Contact Us

Use the form on the right to contact us.

You can edit the text in this area, and change where the contact form on the right submits to, by entering edit mode using the modes on the bottom right. 

888-800-1236

Gourmet Michigan products in unique gift baskets. Great tasting jams, dried cherries, chocolates, caramel corn, Michigan fudge, and much more.

All Things Michigan

Michigan travels, events, photos, and more

Filtering by Category: Michigan History

The Michigan Walk of Fame

Andrew Norton

Whether or not it turns out to be a tourist destination or an educational experience remains to be seen. The list of the first 12 inductees into Michigan's Walk of Fame is definitely an ecelectic mix. From an actor to a civil rights pioneer, the group is an interesting look at Michigan's production of historically significant individuals. The Michigan Walk of Fame is to be located in downtown Lansing. Each inductee will have a placque with a 100-word biography describing their achievements (that is the educational part, I guess). So, without further ado, here is the list of the first 12 inductees -

  • Rosa Parks
  • Gerald Ford
  • Henry Ford
  • Will Keith Kellogg
  • Jeff Daniels
  • Stevie Wonder
  • E. Genevieve Gillette
  • Ernie Harwell
  • Fannie Richards
  • Helen Thomas
  • Thomas Edison
  • Herbert Henry Dow
categories Michigan History
tags lansing, michigan-walk-of-fame

Perfect Storm Caused Fitzgerald to Sink

Andrew Norton

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on downOf the big lake they call Gitche Gumee The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead When the skies of November turn gloomy. -Gordon Lightfoot

The storm that raged against the Edmund Fitzgerald produced hurricane force winds howling more than 69 miles per hour and waves towering over 25 feet. Fitzgerald was also loaded down with 26,116 tons of taconite pellets. That is enough iron to create roughly 7,500 automobiles (stat courtesy of href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=ur2&tag=giftbasketsfr-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&path=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2F0932212883%2Fsr%3D8-1%2Fqid%3D1148055364%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3F%255Fencoding%3DUTF8">"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Frederick Stonehouse). The storm she was traveling in was one so bad that the forecast technology used at the time had sorely underrated its power.

Undated Edmund Fitzgerald photo courtesy of NOAACourtesy of NOAA

Whether it was failed hatch closures as the Coast Guard concluded in its investigation or a poorly chartered shoal that ripped into the ship's hull one thing remains true. The storm that was raging on November 9-10, 1975 was one of the worst storms ever recorded on any of the great lakes. Even the captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Ernest M. McSorley, remarked that it [the storm] was "one of the worst seas he had ever been in."

A new report issued this month by the NOAA found that the Edmund Fitzgerald was caught up in the worst of the storm conditions in one of the worst areas on Lake Superior. Through the use of what NOAA terms "hindcasts" (forecasts in retrospect) they noted that the Fitz met her fate during a six-hour window of the storm's ultimate fury. The Edmund Fitzgerald was also heading south when the waves were just battering her from west to east.

The wave action can be backed up in Capt. McSorley's remark to the Arthur Anderson's Captain, Jesse Cooper, that his vessel was "rolling some." Heading south would create a rolling effect from the waves running from right to left against (and over) the ship. The storm might not have been the ultimate cause of the Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking, but it must be considered a major player at a minimum.

Visit the NOAA website for details of the report.

Additional information on the Edmund Fitzgerald available online: Wikipedia - Edmund Fitzgerald S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald Online NOAA's Marquette, MI Office From Amazon.com you can also purchase - Mighty Fitz : The Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" - this was the source of some of the additional information for this article

Read More
1 Comment
categories Michigan History
tags edmund-fitzgerald, gordon-lightfoot, noaa, wreck-of-the-edmund-fitzgerald

Say 'So Long' to Old Blue License Plates

Andrew Norton

Well, it is as good as finished. All it will take is Jennifer Granholm's signature to put the final nail in the coffin of the blue license plate that has been a Michigan standard for the past 25 years. I wrote about the possibility of this happening back in March. I will sadly have to retire my very first license plate in 2007. Sure, the paint is scratched and pealing off. There is rust around the edges and the once vibrant blue is now dulled by the years.

I will not just throw it away when the forced retirement comes. I'll probably nail it up to the wall in my woodshop. That plate has seen a lot of miles and milestones. You can't just pitch something that weighted down with fond memories.

Via the Detroit Free Press

4 Comments
categories Michigan History
tags michigan-license-plate, old-blue

Documentary On Tiger Stadium to Premiere April 24th

Andrew Norton

Stranded at the Corner, premiering April 24 at the Gem Theater, is a documentary that looks at the history and fate of Tiger Stadium. Tiger Stadium is baseball's oldest playing field still in existence (although unused) and will turn 100 years old in 2012 only if it is still standing.

The Corner

The documentary covers Tiger Stadium's illustrious history as well as the steps that have led to its possible demise. Tickets will be $8.50 at the door or you can save a couple bucks and get them for $6 at the Stranded at the Corner website. You can also view some video clips from the documentary as well as get information about a DVD of Stranded at the Corner.

What would have been really cool (and ironic) is if they could have erected a screen in the outfield of Tiger Stadium and shown it there. Of course, the Ilitch (evil empire?) family would never allow such "blasphemy" to be shown. The city of Detroit owns the property so why does the Ilitch family have the final say in Tiger Stadium's use and fate?

The Ilitch's would not allow any activities for baseball's All-Star weekend to take place at Tiger Stadium, but they did allow Snoop Dogg to have a beer-sponsored party there for the Super Bowl weekend. Why? Does the Ilitch family use their redevelopment of downtown Detroit as leverage with the city? Do they know the whereabouts of the late(?) Jimmy Hoffa?

Here are some articles I have posted already about the future of Tiger Stadium - Replace Tiger Stadium with Target - Ugh! Say it Ain't so, Tiger Stadium to be Demolished?

Check out a history of Tiger Stadium with facts, figures, and the ballpark's dimensions.

1 Comment
categories Michigan History
tags detroit, detroit-tigers, tiger-stadium

Replace Tiger Stadium With Target? Ugh!

Andrew Norton

Today's Free Press has another article in the ongoing saga of the "will they or won't they demolish tiger stadium" fiasco. Tiger Stadium's odds of being demolished are pretty good. The cash strapped city of Detroit can not keep paying Mike Ilitch for maintenance (what maintenance?) and security and there have not been any well researched plans for an alternative use of the stadium. The article claims that the worst-case scenario would be for there to just be another vacant lot once the stadium has been demolished. I say that putting some chain store like Target there would be much worse to see. At least with a vacant lot there could at least be a plaque of some kind commemorating the history of Tiger Stadium.

What would a store like Target do? Change their store's color scheme to Tiger blue and orange?

Anyway, a cooler idea also proposed in the article is to demolish the stadium, but keep the playing field and surround it with smaller stores, apartments, and condos. How cool would it be to live there and have the playing field of Tiger Stadium in your backyard as a park?

All I know is that I would love to be able to have a couple of the chairs from the stadium. They could auction stuff off and donate the proceeds to a charity. A win-win situation for fans and the city.

1 Comment
categories Michigan History
tags detroit-tigers, Michigan History, tiger-stadium