The Mackinac Bridge takes center stage on Labor Day

Posted on by farlane

Bridge at Twilight 1562-12

Bridge at Twilight 1562-12, photo by StacyN – MichiganMoments

Right now thousands of people are participating in the Mackinac Bridge Walk, an Michigan tradition that began on Labor Day of 1958 and has continued every year since then. While just 68 people made that first walk, it now averages over 50,000 people. You can tune in for some shots from the Mackinac Bridge Cam and see one from this morning on the Michigan in Pictures Facebook.

If you’d like a little Labor Day reading, I heartily recommend How Labor Won Its Day from the Detroit News Rearview Mirror.

See Stacy’s photo bigger and see some more cool shots of this Michigan icon in her Mackinac Bridge slideshow.

Much (much) more about the Mackinac Bridge on Michigan in Pictures!

Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend, photo by Kevin Povenz.

I always love it when the perfect photo for Michigan in Pictures is waiting in the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr. I echo Kevin’s sentiments and wish everyone a very happy & safe Labor Day Weekend filled with all the family, friends & fun that you desire!!

Check this out background boomtacular and in Kevin’s Fun/Interesting slideshow.

Here’s some Michigan Labor Day gems from Absolute Michigan & Michigan in Pictures:

2010 Labor Day Mackinac Bridge Walk

Posted on by farlane


Mackinac Bridge Walk, photo by mackinacbridgerun

Every year, thousands of people come to the Mackinac Bridge on the morning of Labor Day for the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk. They’ll do it again at the 53rd annual walk on Monday, September 6, 2010 from 7-11 AM.

The Mackinac BridgeGet all the history of the Mackinac Bridge Walk from Michigan in Pictures and click that button for tons more info on the Mackinac Bridge.

View the photo larger in mackinacbridgerun’s slideshow.

Riding out for Labor Day

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Double J Ranch Riding

Double J Ranch Riding, photo by Jeff Milton.

Absolute Michigan’s 2009 Labor Day Roundup says that AAA Michigan estimates 1.4 million Michiganians will travel during the 2009 Labor Day holiday. Click that link for a bunch of Labor Day events from all over the state and also see the 52nd Annual Labor Day Bridge Walk on Michigan in Pictures.

Be sure and check this out bigger or in Jeff’s My Favorites slideshow.

Barack Obama in Detroit – Labor Day 2008

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Detroit Loves Obama

Detroit Loves Obama, photo by Maia C.

Maia writes that this is just part of the crowd gathered in Detroit’s Hart Plaza to show their support for Barack Obama on Labor Day, 2008.

The Detroit News has a great panorama by photographer Anne Savage and there’s a nice photo gallery on the Freep as well. There’s some video at the Freep and (when that gets removed) on YouTube from tdndavid. Nice to see Michigan get as little national face time looking sunny & fun!

You can see a lot more photos from Obama’s Labor Day visit to the Motor City on Flickr (slideshow).

Note: Not trying to be partisan here, just documenting a major Michigan story. As an aside, I’ve been looking all summer for pics from John McCain in Michigan – nothing has been shared with Absolute Michigan yet. So get out there, you McCainiacs and get clicking!

Labor Day in Michigan

Posted on by farlane

1942 Detroit Labor Day Parade

Women Workers in the 1942 Detroit Labor Day Parade by Arthur S. Siegel.

Wikipedia says that Labor Day:

…has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States since the 1880s. The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations” of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families.

The entry goes on to say how that has mellowed to more of a day of family rest and recreation (and for political appearances of course).

The Detroit News Rearview Mirror series How Labor won its day by Patricia K. Zacharias does an excellent job of weaving Michigan’s role in the holiday into the broader historical picture and has some great old pictures (be sure to click the button at the top left!).

These pictures were taken at the 1942 Labor Day Parade in Detroit by Arthur S. Siegel. You can click the photos at the right for a larger view too!

 1942 Detroit Labor Day Parade, Wings of Victory

1942 Detroit Labor Day Parade, War of Survival

The Annual Labor Day Mackinac Bridge Walk

Posted on by farlane

The 2010 Mackinac Bridge Walk takes place on Monday, September 6, 2010!

2000 Mackinac Bridge Walk
2000 Mackinac Bridge Walk, photos courtesy Michigan Department of Transportation & Mackinac Bridge Authority

The annual Mackinac Bridge Walk has been held every year on Labor Day since the Bridge opened in 1957, so, like the Mackinac Bridge itself, The Bridge Walk is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Walkers in the Mackinac Bridge Walk from the tower!Strangely enough, Wikipedia seems to have the most historical information on the walk (which is not much). They say that the first walk took place in the early morning hours of Labor Day, 1958. and that just 68 people took that first 5 mile walk across the Mighty Mac. In the early years, it seems that the walk was sparsely attended and viewed as an annoyance until the governor was brought in to lead the walk. The walk averages 50,000 to 65,000 attendees and the record is estimated to be 85,000 when George H. W. Bush led the walk in 1992. Will we break the record this year? Seems like we should, but I wonder.

The Governor’s party leads the way at 7 AM (I think) with registered and pre-qualified joggers (details from the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness). Important things to note (according to the official site) are that traffic still moves across the bridge during the event, that it starts on the St. Ignace side, that they really recommend you figure your return transport out, that it’s FREE (my capitalization) and that there are NO RESTROOMS ON THE BRIDGE (their capitalization).

The Michigan Department of Transportation has a photo gallery from past Mackinac Bridge Walks. A photographer named Chuck contributed one of his photos from the bridge walk to Wikimedia, and he has a nice gallery of Mackinac Bridge Walk photos. A search of Flickr finds some bridge walk pics as well (hopefully more after this year’s walk!). Do you have more links? Post ’em in the comments and please share your story/photos if you walk this year!

The Mackinac Bridge

I should add that on September 16 from 7:00 – 7:30 AM, there will be a “Bike Across the Mighty Mac” event sponsored by Mackinaw City Chamber of Commerce. If you’re up in the area, there’s also a Truck Parade of Lights from 8-9 PM on September 15th.

Remembering the Flint Sit-Down Strike on a Labor Day

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Flint Sit Down Strike

A movie produced by General Motors in 1936 called Master Hands that Christine Barry posted to her blog provided the impetus for today’s Labor Day holiday post. She dedicates it to her grandfather and it’s likely that many of us in Michigan have some relative who took some part (for or against) in the tumultuous labor struggles. Below are several links about Michigan’s most famous strike, the Flint Sitdown Strike of 1936-37 at GM’s Fisher Body #1 plant in Flint.

According to Remembering the Flint Sit-Down Strike at HistoricalVoices.org (an amazing web site that includes recordings of workers recalling the strike):

Working on the line at General Motors in Flint was a job many men needed desperately in the 1930’s, but it was also tremendously difficult. Terrible working conditions, combined with unfair and devious payroll practices, made the auto plants of Depression-era Flint into ripe locations for union organization.

The union was the United Auto Workers. The UAW pages on the 44-day strike that ended Feb. 11, 1937 say that it  was the most pivitol event the early history of the UAW. The result was the first UAW contract with General Motors and the establishment of the UAW as the sole bargaining representative for GM workers. This account has a lot of details on the political events surrounding the strike.

A couple more excellent resources are Michigan Epic’s multimedia exploration of the Flint strike, The historic 1936-37 Flint auto plant strikes from the Detroit News, Wikipedia’s entry on the Flint Sit-Down Strike and this great slideshow of the monument commemorating the strike in Flint Sitdowners Memorial Park.
Note: The above photo is credited to the Walter P. Reuther Library of Wayne State University. The keen of eye will see that the striking workers are sitting on car seats.

Also check out The Reo Ramblers at the 1937 sit-down strike from Michigan in Pictures & the Archives of Michigan.