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Snapshots: The House on the Rock

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Snapshots: The House on the Rock

House on the Rock simply defies explanation. It is, first and foremost, a house - and quite a unique and wonderful one at that. Built high on Deer Shelter Rock and overlooking the forest below, the house is the creation of Alex Jordan Jr. who began construction on it in 1945. Using the natural terrain of Deer Shelter Rock and building around many of the trees that were there, Jordan moved much of the material in the original structure by hand. It may not be the best built house structurally, but aesthetically it is quite stunning, incorporating natural materials and Japanese design features.

When House on the Rock was featured in a local Madison magazine, people began to show up to see it and asked Jordan for a tour. He started charging people 50 cents and soon realized that there was money to be made from his creation. He began to market it and add different marvels to his roadside attraction. Soon enough, thousands of people a year were coming to see it and Jordan hired a staff and began construction on other buildings to house his strange and eclectic collections. The Streets of Yesteryear is a walk down a recreated Victorian Era Street while the Heritage of the Sea features a massive three-story statue of a sea monster battling a whale-like creature. Jordan collected and built beautiful musical creations from around the world and then built the world’s largest carousel featuring 269 animals (none of them horses) and 20,000 lights. His collections of guns, dollhouses, musical instruments and model ships could have their own museums. Over a million people a year now make their way to this Wisconsin landmark, making it one of the state’s most visited sites.

It’s definitely a “roadside attraction”, but it’s so much more than that. It’s weird and whimsical and overwhelming to the senses. It takes hours to walk through and while I didn’t learn much while I was there, I sure enjoyed myself. It’s like a giant funhouse for adults and definitely worth the price of admission. I was overwhelmed. Much of House on the Rock and its outbuildings are dark and extremely hard to photograph, but some of the photos I took came out okay. They cannot possibly do justice to the experience, though, and I don’t think any photos really could. It’s definitely a place that has to be experienced for one’s self. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy my attempt to share with you some of my favorite photos from my day at House on the Rock - a place you simply have to see to believe.

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Snapshots: The Wisconsin Dells

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Snapshots: The Wisconsin Dells

The Potsdam Sandstone that makes the beautiful formations we find in the Wisconsin Dells was formed 500 million years ago during the Cambrian Era when this area was the sandy shore of a vast inland sea. 15,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, the glaciers came within 4 miles of The Dells but never quite got there, making this the edge of what is called The Driftless Region (the part of Wisconsin which evaded glaciation). When the Ice Age started to end, the meltwater formed a massive lake known as Glacial Lake Wisconsin. When the ice dam that held the lake back finally collapsed, it unleashed a massive flood which carved the gorges of the Wisconsin Dells in a matter of days or weeks. We get the word ‘Dells’ from the French word ‘dalles’ which means slabs of rock.

Human history in the area stretches back thousands of years, but the modern era of The Dells as a tourist draw can be traced to legendary photographer H.H. Bennett. Bennett took up photography after the Civil War but became frustrated that he could not capture moving objects on film without them blurring. He built his own camera which he referred to as a “snapper” and took a famous photo of his son jumping to Stand Rock. This photo circulated around the country and then the world and people had to come and see these Dells for themselves. The Dells became quite a mess with all of the attempts to capitalize on this beautiful natural area’s popularity (think Niagara Falls), but thankfully it has been designated a State Natural Area which is overseen by the State of Wisconsin. The weird tourist traps which have persisted are thankfully out of view of The Dells themselves.

I came to The Dells a few times when I was a kid and always remembered it as a beautiful place. I was happy to find I still thought that after many years away and having visited a lot of beautiful areas in the interim. I took the Upper Dells boat tour and a DUCK tour of the Lower Dells while I was there and enjoyed both of them (although choosing between the two would be easy - the Upper Dells all the way). I was also lucky to have absolutely beautiful weather while I was there. I hope you enjoy these photos from my visit to the beautiful Wisconsin Dells.

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This Week on the Road - August 12th-18th

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This Week on the Road - August 12th-18th

Hello Everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great week since last I wrote. I can’t believe we’re already halfway through August, but it’s sure been a beautiful week here in Wisconsin. For me, it’s been a week of catching up – catching up on work and catching up with my family in the Greater Milwaukee area. Since my dad is from Milwaukee and I spent a lot of time here as a kid, there is a lot of familiarity to it even though it’s been many years since I last spent time in the area. It’s been great though, and I’m really enjoying it.

When I finished this post last week, I headed over to the Neville Public Museum in Green Bay. Right as I parked and got out of my van, the tornado sirens started going off downtown. The museum was clearly a better option than my van in a tornado, so I headed inside. The staff was great and moved us all into the theater to wait it out. Thankfully the tornados passed us by and I could go ahead and get a look at the museum. There were some interesting artifacts there, but I really wanted to learn more about the history of Green Bay and it didn’t quite deliver on that for me. I did enjoy the museum but I would have loved a better organized permanent collection. The top highlight was a very cool model of Lambeau Field built entirely out of Legos which was definitely worth seeing. When I left the museum, I went to a delicious little spot called PhoComa downtown. Green Bay (and Southern Wisconsin) has a huge Hmong population who settled there after escaping from Southeast Asia at the end of the Vietnam War. I have definitely been craving some good Southeast Asian food for a while, and this place was amazing. After dinner I went to see the Green Bay Booyah baseball team play. They play in the Northwoods League with the Traverse City Pitspitters, and that night they were playing against Racine. The storms had cleared out and it turned into a beautiful night for baseball, but the Booyah couldn’t pull one out for the home town crowd.

Thursday I headed out of Green Bay and drove through downtown Appleton to see where Harry Houdini spent much of his adult life. It seemed like a nice enough place but there was nothing to keep me there. I moved on to Fond Du Lac at the bottom of Lake Winnebago and visited the Lighthouse Park for great views out over the lake. Lake Winnebago is a massive lake but can’t really compare to the nearby Great Lakes. The Fox River passes through Lake Winnebago and connects the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. It’s also one of the few northern flowing rivers in the country and was a major route for early traders. I really enjoyed learning about the area at the local Visitors Center but had to keep moving so I headed on towards Milwaukee where I met my cousin Emma at her office for an evening event. I got there a little early so we could catch up as it’s been 8 years since I saw her last. We had a great chat and then moved into the music venue at her office which does a monthly livestream of a local band. That night we got to see the wonderful duo of Andreas Transo and Charlene Adzima on guitar and fiddle, playing Irish tinged folk music with some definite Wisconsin flare. They were amazing and I really enjoyed the show and especially seeing it with my cousin.

The next day was State Fair Day for me and I was so excited to go. When I was growing up, the Wisconsin State Fair was a definite highlight of the summer for me every year I went. I’ve often said that one of these days I would make it back and on Friday “one of these days” became “today”.

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This Week on the Road - August 4th-11th

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This Week on the Road - August 4th-11th

Hello Everyone and greetings from Green Bay, Wisconsin! I have completed my two month journey through Michigan and have moved on to the Badger State. I spent the first half of the week out in beautiful Isle Royale National Park, a destination I was really looking forward to and which definitely lived up to my expectations. Returning from the park on Saturday, it was time for me to make tracks and get myself into Wisconsin. Summer is passing quickly and I still hope to get through both Wisconsin and Minnesota before winter sets in. It’s been a good week, and I’m excited to tell you what I’ve been up to.

I headed out to Isle Royale on the Isle Royale Queen IV out of Copper Harbor bright and early on Wednesday morning. There are three boats that make the trip to the island, and this one just worked better with my schedule. It was fast and made the 55 mile crossing in about 3.5 hours and I enjoyed chatting with a mother and daughter who I sat with on the way out. The mother owned the rock shop in Copper Harbor and had a grandfather who once lived and worked as a fisherman on Isle Royale. Her daughter was in Copper Harbor for the summer and working at one of the restaurants in town. I was surprised by how many people I met who had family connections back to Isle Royale before it became a National Park.

When we arrived on the island, the rangers gave us their briefing, issued backcountry permits and we were off and running. Most of the park is designated wilderness, so unless you are staying at the lodge near the ferry dock you are on your own for the duration of your stay. I shouldered my pack and made my way a little over 7 miles to Daisy Farm Campground on the east side of the island. It’s been years since I’ve carried a full pack that distance, but I have been doing a lot of walking and hiking and it really wasn’t too bad. I even saw my first of nine moose I would see during my visit on this hike. Because I was there alone, it was easy to hear footsteps which weren’t my own and an adult moose has some pretty heavy footsteps. I was able to see the moose through the dense forest and enjoyed spending some time with her before heading on to camp where I took up residence in one of the shelters they had there. I had my tent with me, but since the shelters were available it seemed like an easier option even though it only takes 5 minutes to set up my tent. I had my first dehydrated meal in many years, something which has improved dramatically since the last time I ate one. It was a beautiful campground right on the lake and even though it was pretty busy, people were spread out and it didn’t seem crowded. I met some really nice people in camp and found it easy to talk to people as we obviously had shared interests in hiking, camping and/or National Parks and had gone to some length to get to this remote island.

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In Focus: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

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In Focus: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Stretched between the towns of Munising and Grand Marais along the shores of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a magical place filled with breathtaking scenery. From historical lighthouses to picture-perfect waterfalls, this small and often overlooked unit of the National Park Service is sure to have something for everyone. I enjoyed hiking many miles of trails along beaches and through the woods, past the waterfalls and overlooks that have captured peoples’ attention for hundreds of years. During the lumbering era, the area was clear cut, but the forest has regenerated in the last hundred years and is healthy again. It’s no wonder that Pictured Rocks was America’s first National Lakeshore, gaining this new designation in 1966. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a must-see while visiting Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and a definite highlight of my time in the state. To truly see the rocks themselves, you do need to get on a boat and see them from the water. I chose the Sunset Spray Falls tour with Pictured Rocks Cruises and while I think the boat could have been better suited to sightseeing, it was a wonderful cruise nonetheless. If you’re ever traveling across northern Michigan, definitely plan on spending a day or two in beautiful Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. You’ll be glad you did. I hope you enjoy these photos from my visit.

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Snapshots: Mackinac Island - A Journey to Michigan's Past

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Snapshots: Mackinac Island - A Journey to Michigan's Past

Stepping off the ferry on Mackinac Island is like stepping back in time. I’m sure that line has been used a million times, but it’s true. Way back in 1898 the city council banned “horseless carriages” from the entire island and that ban remains in effect today. Everything on the island is delivered and transported by horse-drawn cart or bicycle. This alone makes Mackinac Island special, but there’s so much more to this little corner of the world than its lack of cars.

Native Americans traveled back and forth to Mackinac Island for hundreds of years, by canoe in the warmer months and over the ice when the lake froze over. It became an outpost for the French fur trade in the 1700s and remained under French control until the end of the French and Indian War, at which time the British flag was raised on the island. During the American Revolution, the British moved Fort Michilimackinac from its former position on the mainland to a bluff high on top of Mackinac island. After the war, American troops occupied the fort, but a surprise attack during the opening days of the War of 1812 put it back in British hands. The Treaty of Ghent would return Mackinac Island to the Americans in 1815 and John Jacob Astor would soon set up his American Fur Company on the island.

After the Civil War, tourism boomed on Mackinac Island and it was named America’s second National Park with the army unit at the fort charged with the park’s protection. To accommodate the new influx of tourism, hotels were built including the incredible Grand Hotel which still sits high on a hill overlooking Lake Huron. Mackinac Island remained a National Park for twenty years, after which time it was turned back over to the state of Michigan and became Michigan’s first state park.

Today, Mackinac Island is one of Michigan’s top tourist destinations. While the population of the island is less than 500, as many as 15,000 visitors a day descend on the island in the middle of summer. I can certainly understand why as it is a truly beautiful and unique place. I arrived on the first ferry of the day and left on the last, so I did get to see the island in a fairly quiet state. The weather and photography conditions weren’t the best when I was there, but Mackinac Island is so photogenic that I took hundreds of photos anyway and included some of my favorites in this post. I haven’t captioned them all, because many are just of Main Street with horses and carriages but that was such a wonderful scene that I couldn’t help myself. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful Mackinac Island, definitely one of my favorite places I visited in my two months in Michigan.

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Snapshots: Beaver Island - Michigan's Emerald Isle

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Snapshots: Beaver Island - Michigan's Emerald Isle

Beaver Island is the largest island in Lake Michigan and is home to a year-round population of around 650 people. Beaver Island has an interesting history for such a small place. It was originally settled by Irish immigrants, but in 1848 a group of Mormons, led by James Strang, came to the island and took up residence. After the death of church founder Joseph Smith, most Mormons recognized Brigham Young as his successor, but a small group known as “Strangites” believed Strang should lead the church. They named the main town St. James in his honor and he declared himself king of the island, pushing many of the original Irish settlers who wouldn’t convert back to the mainland or to Mackinac Island. In 1856, Strang was assassinated by two of his former followers as he walked down the main street in the town named after him. When news of his death reached the mainland, the Irish exiles returned to reclaim “their” island. More Irish immigrants would come to Beaver Island after being exiled from their island of Arranmore in County Donnegal and many of their descendants still live on the island today. I only spent one night on Beaver Island, but it was long enough to explore the St. James area and get a feel for the island and its people. If I had another day, I would have rented a car and gone further afield, but it was still a nice day.

I love islands and their distinct characteristics and quirks, and Beaver Islands was no exception. The islanders like to use the word “boodling” which I’ve seen loosely translated as “to roam in a carefree and loosely structured manner, often with beer”. Apparently they sometimes boodle by throwing a picnic table in the back of a pickup truck (somehow legal on the island), and drive from place to place enjoying beers and snacks. The next time I’m there I will have to try it out. I really enjoyed the two museums on the island - one about local history and the other about the maritime history of the island (the docent there said I got the record for most time ever spent in that museum). I happened to be there during Museum Week which meant that the night I was there had a performance called Music on the Porch, which brought out the island’s musicians to perform from the porch of the old Mormon Print Shop (the local history museum). It was wonderful to be a part of and I really admired those who were perhaps less talented who still got up to perform. I had a great time out on Beaver Island and I hope you enjoy these photos from Michigan’s Emerald Isle.

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This Week on the Road - July 15th-21st

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This Week on the Road - July 15th-21st

Hello Everyone! It’s hard to believe another week has passed here in the Great Lakes State. They really seem to be flying by and while I am seeing and doing a lot, the time is really moving. I’ve finally crossed the 45th Parallel (midway between the equator and the North Pole) for the final time here in Michigan and am only heading north from here. I spent a little more time than I would have liked to have in Traverse City this week, but it was a nice town and I was able to catch up on some work. I finished another episode of my podcast (out now – listen to it here or by searching “American Anthology” wherever you get your podcasts), which is always a bit of a chore even if it’s something I really enjoy doing. I also spent a night out on far-flung Beaver Island, Lake Michigan’s largest island and an interesting place to visit. The weather has been holding up pretty well, but we’ve had some hazy days here which hasn’t made for the best photography conditions. All in all, it’s been a pretty good week on the road.

When last I wrote, I had just arrived in Traverse City. Traverse City is a very pleasant town with a good variety of services which allowed me to get some work done. In addition to the library which had good internet access, they also had a gym to shower at and plenty of shops to restock my supplies. On Thursday night, after I finished up last week’s This Week, I headed out to the Traverse City Pit-Spitters baseball game. The Pit-Spitters are a part of the Northwoods League which is a summer league for college players. The game was a lot of fun and it was $2 beer and hotdog night which you really can’t go wrong with. I also have to applaud whatever genius came up with the name “Pit-Spitters” because I absolutely had to buy a t-shirt at the game. And the Pit-Spitters won, so that made it even better.

On Friday morning I toured the old Michigan State Asylum in Traverse City. At $30 for a ticket, it was a bit pricey for a walking tour, but it was really good and I would say definitely worth it. Our guide grew up in the area and had several connections to the hospital when it was still active (which it was until the 1980s). He intertwined his personal stories in with the history of the building and what they accomplished there. The central idea by which they operated was “beauty is therapy”, which meant that the campus was full of ponds and flowers and walking trails and the buildings had big windows to let in plenty of sun and it was well appointed with nice furniture and plenty of art. Patients were expected to work, and the hospital was self-sustaining for much of its early existence, producing enough food that there was a surplus which was sold to the local community. When the hospital officially closed, the community banded together to save it from being demolished. Today the campus is getting a second life as a mixed-use complex with condos, restaurants, studios and low-income housing. The whole place was really cool and definitely worth seeing. After my tour, I enjoyed a nice lunch in one of the restaurants there. When I finished at the hospital, I embarked on an afternoon drive up the Old Mission Peninsula which took me to the Old Mission Lighthouse and past some wonderful farm stands and wineries. They’re coming to the very end of the cherry season here in Michigan, and it’s been great to eat so many cherries and taste different varieties. I’m probably about cherried out though. Heading back in Traverse City, I went to a nice winery just outside of town for some live music and a few glasses of wine and to finish writing the last bits of my podcast.

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This Week on the Road - July 8th-14th

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This Week on the Road - July 8th-14th

Hello Everyone! Well I’m a day late and a dollar short, but what else is new? It’s been an amazing week out here on the west coast of Michigan, probably the best so far. I just got back from a wonderful 3 day, 2 night stay on lovely South Manitou Island in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and was hoping I would have time to get my newsletter done last night, but I was simply too tired and couldn’t get to it until today. Better late than never, though, and it was definitely worth the delay! It’s been such a busy week that it’s hard to imagine it all happened in one week, but that’s how it is sometimes. Before I get into the details of the week though, I’ve had some things come into my head this week and thought I’d share them here.

The first came from an old college friend from Penn State this week. He is on vacation with his family and wrote on Facebook about an 850+ mile day they had driving across several states. I simply can’t imagine doing that on a vacation – I’ve done it in my professional life as a tour bus driver, but never with passengers on board – and it was never a good time. I know I have another college friend and his family who are on a 14 day trip from New Orleans to California which is a little more reasonable but still a lot of miles for a family to cover. As you know, I’m obviously a fan of slow travel and smaller destinations, but I bring these up for a couple of reasons. First, because Americans put up with way too little vacation time, forcing these ridiculous cross-country sprints to try and make the most of what little time people have. I don’t know if people have any idea that much of the developed world has a minimum (by law) of 6 weeks’ paid vacation. Americans work too much and I wish they had more time off to enjoy this wonderful country and all it has to offer. With the decline of unions and our politicians in the back pockets of big businesses on whom they depend for campaign dollars, nobody is advocating for workers in the U.S. right now. My hope is that the current scramble for employees might turn that trend, even just a little bit. 10 days off a year is simply not enough to recharge your batteries, especially if you want to go see something during your time off. I wish this situation was different.

The second came from an old high school friend of mine, but was along a similar line. He posted something vague and somewhat worrisome this week about reaching the end of his rope. As I always try to do when it seems like someone is calling into the darkness for help, I sent him a private message with my phone number in case he really had nobody to talk to. We haven’t been in touch much since graduating from high school, now over 25 years ago, but he’s still a friend and someone I share a common past with. After I reached out, he sent me a message saying he wanted to come ride around with me for a while. I told him to come on up to Michigan and we’d go have some fun and catch up and he could get out of town for a while and clear his head. I don’t think he’s going to come, of course (although he’d be welcomed if he did), but it’s nice that I can give him something else to think about – an escape from the demons in his head right now. He was basically telling me he was overworked and underpaid and the day-in and day-out of it was really starting to wear on him. Again, I think if he had some time to get away and clear his head at some point during the year, he might not be in the mental state he is in now. I know in this country we hear about how “America is the greatest country in the world” all the time, but the people that shout that the loudest are usually those who haven’t spent a lot of time outside of the U.S. I love this country and most of the people in it for many reasons, but how our companies treat their workers isn’t one of them. When people ask me when I’m going to get a “real job”, I often tell them when I am offered a decent salary and a month’s vacation and I’m not kidding about that. I know a lot of people have to work these hours in these jobs and have families to support, and I definitely understand, but I’m still incredibly sympathetic as to how hard it is to work and do anything else. From watching your health to enjoying a hobby or taking a real vacation somewhere, it’s incredibly difficult to do when you’re overwhelmed by work all the time. We may have a tremendous GDP, but the quality of life of the average American could definitely be improved upon. Okay, enough of that…

When I left off last week, I was in Holland, Michigan and headed north. I made my way out to Grand Rapids for two days, but was very unimpressed by it. I tried. I tried really hard to find what the big deal is about it. After 2 days, I decided it wasn’t there to be found and I took off. I did run a permanent orienteering course about 20 minutes out of town at Siedman Park which I enjoyed. The mosquitoes ate me alive, but I loved exploring the park with my map and compass and tracking down the markers in the woods. I also enjoyed visiting the Founders Brewery while I was in Grand Rapids as well. It was the first big brewery I’ve been to in a while and definitely one of Michigan’s most widely known. I didn’t get into the brewery itself, although I could see it through the windows and smell it from the vents, but they had a nice taproom on the premises which was great. I love visiting breweries which I know and trying the beers that don’t make it out to the mass market. I can definitely report that those guys know what they’re doing and their small-batch brews are as good as their mass-produced ones, or better. Another highlight of my time in Grand Rapids was a little tiki bar called Max’s South Seas Hideaway which was an authentic tiki bar and very well put together. The atmosphere was perfect, the staff was great and their cocktails were pretty spot-on. I finished my month in Hawaii two years ago this week, so it was nice to sit at Max’s and think about those wonderful days in the South Pacific. Beyond those wonderful spots, I found Grand Rapids drab and lifeless and desperately in need of some beautification. The region it is in is amazing, and as a base of operations to work from, I can see the appeal. As a city though, it was less than impressive.

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Snapshots: Marshall - Southern Michigan's Cutest Town

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Snapshots: Marshall - Southern Michigan's Cutest Town

Tiny Marshall, Michigan sure has a lot to see in a very small area. Most of the downtown area is part of the National Historic Landmark District which includes over 850 buildings, a staggering amount for a town of just 7,000 people. It is not easy to maintain a town in the condition Marshall is in, and I really take my hat off to those who are working so hard to keep it the way it is.

Marshall was founded in 1830 and grew as a transportation hub catering to road, rail and river travelers with several historic inns and restaurants in the city dating back to those early days. The town was named for U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall and of the more than 20 towns named after Marshall, this was the only one so-named before his death. Marshall became an early innovator in the public schools movement and their model was copied across the country. The town was also one of the final contenders to become the State Capital when it was moved from Detroit, but lost out to Lansing in the end.

Today, Marshall is incredibly well maintained. I loved that I could pick up a map outside of their tourism office at any time of day and the music playing on the street made me smile. There were historic walks laid out on the map, and markings on the sidewalks to help guide you along. The buildings downtown were well preserved and some truly transported me back in time. The homes in the surrounding neighborhood were equally historic and also well cared for. My favorite was Honolulu House which offered a wonderful guided tour. I came to Marshall planning on spending an hour and ended up there for more than half the day. It was definitely the cutest town I saw in all of southern Michigan and I am definitely looking forward to returning in the future. If Marshall isn’t on your list of Michigan small towns to visit, it certainly should be. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful Marshall, Michigan.

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Snapshots: Battle Creek - Artistic Flair in Cereal City

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Snapshots: Battle Creek - Artistic Flair in Cereal City

Battle Creek was home to the Potawatomi people long before white settlers arrived in the 1820s. The completion of the Erie Canal brought a wave of people into Michigan seeking work in the lumber industry and the town of Battle Creek was formally established in 1839. During the antebellum period, Battle Creek served as a minor but frequent stop on the Underground Railroad and in 1857 abolitionist Sojourner Truth chose it as her new home where she would live until her death in 1883. In the late 19th Century, the Battle Creek Sanitarium opened as a health resort for the rich and famous. Some of its more famous guests were President Warren G. Harding, Mary Todd Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Amelia Earhart and Henry Ford. The manager of the Sanitarium was Dr. John Harvey Kellogg whose brother William also worked there. I’ve read several accounts of how they accidentally created their now-famous corn flakes, but however it happened, they were a hit. A lesser known guest at the Sanitarium, C.W. Post, took the cereal idea and ran with it, setting up his own Post Cereal empire in Battle Creek. Between Post and Kellogg’s, Battle Creek has taken the nickname Breakfast Capital of the World, or, less seriously, Cereal City. Because these two successful brands still call Battle Creek home, the city looks great. The downtown area is vibrant and full of unique artistic flourishes and beautiful murals. There is a wonderful walking path along Battle Creek River and some great bars and restaurants around as well. Although it was quiet when I was there, I really enjoyed my visit to Battle Creek and I hope you enjoy these photos from Cereal City.

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Snapshots: Michigan's State Capitol

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Snapshots: Michigan's State Capitol

Michigan became a state in 1837 with its Capital City in Detroit. At some point in the 1840s, a debate grew over the vulnerability of Detroit which sits right across the lake from Canada and had been occupied in the War of 1812. Many cities vied for the seat of government, and the compromise was to build a new Capital City at a strategic inland crossroads. The area, known as Lansing, was renamed Michigan City, but the original name would be restored the following year. A two story wooden structure with a tin roof was built to house the state legislature and would serve as the State Capitol for for over 20 years. Finally, in the 1870s, construction on the current Capitol was begun. Elijah Meyers was chosen as the architect and he modeled the building after the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Meyers would go on to design the Colorado and Texas Capitols as well. The building opened in 1879. A hundred years later, people were calling to pull down the old building and replace it with a modern structure like they tragically did in Louisiana, Florida and elsewhere. Thankfully, that did not happen and instead a major, top-to-bottom restoration took place. The meticulous restoration even brought in artists to hand-paint all of the walls as had been done in the original design. The result is really quite something. The Michigan State Capitol is beautiful inside and out, and I was very fortunate to get a personal tour with the building’s lead guide. I hope you enjoy this look inside the beautiful Michigan State Capitol in Lansing.

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