Relighting the South Manitou Island Lighthouse

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

South Manitou Light

South Manitou Light, photo by dhoop.

Most nights I can see the red pulse of the North Manitou Shoal Light far out on the Manitou Passage (that stretch of Lake Michigan off the western shore of the Leelanau Peninsula).

Right now, a group of nonprofit & government organizations, businesses, historic engineers and private individuals are working to add another light to the passage. The effort is called “Relight the Light” and is funded in part by the National Park Centennial Initiative:

Lighting the South Manitou Island Lighthouse is a joint effort with three partners: Manitou Islands Memorial Society, Manitou Island Transit, and Electro-Optics Technology, Incorporated. The project will include purchasing and installing a replica third-order Fresnel lens, illuminating the lens with a low-wattage bulb using solar power as the energy source, and restoring the lantern room and stairwell.

As with many public projects these days, there’s a match component and organizers are seeking to raise funds to complete work currently underway on the lens by Artworks Florida.

For more information about the project and to view photos of the construction of the lens, visit South Manitou Island Lighthouse: Re-light the Light.

The South Manitou Island Lighthouse page from the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has more about the light and its history and (as always) Terry Pepper’s Seeing the Light has a lot more. You can also see photos of the light and floorplans from the Library of Congress and here’s a South Manitou Island Light slideshow!

(lighthouse buffs might note a similarity between this tower and the tower of the Au Sable Point light)

McClellan School in Mason County

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

McClellan School.jpg

McClellan School.jpg, photo by smartee_martee.

This photo of the McClellan School in Mason County (near Custer, Michigan) is on of two photos (so far) in Marty’s Mason County set. The other one is a cool old photo of the Pere Marquette Station in Freesoil that I probably would have featured if I didn’t need to see some color so badly!

Summer is a good time to tune into Marty’s photostream as there are a lot of new photos of farms, old homesteads and other forgotten and abandoned structures popping in every week. buckshot.jones writes:

“It is what us folks in Michigan, at least us Detroiters call, “Going Up North.” Most people in MIchigan have a special affinity for the countryside in Northern Michigan. If you you’ve never been, well then you may never know. Here’s my solution. Take a tour of Smartee Martee’s photostream. Click on the sets and read the descriptions of the places he’s been. Then find a set you really like, mine is Osceola County, and watch the slide show. It isn’t quite the same as being there, but damn close. This is the heart and soul of rural Michigan captured on film.”

My own favorite is his massive Broken Souls set (slideshow).

Michigan Drive-ins and the 75th anniversary of the drive-in

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Wayne Drive-In Theatre Marquee - Wayne, Michigan

Wayne Drive-In Theatre Marquee – Wayne, Michigan, photo by michigandriveins.

In recognition of yesterday’s 75th anniversary of the drive-in, WIRED Magazine featured June 6, 1933: A Car, a Movie, Some Popcorn and Thou. You have to check it out, if only for the photo of the reverse side of the world’s first drive-in movie screen (Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr’s Camden NJ theater) advertising the opportunity to SIT IN YOUR CAR – SEE AND HEAR MOVIES for 25¢ per car, 25¢ per person and $1 for 3 or more people.

About the above photo of the marquee of the Wayne Drive-In Theatre, michigandriveins writes:

What an amazing display this must have been to pass through. This giant neon masterpiece was apparently built by the Long Sign Company. Detroit-based Long also constructed the still-standing Commerce Drive-In Marquee, and the long-gone Waterford Drive-In Marquee.

Amazingly, the top portion of this marquee was saved during demolition. A Ford plant now stands on the grave of the Wayne Drive-In. When the Wayne went down in 1990, speakers, projectors, and three of it’s four screens went to the Ford-Wyoming 6-9 Drive-In in Dearborn, they are still in use today.

I’d like to hear from anyone connected with the Long Sign Co.

Much (much) more about Michigan’s drive-ins and drive in history at michigandriveins.com (also see Drive-in theater on Wikipedia).

You can get even more cool old photos, posters and history about drive-ins in general and in Michigan from the Drive-in Theater History page at WaterWinterWonderland.com.

It was in the period of the late 1930’s that the state of Michigan was introduced to the drive-in, with the opening of the so-called “Drive-In”, later known as the Eastside, on May 26, 1938 with the film “The Big Broadcast of 1938.” A Mr. John H. Flancher filed a petition in court in July of that year on behalf of the residents of 3 Detroit suburbs. His contention was that the new Theater could be heard from two miles away and should be deemed a public nuisance. Although the petition contained over 500 signatures, the case was dropped when the Theater agreed to take steps to alleviate the problem which seemed to satisfy the petitioners and the court. This would not be the last time a drive-in Theater operator would run afoul of the local community however.

I’ll leave you with the Michigan Drive-in Theater slideshow on Flickr (just the photos) and say I hope you and yours get a chance to take in a film or three at a Michigan drive-in this summer! (There are 10 open in Michigan today!

Bendix G-15: $45,000 worth of computer

Posted on by farlane

1950s Computer, photo courtesy Archives of Michigan

In their June 2008 Image of the Month, the Archives of Michigan explains:

This image shows how far computer technology has advanced! Although undated, it was probably taken during the last half of the 1950s. The Michigan State Highway Department offices would seem the likely setting. (The words “Department of Transportation” are stamped on the reverse side. The Michigan State Highway Department is a predecessor agency of the Michigan DOT.)

A logo reading “Bendix Computer” appears on the machine. Having conducted some research, this author believes the computer to be a Bendix model G-15. Paul E. Cerruzi, in his book A History of Modern Computing (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1998 ) notes that Harry Huskey developed the Bendix G-15 at Detroit’s Wayne State University in 1953. Cerruzi notes that the G-15 “was regarded as difficult to program, but for those who could program it, it was very fast.” He adds that the first models were delivered in 1956, at a “basic price of $45,000.” (Click History of Modern Computing to access an electronic copy of this book through ANSWER, the Library of Michigan’s online catalog.)

Click through to read the rest and be sure to view it bigger to appreciate the awesome computing power (and that amazing hair style). You can also check out Wikipedia’s info on the Bendix Corporation.

Pasties: A UP Tradition

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Pasties

Pasties, photo by G0Da.

Lehto’s Famous Pasties are located 7 1/2 miles west of the Mackinac Bridge and the town of St. Ignace. I was pretty shocked to find that I didn’t have a post about pasties on Michigan in Pictures. As the official food of the Upper Peninsula, it definitely merits one, so here goes!

Real Michigan Food: The Pasty on Absolute Michigan says that the pasty came to the Upper Peninsula with tin miners from Cornwall England in the 1800s. Along with a lot of mining knowledge, the Cornish brought advanced lunch technology: the small, portable, and oh-so-filling pasty.

The Cultural Context of the Pasty – yes, we take our meals seriously in Michigan – has even more history and some recipes. If cooking isn’t your thing, head over to Pasty.com’s Pasty Central to buy pasties online. Pasty Central is an employee-owned company in Calumet that has shipped over 300,000 pasties.

You can find other places to purchase pasties (and more articles) at Absolute Michigan keyword pasty and the Absolute Michigan pool has a number of Michigan pasty photos including a perplexingly popular pasty picture and this pasty packed postcard (includes history and recipe). As with just about anything, there’s a Wikipedia entry for the pasty and pasties (not to be confused with other uses of pasties).

I should add that the photo above is part of Dan’s Michigan slideshow, something you should definitely check out if you are a fan of photography with 110% of the Michigan RDA for Awesome.

Michigan Jumpology

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Untitled, photo by LedaVL.

Leda writes that the trampoline was purchased for the kids … YEAH RIGHT! Check out this slideshow of Michigan jumping from The Jumping Project.

The Jumping Project group says they draw their vision from the pioneer of the jumping portrait, Philippe Halsman. Halsman was one of the most famous portrait photographers of the 20th Century and his work graced the covers and insides of Look, Esquire, the Saturday Evening Post, Paris Match, and especially Life.

He once explained his “jumpology” by saying that “When you ask a person to jump, his attention is mostly directed toward the act of jumping and the mask falls so that the real person appears.“. I was pretty surprised to learn from this Smithsonian article on Halsman that:

This odd idiom was born in 1952, Halsman said, after an arduous session photographing the Ford automobile family to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. As he relaxed with a drink offered by Mrs. Edsel Ford, the photographer was shocked to hear himself asking one of the grandest of Grosse Pointe’s grande dames if she would jump for his camera. “With my high heels?” she asked. But she gave it a try, unshod – after which her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Henry Ford II, wanted to jump too.

For the next six years, Halsman ended his portrait sessions by asking sitters to jump. It is a tribute to his powers of persuasion that Richard Nixon, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Judge Learned Hand (in his mid-80s at the time) and other figures not known for spontaneity could be talked into rising to the challenge of…well, rising to the challenge.

Might as well JUMP!

50th anniversary of the launch of the S. S. Edmund Fitzgerald

Posted on by farlane

Hull 301 Launch 3

Hull 301 Launch 3, photo courtesy The Open Lake Group, LLC

I was initially going to use another photo of the Edmund Fitzgerald for this post, but when I asked about that one, Wade showed me this one from the launch of “Hull 301”. How cool is it that I would happen to contact someone who had an unpublished photo of the launch? You can see a couple more photos from the launch (including one that shows the huge crowd) in his Edmund Fitzgerald set.

Saturday June 7th marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of what’s probably the most well known Great Lakes ship. Over on Absolute Michigan, SSEdmundFitzgerald.com posted “Celebrating the launch of the S. S. Edmund Fitzgerald”. Reading it made me realize that our remembrance of what was once the largest ship ever to ply the Great Lakes ignores almost two decades of service and countless hours of hard work and craftsmanship.

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon on June 7th, 1958, as more than 10,000 people lined the banks of the Detroit River. They had come to witness the launching of Hull 301 at the Great Lakes Engineering Works of River Rouge, Michigan. Mrs. Edmund Fitzgerald, wife of the president of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company for which the ship was named, christened the brand new ship and at 12:34 p.m. the 729 ft. “Edmund Fitzgerald” slid gracefully into the basin amid cheers, salutes, and well wishers.

For many of those in attendance, it was a spectacle that they would never forget.

The shipyard workers who constructed “Big Fitz” felt a deep sense of satisfaction as they anxiously watched the launch of this marvelous vessel. Being a prideful lot, they often endured long hours and harsh conditions. This was their “crowning achievement” and the beauty of their craftsmanship was truly evident to all those present.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of that memorable event. It is an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate a joyous time in our lives. It is also a chance to recall the great pride and cherished memories experienced by the ship workers, the community, and all who had the opportunity to witness the launching of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

On this historic occasion, let us joyously share our personal stories, renew old friendships, and fondly remember the day when the “Queen Of The Lakes” was born.
June 7, 2008 Detroit MI

Great Lakes Ship Builders (Detroit Area) host the 50th Anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald Launch and Down River Celebration from 11 AM – 4 PM on Saturday, June 7 2008. The celebration will include a chance to meet the designers and others who worked on the Fitz, workshops on shipbuilders, and ships built in the downriver during the last 200 years. There will also be a Salute to Excellence Award, launch commemoration, and lots of art and artists. For more information, call Roscoe at 810 955-4305 (and poke around SSEdmundFitzgerald.com).

As often, there’s a Wikipedia entry for the SS Edmund Fitzgerald and you can see a gallery of photos from the building of the Fitz and this Zapruder-class video of the launch of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Memorial Day 2008

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Memorial Day 2008

Memorial Day 2008, photo by mikeh5856.

Michael says that this was taken at Greenfield Village yesterday during their Civil War Remembrance. More are in his Greenfield Village set (slideshow).

In cities and town all across Michigan, people are remembering men and women who served our state and nation over the years.

I hope you can take the time to remember them today, and also to think about those who are serving now.

Detroit Tigers: Who’s safe at third?

Posted on by farlane

Detroit Tigers, Safe at Third

Safe at Third, photo courtesy Library of Congress

The Library of Congress captioned this photo Detroit ball player slides safely into third base as fielder reaches to the left for ball on the ground during baseball game. It’s from a game between the Washington Senators and the Detroit Tigers sometime between 1910 and 1930, but beyond that, it’s one of the many photographic mysteries waiting to be solved.

Be sure to click through and check it out larger – that third base is amazingly tattered … sort of like our Detroit Tigers.

LC-USZ62-135402

Orchard Lake and the St Mary’s Polish Festival

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Campus panorama 1940s

Campus panorama 1940s, photo by Orchard Lake.

I noticed that Memorial Day Weekend is the time of the annual St. Mary’s Polish Country Fair & Festival on Orchard Lake. The event billed as “America’s Largest High School Fair” and is a fundraiser for Orchard Lake Schools and you can get an idea of what has changed (and what hasn’t) in this aerial view of Orchard Lakes Schools.

You can see a lot more cool old photos of the seminary in the Orchard Lake photo set from the Adam Cardinal Maida Alumni Library at the Orchard Lake Schools.