Winter at Black Lake

Posted on by farlane

Winter at Black Lake

Winter at Black Lake, photo courtesy Archives of Michigan

The Archives of Michigan’s Image of the Month for December 2007 comes from a Michigan Tourist Council collection. No date is provided, but it likely dates from the late 1960’s or early 1970’s.

…The description on the back identifies the man as “Al Berry” and notes that he’s carrying a fifty-pound sturgeon. The woman on the snowmobile is not named. The description further notes that the photo was taken at Black Lake, near Onaway in Cheboygan County, Michigan.

Like many Michiganians, this man and woman were engaging in some winter fun. Winter recreation has a long tradition in the state. Back in the 1700’s, Detroit’s French-Canadian residents held horse races on the frozen Detroit River. In the 19th Century, miners and lumber jacks often raced horse-drawn cutters over the ice. For as long as anyone alive can remember, Michiganians have indulged in hockey, ice fishing, ice skating, skiing, sledding and sleigh riding. Snowmobiling represents a more modern activity – made possible by 20th Century technological advances. Judith Helmker, in her Manual of Snowmobiling (Cranbury, New Jersey: A. S. Barnes and Company, 1971) credits Wisconsin resident Carl Eliason as inventing a “motorized tobaggon” in 1928.

You can learn more about Black Lake and the massive lake sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens) from the Black Lake, Michigan Chapter of Sturgeon for Tomorrow.

Christmas in Mexicantown

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

mexicantown_safari-12_01_07 (160)_edit1

mexicantown_safari-12_01_07 (160)_edit1, photo by Ross Sandelius.

Ross is one of the many great photographers in the Exposure.Detroit group on Flickr. Their latest “photo safari” was to Detroit’s Mexicantown last Saturday. You can check out Ross’s Mexicantown Photo Safari Set (slideshow) and be very sure to spend some time with the group’s awesome slideshow from the outing.

Mexicantown is located in Southwest Detroit near Porter and Bagley, just north of the Ambassador Bridge. Model D’s guide to visiting Mexicantown details the restaurants and shops in the area and begins:

Mexicantown is a place where vibrantly colored buildings, decorated with even brighter murals and hand-painted signs, dot the main thoroughfares of Bagley and Vernor Streets. One might guess there are more restaurants per square foot than any other neighborhood in Detroit — but the smell of fresh tortillas and baked goods floating down the street provide the only proof. On any given day, the sounds of salsa or merenge come from Discoteca La Rancherita, and in the summer, people sit outside at restaurants—like the side patio at Los Galanes, where dangling plastic chili peppers and a live musician set a festive mood—sipping the best margaritas the city has to offer.

The Mexicantown Development Authority history page says that the neighborhood began with the first Mexican church in the 1920s.

Sunlit Pine

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Sunlit Pine

Sunlit Pine, photo by MSU Ben.

Ben says that this is one of the first shots he took with his Ansco folding 6×6 camera. It’s one of the photos in his Best Shots set. He’s in the Michigan State Photo Club and yes, they have a Flickr group.

Mark O’Brien has a nice ansco camera page and you can see a bunch of photos of Afga/Ansco cameras from the Camera Museum (Camera Museum main page).

Boyne Mountain & Michigan ski industry pioneer Everett Kircher

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Snowmaking on Victor @ Boyne Mountain

Snowmaking on Victor @ Boyne Mountain, photo by Boyne Michigan

If you’re a skier in Michigan, chances are you’ve heard the name of Everett Kircher. Boyne Resorts history page says that this Detroit native moved to northern Michigan in 1947 to build a ski resort, buying the land for what has become Boyne Mountain for just one dollar. Boyne founder Everett KircherIn addition to founding one of the world’s largest ski empires in Michigan, Kircher (who passed away in 2002) was one of the ski industry’s leading innovators:

Kircher had many firsts including the world’s first triple chair installed in 1964 at Boyne Highlands Resort, and the world’s first four-person chair, installed in 1969 at Boyne Mountain. In 1990 Kircher installed Michigan’s first high-speed detachable quad chairlift at Boyne Highlands Resort. And in 1992, Boyne Mountain unveiled America’s first 6-seat high-speed chairlift.

Kircher’s ski innovation also included the introduction of snowmaking. He invented the Boyne Snowmaker, the first efficient snowmaker widely accepted as the standard for marginal temperature snowmaking. It combines small amounts of air and electricity with large quantities of water to provide a high efficiency snowmaking system with energy savings, and minimum noise level. He also pioneered the design of much of the snow grooming equipment and techniques in use today.

Be sure to take a moment to watch this 2001 interview of Everett Kircher by Michigan Skier TV’s Jim Neff about the growth of Boyne, snowmaking and the ski industry.

Ski Jump

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Ski Jump

Ski Jump, photo by boeke.

Jonathan writes that the title of this photo is better understood if you know that Paul is also known as Ski. It was taken at the Sleeping Bear Dunes and yes, it makes awesome wallpaper!

I will add that this post is better understood if you understand that I spent an hour working on a post about skiing that’s gonna take two hours – happy weekend everyone!

Dream

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Dream

Dream, photo by rckrawczykjr.

Ralph writes: 59°F + Sunny + Mid-November = Photo Safari.

Mist Woods and Porcupine Mountains terrain

Posted on by farlane

Mist Woods

Mist Woods, photo by Kim Nixon

Kim says that this photo was taken on the way up the Summit Peak Path in the Porcupine Mountains on October 6th, 2007. She has more photos from (and writing about) the UP on her blog, The Dailies.

SuperiorTrails.com says that the view from Summit Peak is the most “don’t miss” attraction in the park. On their Porcupine Mountains Hiking Trails page, Exploring the North writes:

This trail provides an opportunity to visit Summit Peak at 1,958 feet, the highest point in the park. A 40-ft. observation tower provides an outstanding view of the park as well as the surrounding area . Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Apostle Islands, and Copper Peak are a few of the sights that can be seen on a clear day. A viewing deck on the way up to the summit provides a panorama of the Little Carp River valley and ranks as one of the best views of the park.

Our Absolute Michigan Map of Michigan at Google Maps got a cool upgrade earlier this week with the addition of a new “Terrain” feature, and I thought the Porkies (which probably offer Michigan’s most wild & rugged terrain) would be a perfect place to put the map through its paces – click this link to check it out and let me know what you think!

You can get a detailed trail map at the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park page from the DNR.

The Heidelberg Project in Detroit

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

More from the Heidelberg Project

More from the Heidelberg Project, photo by DetroitDerek.

I have been planning to write something about The Heidelberg Project in Detroit for quite a while now. This morning, I read an unsettling report about fires at the project from Derek that tipped my hand.

At heidelberg.org you can learn all about this amazing project:

The Heidelberg Project, bearing the name of the street on which it exists, was started in 1986 by Tyree Guyton. He was assisted by his grandfather, Sam (Grandpa) Mackey (deceased), and his former wife, Karen Guyton. Tyree was raised on Heidelberg Street and, at the age of 12, witnessed the tragic effect of the Detroit riots – from which he claims the City of Detroit never recovered. Though once racially integrated, many neighborhoods have become segregated urban ghettos characterized by poverty, abandonment, and despair

Armed with a paintbrush, a broom, and neighborhood children, Guyton, Karen, and Grandpa began by cleaning up vacant lots on Heidelberg and Elba Streets. From the refuse they collected, Guyton began to transform the street into a massive art environment. Vacant lots literally became “lots of art” and abandoned houses became “gigantic art sculptures.” Guyton not only transformed vacant houses and lots, he integrated the street, sidewalks, and trees into his mammoth installation and called his work on Heidelberg Street, the Heidelberg Project.

I don’t think there’s any way that you can get a sense of this from one photo. Fortunately Derek has more photos from the Project (slideshow) and you can see a whole lot more photos of the Heidelberg Project on Flickr including those in the Heidelberg Project pool.

Be sure to also check out the video of Tyree Guyton explaining the Heidelberg Project and the new book from Wayne State University Press, Connecting the Dots: Tyree Guyton’s Heidelberg Project.

The Sun will rise.

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

The Sun will rise.

The Sun will rise., photo by Hooks Pix.

About this photo of an October sunrise in Northern Michigan Hooks Pix writes:

A fall shot that I just got around to, I have been scanning negatives for a while now. Thought this was nice, added a ND filter, that’s it. Best seen large.

Well, here’s the large view and (in case you were wondering) here’s information about Neutral Density filters (aka ND filters).

More fall wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures

Fist of a Champion – Detroit’s Monument to Joe Louis

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Joe Louis 2

Joe Louis 2, photo by buckshot.jones.

Scott writes I simply love this piece of art work. It says so much about the heart and soul, the toughness, about the town and the people who live here and have built this area. Joe Louis Barrow, aka “The Brown Bomber” is one of the all-time great boxers. The 24 x 24 x 11.5 feet Monument to Joe Louis was commissioned by Time Inc. for the City of Detroit to honor Joe Louis. It was created by sculptor Robert Graham and installed at Jefferson Avenue at Woodward, Detroit on October 16, 1986.

Robert Graham’s page on the Joe Louis Memorial says:

The monument is a 24-foot long arm and fist held in balanced suspension from a pyramidal support of bronze poles. Weighing approximately 8,000 lb., it rises 24 feet above a major downtown intersection.

The initial arm was modeled in clay at 14 inches in length. With the aid of a computer, a full-scale steel armature, 24 feet in length, was made and wrapped with wire and covered with clay. The final clay model was divided into eight sections and cast in bronze, then assembled. The pyramid structure was fabricated out of steel, and faced with bronze plates. A tribute to Joe Louis is inscribed on the arm.

Detroit Yes writes in Downtown Montage that he may be the only person in Detroit (other than Scott) who likes the Fist:

So great was Joe Louis that is difficult to measure the historical contribution of this immense figure who, without a close second, is by far the greatest sports figure to ever arise from Detroit and assume center stage on the world theater. It was he who helped shatter the Nazi myth of racial superiority with his dramatic defeat of German champion Max Schmeling during the rise of Nazism. In doing so and then serving his country nobly in the segregated army of World War II, he laid bare the disgraceful hypocrisy that denied Afro American athletes access to the major leagues of American sport, not to mention all Afro Americans who were and are denied the basic birthrights of American citizenship.

He did this with his fists and determination. So it is fitting that he is honored with a place at the center of his hometown with an artwork as powerful and controversial as he was.

You can get a birds eye view of the Joe Louis Memorial on the Absolute Michigan map of Michigan. Also see Monuments of Detroit from the Detroit News, a slideshow of photos of the Fist and a video look at the Joe Louis Fist Statue. For more about Joe Louis, Wikipedia’s Joe Louis entry and the Official site of the Joe Louis Estate.