eagles became federally protected, and some eagles were bred in captivity before being released into the wild. In Michigan, annual aerial surveys showed breeding pairs rose from 52 in 1961 to about 835 in 2017.

…“They’re a population that, if there’s going to be some sort of impact, they’re going to be really slow to rebound,” said Julie Melotti, the pathologist for the Wildlife Disease Lab. Unlike rabbits or mice that reproduce rapidly, bald eagles take five years to mature and then lay two to three eggs a year.

Kevin took this last month at Grand Ravines park. He’s been sharing awesome pics of eagles with us for years & says they like to sit in this tree and wait for the sunrise. See a bunch more in his Birds of Prey gallery on Flickr!

Lots more bald Eagles on Michigan in Pictures!

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Double Rainbow over Munising Bay

Posted on by farlane
Double Rainbow over Munising Bay by Michigan Nut Photography

Double Rainbow over Munising Bay by Michigan Nut Photography

The unrelenting flooding across Michigan and the country has a lot of us looking for the rainbow, and thankfully Michigan Nut found two for us! The National Weather Service shares how double rainbows are formed:

Sometimes we see two rainbows at once. Not all of the energy of the ray escapes the raindrop after it is reflected once. A part of the ray is reflected again, and travels along a different path inside the drop to emerge from the drop at a different angle. The rainbow we normally see is called the primary rainbow and is produced from one internal reflection. The secondary rainbow arises from two internal reflections and the rays exit the drop the second time at an angle of around 50 degrees, rather than the 42 degrees for the primary rainbow. This effect produces the secondary rainbow, with the colors reversed from the primary rainbow. It is possible for light to be reflected more than twice within a raindrop, but these additional rainbows are typically never seen under normal circumstances.

Atmospheric Optics (the OG rainbow site) adds that secondary rainbows appear broader than the primary rainbow, measuring approximately 1.8 times its width so the top rainbow is the copy!

John shared this photo of a doble rainbow over Lake Superior’s Munising Bay on his Facebook. For sure follow him there and view & purchase his work at michigannutphotography.com.

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Shasta Daisy: Michigan’s most adorable invader?

Posted on by farlane
Shasta Daisy by joeldinda

Shasta Daisy by joeldinda

The Midwest Invasive Species Network shares that Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum xsuperbum) is a hybrid cross between Portuguese daisy (Leucanthemum lacustre) and Max chrysanthemum (Leucanthemum maximum) that was created in 1890 by the famed American horticulturist Luther Burbank. While not officially an invasive plant, it is considered invasive in Michigan due to its ability to aggressively spread & outcompete native species.

Joel Dinda is one of Michigan in Pictures’s most enduring supporters. I shared the first photo from him way back in June of 2006, and he’s an active member of the Michigan in Pictures group on Facebook with a penchant for flower photography. See more in his The Showcase gallery on Flickr!

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2025 Chicago to Mackinac Race

Posted on by farlane
Chicago to Mac Sailing Race at Mackinac Island by Stephen R. Cloutier

Chicago to Mac Sailing Race at Mackinac Island by Stephen R. Cloutier

The Chicago Yacht Club Race To Mackinac starts Friday morning (July 18). The Chicago to Mac is the longest annual freshwater sailing race in the world, spanning 333 statute miles from the start at the Chicago Yacht Club, up the western shore of Lake Michigan, passing under the Mackinac Bridge to finish at Mackinac Island. They explain that:

…the race’s unpredictable weather and shifting winds on Lake Michigan make it a supreme test of sailing skill, rivaling many offshore ocean races. What first began in 1898 with just five boats has now evolved into a world-class sporting event. The origins of the Race to Mackinac date back to 1898, when Joseph Myers designed two fin-keel sloops, Siren and Vanenna. These vessels sparked a competition between their owners, George Peate of Siren and W.R. Crawford of Vanenna, and after three races in June of 1898, Vanenna remained undefeated. This prompted the idea of a unique, challenging race – one that would forever change the history of sailing.

Lots more on the Race to Mackinac website. If you click the pic above, you can see more of Stephen’s photos. For sure follow him on Instagram for his latest! Also more about Round Island lighthouse on Michigan in Pictures!

Chicago to Mac at Mackinac Bridge by Stephen R. Cloutier

Chicago to Mac at Mackinac Bridge by Stephen R. Cloutier

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