Lansing through the lens of R.C. Leavenworth

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

1934 Oldsmobile F-Series Six, photo by R. C. Leavenworth (courtesy Archives of Michigan)

The Archives of Michigan’s Image of the Month for May 2008 was taken by Lansing commercial photographer R.C. Leavenworth, whose Leavenworth Photography of Lansing created one of the largest collections of Oldsmobile photographs. Oldsmobile was founded in Lansing in 1897, and this year is the 100th anniversary of General Motors.

The photo is from a rare Agfacolor glass screen plate in the Leavenworth historical photograph collection. The Afgacolor process was similar to Autochrome process in which the glass plate overlays a mosaic of red, green and blue dyed resin grains. They relate that their scanner is unable to justly reproduce the color tone of these plates and they invite you to attend the upcoming exhibit: “The Picture Man: Lansing through the Lens of R. C. Leavenworth” to see the plates illuminated in person.

…Leavenworth started out photographing lumbering and mining camps in northern Michigan, using a horse-drawn darkroom. He relocated to Lansing in 1919 to document Lansing’s transformation into a major industrial city and automotive capital. For over a century, Leavenworth Photography has shot hundreds of thousands of images that tell the story of industry, business and social life in Michigan’s capital city. With subjects as diverse as street scenes, car parts, workers’ strikes, vaudeville troupes and football games, Leavenworth lived up to the slogan plastered on the door of his company car: “Anything photographed, anywhere, anytime.”

“The Picture Man” runs May 30 to September 30 in the temporary exhibit area on the first floor of the Michigan Historical Center. Admission is free. R. S. V. P. at (517) 373-1408 for the opening reception on May 29, 5pm-7pm.

You can also read Leavenworth Maintains Commercial Niche from the Greater Lansing Business Monthly (July 2003).

Kirtland’s Warbler and the Kirtland’s Warbler Festival

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Kirtlands Warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii)

Kirtlands Warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii), photo by birdman06.

The photographer notes that Kirtland’s Warbler is the rarest warbler in the US. It’s part of his cool set of photos of Songbirds and birds like Songbirds (slideshow).

The Michigan DNR’s page on Kirtlands Warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii) begins:

The endangered Kirtland’s warbler is one of the rarest members of the wood warbler (Parulidae) family. It is a bird of unusual interest for many reasons. It nests in just a few counties in Michigan’s northern Lower and Upper peninsulas, in Wisconsin and the province of Ontario and, currently, nowhere else on Earth. Its nests generally are concealed in mixed vegetation of grasses and shrubs below the living branches of five to 20 year old jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forests.

Click through to read about how the bird was named in honor of Ohio physician, teacher, horticulturist and naturalist Dr. Jared P. Kirtland, that it wasn’t until 1903 that Norman A. Wood discovered the first nest in Oscoda County in northern lower Michigan and much more about this truly rare bird. You can read more and see some pictures at Dendroica kirtlandii (Kirtland’s warbler) from the Animal Diversity Web at U-M and Wikipedia’s Kirtlands warbler entry. There’s even a Kirtland’s Warbler Audubon Society in Comins, Michigan that is a chapter of the Michigan Audubon Society and keeps track of all things warbly.

It’s maybe unsurprising then that there is an annual Kirtland’s Warbler Festival held every May on the campus of Kirtland Community College in Roscommon. The festival is billed as a celebration of nature and takes place next weekend (May 17, 2008). It features field trips to see Kirtland’s warblers, presentations about these and other rare or endangered Michigan species (piping plovers, osprey, eagles, turtles) and birding in general, plenty of activities for kids and a concert by the Great Lakes Myth Society

In addition to a ton more information about the festival and the feathered feature, the festival site features a Kirtland’s warbler video where you can hear the bird’s song.

The Enrico Fermi Nuclear Power Plant

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Nuclear Wetlands

Nuclear Wetlands, photo by mandj98.

James writes that the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Power plant is located on Lake Erie about six miles from Point Mouillee.

The Department of Energy’s page on the Enrico Fermi plant says that it was named for the first physicist to split the atom. The prototype Fermi 1 unit operated at the site from 1963 to 1972 and is now mothballed. The current 1,111 MW Fermi 2 unit is operated by Detroit Edison Company. It’s a boiling water reactor that ranks as Michigan’s 9th largest nuclear reactor.

Wikipedia’s entry for Fermi notes that plant suffered a partial meltdown on October 5, 1966, an event that inspired the Gil Scott-Heron song We Almost Lost Detroit. There was no reported release of radiation or injury.

Here’s an aerial view of Fermi Nuclear Power plant and you can also check out this satellite view of the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Power plant on the Absolute Michigan map of Michigan.

Chromatic: Gilmore Car Museum

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Chromatic

Chromatic, photo by pairadocs.

Vince made his first visit to the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners. He says that he spent so much time drooling over the pretty cars, that didn’t stop to take note of what all of them were.

It looks like that would be easy to do:

The Gilmore Car Museum began in 1963 as the hobby of Donald S. Gilmore when his wife, Genevieve, gave him an antique car for his birthday – a 1920 Pierce-Arrow “project car”. With the help of some friends, the auto was placed under a tent and a full restoration followed. The hobby soon grew into a collection of over 30 automobiles. Mr. Gilmore purchased 90 acres of farm property and had several historic barns dismantled piece by piece and moved to the site. It was Mr. Gilmore’s wife who suggested the idea of turning the collection into a museum where future generations could enjoy the restored cars for years to come…

Today, the site includes eight historic barns, a re-created 1930s service station, a small town train station, and nearly three miles of paved roads. It isn’t uncommon for guest to catch a glimpse of one of the vintage cars or the authentic London double-decker bus in motion. And if you visit on a weekend or special show, don’t be surprised if the driver asks you to hop in for a nostalgic road trip!

Today the Gilmore Car Museum houses almost 200 cars, from a 1899 Locomobile to the classic Duesenberg and Tucker ’48 and all the way up to the muscle cars of the 60s and 70s. museum is located between Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo & Battle Creek and is open daily from 9 AM – 5 PM (6 on weekends), May through October and hosts a number of great events throughout the summer and fall.

Be sure to view the above photo larger and here’s a bunch more photos from the Gilmore Car Museum on Flickr (slideshow).

Cherry Blossom Time in Michigan

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Cherry Blossom Time, Benzie County Michigan by John Clement Howe

Cherry Blossom Time, Benzie County Michigan, photo by John Clement Howe.

The photo is part of John’s amazing Benzie County! photo set (slideshow) and it’s no coincidence that the next photo is a tasty looking morel mushroom – both cherry blossoms and morels are found at the same time of year!

Every May, the cherry trees of Michigan burst forth in white clouds of splendor, and dwelling as I do in the heart of Michigan’s cherry country, I am lucky enough to have a front row seat. I was struck by how little presence Michigan has in the cherry blossom information that can be found online. We’re just an afterthought on Wikipedia’s Sakura (cherry blossom) entry and event a search for Michigan cherry blossoms yields mostly Japanese restaurants.

I suppose that the fruit has become the bigger deal, but it wasn’t always that way. In their History of the National Cherry Festival, the Agile Writer notes that the Festival began in 1910 with a prayer ceremony for a good cherry crop. It was formalized in 1925, when the cherry growers partnered with Traverse City merchants to create the “Blessing of the Blossoms Festival” to promote the region and the cherry business.

MayDay!

Posted on by farlane

Straight Out Of The House by SNWEB.ORG Photography

Straight Out Of The House, photo by SNWEB.ORG Photography

This photo is part of SNWEB’s Detroit Fire Department set (slideshow). He says that you can buy a print of this photo with one click but that if you are a DFD member and would like a print, please contact him directly!

I’m featuring this photo because I was tipped off (from a fan of the Michigan archives) that the Society of American Archivists recognize May 1st as MayDay. They say:

Protecting our collections is one of our fundamental responsibilities as archivists. The Heritage Health Index, released in 2005 soon after hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma struck the Gulf Coast, reported that few institutions have disaster plans and for those that do, often the plan is out of date. It’s easy to put off emergency response planning as we devote our attentions to tasks with more immediate “payback”

But on May 1 – this year and every year – you can do something that will make a difference when and if an emergency occurs. That’s the purpose of MayDay – a grassroots effort whose goal is to save our archives.

MayDay is a time when archivists and other cultural heritage professionals take personal and professional responsibility for doing something simple – something that can be accomplished in a day but that can have a significant impact on an individual’s or a repository’s ability to respond.

Reading through their recommended activities made me think that all of us could take a few minutes today to think about a preservation plan for our photos and other historical records.

Eaton County and the Charlotte Courthouse

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Court House and museum Charlotte Michigan

Court House and museum Charlotte Michigan, photo by baklein62.

The brief history on the Eaton County web site says:

Eaton County, named for President Andrew Jackson’s Secretary of War (John Eaton), sometimes referred to as a cabinet county, was organized in 1837. Due to lack of population and buildings in the designated county seat (Charlotte), government and judicial functions were performed in the village of Bellevue.

…In 1882 the Eaton County Board of Supervisors resolved “to erect a building for court and public office purposes” at no more than $50,000 cost; this was later amended to $40,000. When completed, the cost of this courthouse was nearly $80,000.

The contract for design was awarded to D.W. Gibbs & Company of Toledo, Ohio with the firm of Miles, Cramer and Horn also from Toledo doing construction. The corner stone was laid on July 4, 1883 and this building was ready for use in October 1885.

Read more about Courthouse Square and the museum including information about and photos of the exhibits.

This photo is part of Barney’s sales territory set and I think the set demonstrates that a good attitude goes a long way toward enjoying your job.

elegance at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

elegance

elegance, photo by ryan.s o u t h e n.photography.

Ryan writes:

Dave was nice enough to arrange a little photo trek over to the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills to take some shots of classic Chrysler cars and the museum. Larry, Mike, and Laura also came along and it was a real fun time. Cars arent really my thing and I had never shot them before so I looked at this trek as more of a challenge and opportunity to try some new things. I think I got some good shots and had a great time in the process. Not a bad way to spend a dreary Saturday.

I didnt even pay attention to what automobile this was but I loved the grill and lines and had to photograph it. Im pretty pleased with how this turned out, in fact it may be my favorite shot I took from the entire trek. If anyone happens to know what car this actually is I’d love to know.

You can check this photo out larger, on black and see more photos from Ryan at Ryan Southen Photography. Also check out this slideshow of photos from the Walter P. Chrysler Museum on Flickr

The Walter P. Chrysler Museum is located on the Chrysler Headquarters campus in Auburn Hills. Their web site has a lot of info about the history of Chrysler including this nifty Chrysler Chronology.

More posts about cars on Michigan in Pictures.

Monroe Pier Lighthouse and Uncle Peter

Posted on by farlane

Monroe Pier Lighthouse, c. 1859

Monroe Pier Lighthouse, photo courtesy Archives of Michigan

This photo of the Monroe Pier light on Lake Erie in the city of Monroe was taken somewhere around 1859. Here’s another shot of Monroe Lighthouse c. 1900 with what looks to be a Mackinaw boat from the HAL Digital Lighthouse Collection. There is incredibly little information about the Monroe Pier Lighthouse, so I have to assume that it’s long gone. Anyone know anything more?

The Monroe County Library has an article titled The Lighthouse Keeper in their very cool Bygones of Monroe with some recollections of and insight into the life of a lighthouse keeper:

“Uncle” Peter Gussenbauer keeps the government lighthouse at Monroe Piers. For fifteen years he has tended the great light that has served as a beacon to incoming yachts and steam craft, or as a guide to the merchant boats passing up and down Lake Erie between Toledo and the upper lake regions. One expects to find the average seafaring man gruff in his manners, and little inclined to the companionship of land-lubbers. But not so with “Uncle” Peter, for he has become famous for his genial hospitality and his courteous bearing toward the hundreds who visit the lighthouse during the summer months.

They have another item marking the passing of Uncle Peter and a whole lot more great historical clippings including a bit of bragging about the poundage of Monroe’s menfolk.

Going to the Night Boat

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Going to the night boat, Petoskey, Mich.

Going to the night boat, Petoskey, Mich., Detroit Publishing Co.

This photo from the Detroit Publishing Co. Touring Turn of the Century America collection at the Library of Congress is the winner of this month’s “Book or Movie Title Waiting to Happen.” Put Petoskey in the search and check the photos out!

As you read this, I’m in the Petoskey area, unplugging and (hopefully) taking some pictures.