A Tale With a Twist
Perhaps you’ve never heard of Detroit’s Hank Ballard, but you’ve almost certainly heard of his dance. Ballard wrote and recorded “The Twist” in 1958. Two years later, Chubby Checker had a hit with a cover of Ballard’s song.
Flight to Freedom
Fugitive slaves Adam and Sarah Crosswhite seemed to have found sanctuary in Marshall, Michigan. Then, in January 1847, four slave catchers arrived from Kentucky.
New Features, No Keynote
No we haven’t released an e-reader for Seeking Michigan, but considering this is a week of big news: iPad, State of the Union. We’re throwing our hat into the ring.
Dashing Through the Snow
The date is February 22, 1906. The large crowd is watching a dog sled race through Ishpeming, Michigan. The race is well attended, but it’s not the week’s only attraction.
Across the Icy Green
Michiganians find inventive ways to enjoy winter. This photo provides an example.
Life in a Logging Camp
Did you ever wonder about life in an old-time lumber camp? “I worked like the dickens,” recalled one old lumberjack, “but I didn’t think anything of it.”
The Boy Governor Comes Home
Stevens T. Mason made an indelible mark on Michigan. Yet, he lived his final days in New York and was buried there. In 1905 – over sixty years after his death – Michigan’s “boy governor” finally came home!
Snow Job
In Michigan, snow brings much beauty and allows us to enjoy winter seasonal activities. Of course, along with this comes some occasional extra work.
No Depression
One of the best known agencies from the Great Depression was the WPA, or Works Progress Administration (”Work Projects Administration” after 1939). The reach of the WPA projects is legendary–from bridges to stream improvements to roads to arts, crafts and writing projects. The WPA even thought about holiday planning.
A Wartime Christmas
This 1918 Christmas card is interesting for its simple graphic, deftly evoking the bittersweet reality that while the war is over, Sgt. Ray Alger Pennington is not yet home.
