Book Signings Coming Up

Fun/leetle intimidating: some book signing dates are coming up for Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. Looks like Nicola's on April 20 and the Archives April 24. Tentative. When times firm up I'll be sure to post 'em.

I do have some dip pens and I'm mighty tempted to take them, but I'm mighty sure I'd accidentally knock my bottle of ink all over my gracious host or hostess, yessir. It's indelible, too. Noodler's. Good stuff.

He of the Silver Tongue

Ah, that Warren Lewis. Handsome devil, isn't he? He had a way with words as well. The onetime auctioneer ran a horse race betting den in Depot Town, right under a house of easy pleasure; read all about it in this week's Courier!

YpsiNews.com Story A-Comin'

Just finished a story for YpsiNews. It's got your human interest. It's got your weird invention. It's got your desperate men, your Michigan Central railroad, your new technology. It's got your long, slow spiral into a frayed and saddened life. There's a divorce in there, too. And polluted water. And an interior decorator. And the rise of refrigeration technology. Hoboes as well. Not to mention a whole new, little known industry. Can you tell I fried my brain trying to tie all of this together? Well, I did, so it's brain-resty time now and I'll edit and post tomorrow.

Local History Conference Dearborn March 19-20

Wowie, this'll be completely fun!:

Top-notch Michigan local history conference sponsored by *Historical Society of Michigan* coming to Dearborn March 19-20. Two days of info-packed awesome for a measly $35! Talks by Jack Lessenberry and WDIV weatherman-turned-book author :D Paul Gross. Something for everyone, from writers to genealogists to grant-writers to preservationists. Register (paper or online) by March 10.

Ooh, yeah, we're a-goin' both days to soak up all that historical goodness! This is mere minutes from Ypsi and is really a golden opportunity to hear some great speakers!

Bits of Vanished Ypsi Catholic history

Oddly enough, on this Ash Wednesday and beginning of Lent Dusty D finds herself learning about some vanished Catholic history in Ypsi, as an unexpected part of an upcoming story. Two vanished churches: St. Alexis and St. Ursula's.

St. Alexis began in 1940 in the Willow Run theater! It was a mission of the present-day St. John's church to the Willow Run community. The theater, now gone, was just a few yards northwest of the intersection of Dawn Avenue (formerly Berkshire) and Stamford, in the middle of the Willow Run housing complex. Today the area is subs surrounding Green Oaks golf course, up here in the Twp. The mission was changed to a parish in 1966.

St. Ursula's by contrast was on the southeast side of town. It began when the parish was created in the summer of 1960. Land had been purchased by the archdiocese of Detroit in the 1930s at Foley and Harris, but for Mass the church held Mass in the township hall, which used to be on Ecorse Rd. Two months later the congregation of 150 families moved to Kettering School at Gattegno and Knowles (now Kettering Elementary). The temporary church was built in 1961. A permachurch was built in 1967 at 1375? 1301? Harris, where it seems, per Google earth, to still stand.

In 1994 these two parishes were combined into one, Transfiguration parish. "[I]t was not accepted by a small, but vocal group who waged an extremely negative, and public, campaign which tainted the attitude and atmosphere surrounding the parish and school," says the church history. Dusty D would like to learn the reasons for that anger. Mass was held in the St. Ursula church, now called Transfiguration church.

Last August, Transfiguration parish was dissolved into St. John's.

Two little churches, now gone, from Ypsilanti's past.

Wednesday Mystery Spot

Ah, Dusty D was so confident. The confidence of a child at the zoo who wants to pet the pitty orange and black stripey kitteh.

When will I learn?

Of course, last week's super-mysterious-extra-puzzling photo was guessed correctly. The photo was nothing more than a strange li'l goat-cart with only the tiniest hint in the left background. Well, that was enough information for lhillebr, Joe, AND BF! Yep, this a view from the south side of Cross Street near River--with that pesky tell-tale Thompson Building in the background! Good job guys! I am impressed, to saythe least!Given Mystery Spotters like that, what's a poor blogger to do? I gave you a photo of a weird airplane. You correctly guessed it was Recreation Park. I gave you endless photos of cryptic buildings. You guessed 'em all. THEN I gave you a photo of the then-countryside, with only a strange and miniscule white dome in the background. Ah, no problem--you guessed it was the old city well in today's Waterworks Park.

OK. The gloves are coming off.

This week's photo is of a famous Ypsi spot that was used for decades.

But.

There are no goat-carts. No tell-tale buildings in the background. The photo is from 1986. And the only thing visible is....grass. And some trees.

So (wicked smile spreads across face)....here you are, dears:

40 feet of silk, coal gas, and a teenager.

But no dog offered its services.

19th-Century Carp Invasion

Dusty D loves poking around online in Google Books through all of the obscure reports by 19th-century game commissioners and things like that. In doing so, I discovered that the familiar Huron River carp that we all know and, er, love, is in fact not native to Michigan waters. Like the Asian carp threatening to invade Lake Michigan, the common carp slurping the undersides of Huron River lily pads were introduced. They were distributed by the official state environmental org over a hundred years ago as, IIRC, a food fish that was cheap to keep on little artificial ponds dug on farmers' farms. Of course, they escaped, and now can be found everywhere.

Dusty D does not know the environmental impact that the common carp has had--nowhere near that which the Asian carp would likely present. Nor do I know much about carp at all; how they winter over, how many actually live in the Ypsi stretch of the Huron, what their range and diet is. And I haven't tasted one, nor am eager to. I am fond of them, though. Trying to decide if this is a good subject for an upcoming story and if, presented with the option, the people would rise up and demand a story about the long-ago invasion of our quiet and venerable Huron River brother, the common carp. Photo by Ingrid Taylar.

Love letter to the old Ypsilanti Airport

Today's story in the Ann Arbor Chronicle. The story of a field, from elegant wooden biplanes to an international stop for Trans World Airlines (TWA)...and then back to a field.

All the glory of man is as the flower of grass

Wednesday Mystery Spot

After perspicacious Mystery Spotters guessed building after building after building, Dusty D got fed up. "Fine!" I secretly fumed. "OK, next time you get NO BUILDINGS." And I was true to my word; last week's M.S. was only some weird lump in the middle of a field. HA!
Did that foil you? (jaw clenches) Of course not! (forces grin, looks really fake). I can't win.

BF correctly guessed that this was the old cover for the city well, in the southernmost tail of what is now Water Works Park. You can still find a few old bricks and things if you poke around out there; it's an atmospheric spot, with the mysterious piles of sand and wood chips and what-all. The railroad ran along the east side of Huron down to the waterworks plant. The photo is looking west from the east side of the river to the city well at center left on this 1895 map.
So, with the solution to this most elusive of Spots, I conclude that there is no way for me to win Mystery Spot.

Wait. Or can I? How about a Goat? How about a goat and a Cart? How about a goat-cart pulling a little boy? Pulling him on a street you may have traveled...or not. I have! In fact I was on this street today, secretly passing judgment on the folks who didn't shovel their walks to my specifications. But w h e r e?

So my dears, (dusts off hands, hooks thumbs into suspenders with confident complacency, realizes that those aren't my suspenders, apologizes to random angry guy, slinks off), the gauntlet is thrown down. Lemme see you guess THIS li'l doozy!

Book on Horizon

The book publisher told me that the book is coming off the presses soon.

When I was a girl, I used to go to Taylor with my dad to "help" his work fixing Heidelberg printing presses. He has an old platen press in his garage right now. It's the most beautiful machine I've ever seen, not only because of its old grace and beauty, but for its intricacy, its history and purpose of spreading literacy, and its connection to my dad's life work.

One time at dinner with my family years ago my mom said that my career of writing was like a natural extension of my dad's work. I thought that was one of the finest and best compliments, and certainly the most touching one, that I ever received. (Checks) Yep, that's still #1.

Publisher just send me this contact sheet is going out to local folks in Ypsi inquiring if they would like a countertop display box with a few copies of my book in there. Wow. I feel very grateful. A lot of dear folks helped me in so many ways and this book is the fruit of their kindest help.

Socials and Showers Knit Ypsi Together

This is the very depth of winter, heading towards Lent. How did Ypsilantians amuse themselves through long winter days (and the rest of the year)? Over time I collected stories about the types of socials and themed parties that used to be popular between roughly 1890 and late 30s-WWII. Here's a little story about them for a peek into those times.

After reading, take a guess as to how much your hands would have been worth. :)

Story in the Citizen.

Story Featured on Absolute Michigan

Absolute Michigan picked up my story about the 1926 modem and slapped 'er right up there on their front page! Wowie! Neato mosquito! Thanks, AM!

Bikin' Bloomer Clothing

A kind reader over at the Chronicle, where my most recent story was about the bicycle-fueled rise of bloomers, said he would like to see some examples. Here they are! All from 1895 or thereabouts at the height of the biking craze.

Note how radically bloomers depart from the costume of the day. Biking helped women get rid of the corset and big, heavy layers of skirts and petticoats and led to the "Reform Dress Movement," which upheld sensible, more rational clothing for women. It was bloomers that started it all!

Susan B. Anthony herself said that the bike was the single most important factor leading to improvement in women's rights.

(Click on an image for a large version).

All the glory of man is as the flower of grass

The 1924 Modem on North Huron Street

One of my better stories in my humble. Enjoy.

A Sinuous Tale

A tale of giant snakes, Ypsilanti, and the racy Dance of the 7 Veils.

Views of Spring 1895

His Shadow Controls Mercury

True to form, Dusty D is a day late and a dollar short.

"If only pictures could talk in the newspapers like they do in the movies, we would learn from Mr. Groundhog first hand whether we're due for six more weeks of winter, or whether spring is at hand..." --Ypsilanti Daily Press, February 2, 1934

History of Groundhog Day"Pennsylvania's earliest settlers were Germans and they found groundhogs to in profusion in many parts of the state. They determined that the groundhog, resembling the European hedgehog, was a most intelligent and sensible animal and therefore decided that if the sun did appear on February 2nd, so wise an animal as the groundhog would see its shadow and hurry back into its underground home for another six weeks of winter.

"The Germans recited:

"For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day,
So far will the snow swirl until the May.

"This passage may be the one most closely represented by the first Punxsutawney Groundhog Day observances because there were references to the length of shadows in early Groundhog Day predictions.

"Another February 2nd belief, used by American 19th century farmers, was:

"Groundhog Day - Half your hay.

"New England farmers knew that we were not close to the end of winter, no matter how cloudy February 2nd was. Indeed, February 2nd is often the heart of winter. If the farmer didn't have half his hay remaining, there may have been lean times for the cows before spring and fresh grass arrived." --more history from here