Celebrating the top posts over the years with this 1,000th post

Ever since the post counter showed 999 Total Posts I have been struggling to come up with something worthy of Post Number 1,000. Consequently, I haven't posted anything in a long time due to Post Number 1,000 staring me in the face and demanding a worthy tribute. I decided to run a list of the Top Ten Posts here at the All Things Michigan blog. This humble little blog started back on November 10, 2005 with a post about The Leetsville Shoe Tree. I started this blog as an attempt to help do what I could to promote the state of Michigan.

Mind you, this was before the bottom fell out of the Michigan (and subsequently national) economy. This was back before it was trendy to outwardly support Michigan and before a slew of pro-Michigan websites (which I think are great!) sprang up. You could say that I was promoting Michigan when promoting Michigan wasn't cool (to borrow a phrase from a country song).

Without further ado, here are the Top Ten Posts at All Things Michigan:

1. John Rich performs Shutting Detroit Down
2. Time lapse video of 2009 Chicago to Mackinac sailboat race
3. Is the Michigan State Fair the nation’s oldest?
4. The music behind the Pure Michigan ads
5. The German POW camps of Michigan during WWII
6. Top Ten Things to do in Michigan in the Fall
7. I give a standing ovation to Mitch Albom’s Sports Illustrated article
8. Stop in at Tony’s I-75 Restaurant
9. 1st Annual Mackinac Bridge Antique Tractor Crossing
10. Bear Cave in Buchanan

Follow me on twitter

Become a fan of Gift Baskets From Michigan on Facebook

National Register of Historic Places adds seven Michigan locations

I love history and since I am a lifelong Michigan resident I am always interested in Michigan history as well. Seven properties were added to the National Register of Historic Places in July. A nice segment of Michigan is represented with properties from the U.P. (Iron River) on down to Detroit.

• Central School, Iron River
• East Jordan Lumber, East Jordan
• The Votruba Block, East Jordan
• Marquette & Western Railroad Negaunee Freight Depot, Negaunee
• The Majestic Theater, Detroit
• Garden Bowl, Detroit
• Helen Newberry Nurses Home, Detroit

You can read more about these locations at Michigan.gov.

For a complete listing of Michigan locations in the National Register of Historic Places you can search their database.

Marquette residents reminisce about 1936 heat wave

As I am writing this the thermometer is saying that it is 88 degrees down here in White Pigeon. According to Weather.com it is currently 81 degrees in beautiful Marquette up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Normally, Marquette's average high in July is around 77 degrees. The Marquette Mining Journal has an interesting article about some folks who lived through a worse heat wave in the summer of 1936. You can read it here.

Back in the summer of 1936 Marquette saw temps in the triple digits during one scorcher of a week that hit the entire United States. According to the Mining Journal -

From July 7 to 13, 1936, the high reached between 101 and 104 four times in Marquette, according to Kevin Crupi, meteorologist and climatologist at the weather service office in Negaunee Township. Places from Ironwood to Iron Mountain set all-time temperature records, while Newberry had it even worse, with six straight 100-degree days.

71 years later, residents that experienced that heat wave of historic proportions still talk about it. There's some interesting quotes for us young whippersnappers to read and think about. Remember, 1936 was during the depression and the luxury of air conditioning (or even fans) was pretty much nonexistent.

Here is my favorite quote from the article -

The heat of a summer so long ago makes [Sarah] Bottrell [a chipper 102 year old] question the whole idea of global warming. “How do you explain how hot it was in 1936, if it’s only getting hotter now?” she asks.

Also of note, even though the heat was unbearable most residents do not recall a lot of folks taking a dip in the icy waters of Lake Superior to cool off.

I'll stick to drinking ice cold lemonade and eating ice cream. I don't think a doctor could describe a better treatment for the heat than that ;).

Today in Michigan History

Via MichiganHistoryMagazine.com July 18, 1863

Michiganians campaign in Mississippi.

Following the July 4th surrender of the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Union troops under the command of General William Tecumseh Sherman captured Jackson, the state capital. Six regiments of Michigan troops and one Michigan battery were part of Sherman's army.

Subscribe to Michigan History magazine for special Mackinac Bridge issue

If you subscribe to the Michigan History magazine by July 2007 you will receive the special 96 page issue chock full of stories about the historic bridge known as Mighty Mac. A one-year subscription is $19.95 for six issues. You can request a free trial issue and you can then either pay the $19.95 subscription to receive the five other issues or "cancel" after the trial issue is received if you are not interested in the magazine. Here are some of the topics that will be included in the special issue (via MichiganHistoryMagazine.com):

• Before the Bridge: Waiting for carferries
• Building the Bridge: From cofferdams to paint
• Courage on the Bridge: The ironworkers' stories
• Under the Bridge: A pilot's aerial stunt
• Cities at the Bridge: The history of Mackinaw City and St. Ignace
• Walking the Bridge: Recollections from Michigan History readers
• and more...

Get your free trial issue today at MichiganHistoryMagazine.com.

Looking gloomy to save even a part of Tiger Stadium

The idealistic hopes of saving the dugouts, playing field, some seats, and one entrance to Tiger Stadium have run up against red tape and the usual deal killer - lack of money. The plans for the stadium property to be developed into residential units and shops is still on target. Plans for saving even a small portion of the stadium are not looking so good. The city of Detroit is still trying to remain on track to auction off seats and other assorted memorabilia this spring. The plan hope is to demolish Tiger Stadium this fall.

The Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy is being asked to come up with the money necessary to keep a portion of the old stadium as well as a viable plan of doing so that will keep in compliance with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) regulations. Thoughts of moving the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame to the Tiger Stadium site have a ballpark (no pun intended) price tag of $7 to $10 million.

Read the Detroit Free Press article.