With funding from the Michigan Humanities Council, Michigan Television has partnered with the Bentley Historical Library, the Reuther Library, the Library of Michigan and historian Jim McConnell to collaborate on the Michigan Minutes project. In seeking to bring important events from Michigan's history to the public awareness, archivists and historians from each library worked to identify a range of stories that would encompass all areas of Michigan since the state's founding. This first set of stories covers a diverse range of subjects spanning the past 150 years. Stay tuned for more stories on Michigan Minutes.
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Additional photos
courtesy of:
Michigan's Military Museum
The Burton Historical Collection,
Detroit Public Library |
Detroit's Polar Bear Brigade
Immediately upon the conclusion of World War I in 1918, allied leaders sought to intervene in Russia's civil war to prevent the Bolsheviks from taking power. A brigade of mostly Detroit based soldiers was sent to northern Russia and placed under British command. The unprepared soldiers suffered terribly in the harsh Russian winter and soon Detroit citizens were demanding their withdrawal by President Woodrow Wilson. |
Additional photos
courtesy of:
House of David Museum
Mary Alice & Earl Boyersmith |
The House of David
In 1903, the town of Benton Harbor found that a new religious commune had been established in its midst. The House of David became a highly unusual religious retreat - in fact it also became a highly successful amusement park with a hotel, restaurant and stores. Perhaps it was best known for its barnstorming baseball team that even played against major league baseball teams. But it was a scandal that eventually spelled doom for the House of David. |
Additional photos
courtesy of:
The Janie Garcia & Ruben R. Alfaro Family
The National Archives |
Saginaw to Lansing March
By the mid 1960's, the movement for rights for migrant agricultural workers led by Cesar Chavez was gaining strength. Michigan had the 3rd highest population of migrant workers in the U.S. (It still does.) A former migrant laborer named Ruben Alfaro, then a barber in Lansing, organized the first mass march by migrant workers and their supporters to demand inclusion in the state's workers compensation and social welfare programs. (The producers tracked down Ruben Alfaro in Texas and his newly recorded voice contributes to this story.)
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Additional photos
courtesy of:
General Motors
Center for the History of Medicine, University of Michigan |
The Michigan Heart
A collaboration between Harper Hospital, Wayne University and General Motors Corporation produced the world's first successful heart by-pass machine. The original Michigan Heart had the appearance of a Cadillac V12 engine and its pistons circulated blood at the exact rate of the human heart, allowing a dry field for surgeons to operate. The first open heart surgery using "The Michigan Heart" was performed in Detroit in July 1952. |
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Additional photos
courtesy of:
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library |
Beaver Island's King Strang
Following the assassination of Mormon founder Joseph Smith in 1844, James Strang, a leader in the church, produced a mysterious and controversial letter that named him as Smith's chosen heir to the Mormon Church. With a small group of followers, he settled on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan in 1849 and proclaimed himself king with a coronation ceremony in July 1850, thus establishing the only "kingdom" in America. Strang's increasingly tyrannical rule resulted in frequent violent confrontations with the island's original inhabitants and events culminated when Strang was shot by an ex-communicated church member in front of a crowd on the main dock in 1856.
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Additional photos
courtesy of:
Little Traverse Regional Historical Society
Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University
Bay View Association |
Bay View Resort
The beautiful community of Bay View on the shores of Little Traverse Bay was initially founded in 1876 as a summer camp meeting site for Michigan's Methodist Church. To encourage extended residency, lots were plotted and cottages built, which over time evolved into the magnificent summer residences that we see today. Bay View's philosophy has always been based on self improvement and continuing education. These tenets aligned the community with the growing Chautauqua Movement in America in the late 1880's and future affiliation with Albion College, a relationship that continued until 1969. Today, Bay View continues its fine summer series with an eclectic blend of programs for their members and the public alike.
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Additional photos
courtesy of:
The National Archives
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Sojourner Truth Housing Project
As America geared up for WWII, Detroit's automotive industries re-directed their manufacturing might to support the war effort. New job opportunities brought a huge influx of people, both black and white, from rural areas and the more agricultural based regions of the south. Facing a severe housing shortage, the city and the federal government initiated a program to construct housing for the new workers. One project intended solely for African-American occupancy was named Sojourner Truth, in honor of the abolitionist and women's rights advocate.Nearby white residents strongly protested the impending arrival of blacks. The resulting administrative chaos followed by violent confrontations were emblematic of the racial conflicts that not only Detroit but all of the United States would face in the coming decades.
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Partner Archives
Bentley Historical Library
University of Michigan
Reuther Library
Wayne State University
Library of Michigan
State of Michigan
Credits
Humanities Scholar,
Jim McConnell
Producer/Writer,
Don Young
Executive Producer,
Chris McElroy
Research Intern,
Trina Mannino
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