Saving Pictures of History
Russell Leavenworth founded Leavenworth Photography in 1895. To ensure that his valuable negatives will not degrade, the Archives of Michigan has begun to preserve them.
Archive for 2009
Oldsmobile in Pictures
The striking image above comes from the Leavenworth Photograph Collection. Leavenworth Photography of Lansing, Michigan created one of the largest collections of Oldsmobile photographs.
A Real Michigan Welcome
The Bureau of Military Relief was established by the Michigan War Preparedness Board to extend aid, comfort and relief to all Michigan servicemen during World War I. This effort was centered in the Michigan Soldiers and Sailors Headquarters on West 40th Street in New York City.
The Days of the Old Stage
The women in this vintage photo seem to be having fun in the “old stage coach.” One suspects that, even then, the stagecoach could evoke the “romance” of the old frontier.
History’s First Aerial Elopement
Art Smith and Aimee Cour couldn’t marry in Indiana. They could marry in Michigan, but they had to get there. Fortunately for them, Art was a pilot!
The Rise and Fall of Pere Cheney, Michigan
During the boom years of Michigan’s lumbering era, many mill towns were founded practically overnight. Pere Cheney, platted in 1874, was one such town. Today, the ghost town of Pere Cheney exists only on old maps, and only a few gravestones remain to mark what was once the seat of Crawford County.
For “the Flyer, Flying Executive and the Aero Tourist”
Fraser, Michigan was once home to a small airport—the Thomas B. Joy Airport. This small airfield was one of dozens found across Michigan in the years following World War II.
Out With the Old, In With the New
In 1894, the Lansing City Council authorized bonds to build a new City Hall on the corner of Ottawa and Capitol Avenues. Accepting the plans of prominent architect Edwyn A. Bowd, the Council spent $150,000 on this new structure.
State Police Movie Heroes
Here, we see some fine silent film melodrama. The hero, played by Romaine Fielding, lies unconscious on the railroad tracks. Fortunately, this time, the Michigan State Police can ride to the rescue!
A Champion Dairy Herd
Traverse Colantha Walker was a world record holding Holstein-Friesian dairy cow. She was born on the grounds of the Traverse City State Hospital on April 29, 1916.
The Michigan death records collection here at Seeking Michigan, covering the years 1897 to 1920, is now largely complete. With the records added recently, there are now more than 960,000 certificates available for free at this site, meaning that the project is now 99% complete. 
