Michigan Civil War Blog

Fall in Michigan

OK, this isn't really anything about the Civil War tonite but only about the Michigan part. Sometimes (?!)folks complain about the weather around here. How can you when you can take in this kind of vista:

What a day!

After waking up to frost on the pumpkin, this Sunday turned out to be a spectacular, sunny, colorful, memorable day. It's one of those Michigan days that the Pure Michigan ads capture so well: Deep Breath. Bright azure sky, delicate scattered pillow-like clouds, profligate green interspersed with beginning yellows and oranges -- and those are just the first of the turning leaves. Despite continuing economic uncertainty, the almost 10 million of us left in the Great Lake State are very blessed.

Oh, related: on the 'bucket list' this year were: visit to nearby Maybury State Park, and a trip to Eastern Market. Both accomplished; both just great experiences; both pure Michigan.... 

Seven Wonders (times two)

Another column in today's friendly talking about how life feels in a leper colony has me turning a different page.

Something called the "New7Wonders organization" not too long ago announced what it found to be the 7 places that are to represent global heritage throughout history. The Ancient World had its 7 Wonders, from which this contest was derived. Not long after the announcement, a Michigan newspaper published its 7 Wonders of Southwestern Michigan. This provides inspiration on a larger scale, to think of the 7 wonders of the entire State...especially during a long dark night that is this winter, the product of severe weather and economic conditions.

Here's a well-considered list, divided into natural and human-made, alpha-arranged:

Natural: Au Sable River in the Huron National Forest; Lake of the Clouds in the Porcupine Mountains; Lakes Superior/Michigan/Huron/Erie; Pictured Rocks; Sleeping Bear Dune; the Leelanau Peninsula; and Upper and Lower Tahquamenon Falls. (Yes, several are multiples, but they have to seen as a bundle too.)

Human-made: Gwen Frostic studio in Benzonia; The Henry Ford in Dearborn; Frankenmuth (whole town); the Mackinac Bridge; Mackinac Island (town, forts, M-185, fudge, ferries, ...); Michigan State University campus; and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History.

So there, Freep writer! I'll gladly live in a place with all this, fellow lepers.

Have a dream

In difficult times we must dream big

History buffs will not be the only ones taking note in July when our country and the world mark the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing. Anyone who lived through that event knows how it changed our lives forever. Anyone who was not alive then might easily imagine how it felt.

The same swell of pride came with the opening of the Mackinac Bridge on Nov. 1, 1957.

Or closer to home, when the Cascades opened to the public in May 1932. As one observer at the time wrote: "... a colorful kaleidoscopic scene of breath-taking beauty was before their eyes. It was good because a dream, long cherished, had come true."

We believe it is time for new dreams. For America, for Michigan and for our community.

Only a cave dweller would not know that our country is in a recession, probably the worst since before World War II. Michigan has suffered more than any other state, losing jobs every year since 2000.

The numbers hardly tell the entire story. People are demoralized. The current economic troubles have ignited a very public discussion whether America is in permanent decline. Politically and culturally, we are easily divided.

What we need are causes that bring people together. We need bold initiatives that everyone can agree are needed, regardless of politics and personalities. We need something positive that fills us with pride in who we are and where we live.

The space race did that. So did the opening of the Mackinac Bridge and the Cascades, or the creation of the interstate highways. These were not events. They were transformations.

We could include the election of Barack Obama on that list. The election of the first black president should be viewed as a moment of tremendous national pride. But tens of millions of people did not want it to happen: They voted for John McCain or another candidate.

Still, the president-elect and others who were elected in November have a rare opportunity. They can inspire us to dream big and to achieve that dream. So can the leaders of our state and this community.

Or perhaps the next great idea won't come from government. The Cascades were the idea of industrialist William "Cap" Sparks. The falls sit on public land today, but it was built with private money.

The obstacles to dreaming big are significant. Our federal government's debt is staggering. At the state and local levels, money is tight. Still, the vision that can imagine better lives also can figure out how to bankroll it. Greatness does not get hung up on the details.

And greatness is what we are calling for. A nation that was founded on liberty and a state that lives by the ideals of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson have not settled for second best.

Michigan (with Jackson's help) built the first and best automobiles in the world. This state's best minds and strongest muscles built an engineering marvel that connects two peninsulas. Our nation sent people to the moon first.

"We need new dreams tonight," the rock group U2 sang in the 1980s. The words are never more true now.

We need new dreams. We need ideas that draw us together, that remind us of who we are and that we are proud.

Can that happen? We look forward to it.

— Jackson Citizen Patriot, January 04, 2009

We can do better

Discovered a blog recently, which focuses on Michigan arts and culture. Since history and heritage are key components of culture, it was with some excitement that I clicked the link [SOM] to read about the subject matter. After all, as Michigan remakes itself into a 21st century economy, this industry -- cultural affairs -- needs to play a huge role. There must be, I thought, some great info there about what's going on.

It was with great disappointment, then, that I discovered the last post was nearly two years ago. That's right, 1/20/07.

Come on, folks. Let's get with it! Let's kick it up a notch!

What to look for

Today's papers are full of prognostications and prophecies, all about what we can expect for '09, what will this person or that do, what will be different a year from now, etc etc.

From this humble perspective, it's time to do. I look for this year to be full not just of plans and possibilities but of realities. A year full of progress, not just proposals. Not just bloviation -- instead, celebration of things accomplished. There's so much to be done.

So, let's get about it, shall we?

Top ten

It's that time of year when everyone is doing their "Top Ten of 2008" list of their favorites and un-favorites. Since we endeavor to remain positive in this space, that should be our focus.

So, here's an offering for a list regarding this blog's subject matter, without an attempt at ranking -- though perhaps the last item is #1:

• Governor Granholm issues Executive Order 2007-52, directing the Michigan Historical Commission to help the State plan for the Civil War Sesquicentennial (yes, it happened on Dec. 27, 2007, but that was so late it really counts for this year).
• Efforts to unite the Michigan historical community made progress in 2008, including linkages between the Michigan Historical Commission, Historical Society of Michigan, Michigan Historic Preservation Network, and Michigan Historical Center Foundation; this unity of purpose should serve to make much more possible the appropriate fulfillment of EO '07-52.
• The MHCF solidified its role and revised its identity to the "Michigan History Foundation", making it possible to serve in a supportive capacity for Sesqui funding.
• "My Brave Mechanics:" The First Michigan Engineers and Their Civil War wins a 2008 Notable Book award.
• The Michigan Archives launches a site, seekingMichigan.org -- Archives, making available some 75,000 digital Civil War images (with a promise to make even more accessible in 2009).
• The Michigan Historical Commission approves a plan to implement EO 2007-52 and makes plans to hold public meetings to solicit input and create a fulsome Sesquicentennial commemoration.
• The first Sesquicenntennial event is well on the way to being fully planned, with publicity about it soon to emerge.
• Not one, not two, not three, but four Michigan university scholars with emphases on the Civil War era emerge from obscurity (well, this is more traceable to ignorance on the part of yours truly), with identities to be revealed here in 2009.
• Despite a struggling economy and a gloom-and-doom media, the annual Jackson Cascades re-enactment went off before customary thousands of engaged spectators of all ages.
• Despite a struggling economy and gloom-and-doom, there are those -- many more than one might suspect -- devoted to the cause of Michigan, its history, and its Civil War story who continue determinedly to labor on behalf of this Great Lake State, and to whom is expressed here the deepest gratitude and best wishes for a great New Year!

Sacrifice

It's been a tough week, but we need to remember that times have been as tough or tougher in the past.

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words and helps puts things into perspective.

 

Ode to Michigan

It's been a horrendous week for the economy, and Michigan's bottom-dwelling position these past several years could only make psyches here worse. Then...a dear friend who's suffered two devasting strokes and is in for a long and uncertain rehab...another friend who just lost his dad...what more this way can come?!

 And yet...

Lazing outside this glorious afternoon, in near 80-degree sun-shine blessed weather, watching repeated showers of leaves floating down from the black walnuts out back...dazzled by brilliant reds and oranges and yellows on vines, shrubs, trees, with the full color yet to arrive...amazed at bevies of birds cavorting from tree to tree to tree as if there's nothing really to worry about...

I pick up the daily to find...

"I love America", writes a Somalian who came here in '05 to encounter education free of ethnic discrimination and a warm welcome at Michigan State University. "America welcomed me and has become my second home," he writes, in words that made it hard for me to keep reading with unmisty eyes: Mr. Sabrie

"Our country" is the headline for a review of the book State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America, where the author of the Michigan piece says most Michiganders he encountered were unconditionally gracious and always willing to help the needy. Three years here changed his life and made him what he is; his daughters refer to "Grandma Michigan" as the place where he found a home. When asked where he's from, "I say: 'Michigan'. I am a Michigander now". (I wish I could link you to it, but the Freep doesn't have it online.)

My pride in this shell-shocked but always resilient place, these hardy Michiganders, soars. For the authors of these two pieces are, as you might guess, Africans by birth. A sesquicentennial after a conflict over America's soul, they have come to Michigan and discovered themselves, each becoming an "Afrigander".

What a beautiful name.

Underappreciated

On their way to visit State parks in the Upper Peninsula, an intrepid Freep reporter and trip companion stopped at a county rest area. After using the facilities, they "sat for a few minutes surrounded by mature oaks and maples and watched the Lake Superior surf crash onto a beautiful beach. My friend looked around and said, 'In Michigan this is just a rest area. In most parts of the country it would be a pretty good state park.'

Amen: Freep This pretty much sums up a lot of the story hereabouts. We don't appreciate nearly enough our blessings. We overlook what we have. We typically focus on the part of the glass that's empty.

That's the mission here, I remind myself from time to time. Raise consciousness about the great role Michigan played in the Civil War era. Tomorrow, a story about some people who've spent their time and money on doing just that.