Dusty Diary

"On the Town" 1966 Entertainment Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Sun, 05 Oct 2014 13:55:00 +0000

Ypsilanti Greek Theater

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 17:59:00 +0000

From the August-September issue of "On the Town," a little glossy 8-page mini-magazine that is "Your Guide to Entertainment in the Ann Arbor Area." Note the big stars in these 2 productions: Dame Judith Anderson, Bert Lahr, and Ruby Dee. Ms. Dee just passed on this past summer. Ticket prices range from $1.50 to $5.75. Just call the office at HU 3-8913.

Michigan's Forgotten Fish

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 23:58:00 +0000

I posted this on Facebook today: "FISH QUIZ: Reading a 1878-1888 Michigan Fish Commissioners report. See if you can guess the fish: "This fish is to Michigan the fish of fishes. Its consumption by our people is larger than that of any other species. And commercially, it is to Michigan of more value than any other variety found in our lakes..." The legislature commanded the Fish Commission to breed this specific fish, the only one so named. Which one?"

To my amazement, no one could guess this fish, evidence of an erosion of historical memory. That fascinates me, how a dominant animal can just...fade away in another age's public consciousness. I thought I'd post the original whitefish section from the 1877-1888 biennial Fish Commissions' report. It shows the tens of thousands of whitefish fry that the Commission stocked all over the state, including Washtenaw County (3 lakes).

Tidbit from Early Michigan Legislative Session

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 15:03:00 +0000

Interesting to read the accounts of the Michigan's earliest legislative sessions. The first accounts begin in 1835, and for two whole years the only thing the legislators do is nominate candidates to various offices: notary publics and county "auctioneers" are among these. Haven't figured out why auctioneers were a pressing need to fill, but I hope to in time. Anyways, the FIRST action by the Michigan legislature that is NOT a nomination and vote on someone for a legalistic state office is a proposal for a lecture to be delivered in the legislative chamber by the young state's very first, newly-minted geologist. Check it out:

Why did they want a lecture? My idea is that, faced with this largely unexplored vast new state, legislators simply wanted a better handle on "what the heck are we dealing with, here? Are there gold mines? Rare spices? Giraffes?"

Attend and Greet at Chautauqua 2014, on Saturday, October 18, any time between 9:30 a.m. and 6:15 p.m.!

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 19:13:00 +0000

I hope you are planning to attend one of the FREE historical talks at Chautauqua on Saturday, October 18! Would you like to chip in a bit of time before or after your chosen talk to help as a greeter? It would be very appreciated, and it's easy! Check out the info below, and thank you!

Heritage Fest Financials: Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 17:09:00 +0000

I had been hearing some conflicting things about Heritage Festival finances from various people. Some said it was in trouble financially and advanced their theories why. One person was strident in blaming the city for imposing fees that were destroying the festival. I wanted to take a look for myself. The Ypsilanti Heritage Festival Foundation is a nonprofit of the 501(c)(3) variety. As such, its tax documents are open to the public and, as it says on the tax forms nonprofits such as the Heritage Festival (HF) use, "Open to Public Inspection." I obtained HF tax forms for the years 2002-2012 and analyzed the data. I made some charts to try and understand the data. Here is one showing the overall HF expenses, revenues, and net assets:

Here is another showing the net profit or loss of the festival from 2002-2012:

I also went through each year's tax form and charted the items that were itemized from year to year. Some of the itemized items are within the tax document and others are listed in the "Schedule O" that supplements the shorter 990-EZ that the HF began using in 2008. Here is the chart of items from those tax documents (click it for larger view):

The red-highlighted sections are those that seemed odd to me. Permits ceased to be itemized in 2007, but the festival requires park permits every year. The city's charge for electricity ceased to be itemized in 2007, but the HF uses electricity purchased from the city every year. Advertising costs vary wildly although it is unclear why this would be the case. There is no advertising cost itemized for 2011--I honestly do not know whether the HF forewent all advertising that year but I doubt it. Sales tax varies by orders of magnitude from year to year--it is unclear why.

One item, almost a third of the budget in 2012, is itemized as "Supplies" from 2002-2007 and "Supplies and Other Office Expense" afterwards. This fund jumped from 20,223 in 2009 to 31,005 in 2012. I am not sure what supplies this refers to. I'm more confused about the mention of "office expense" as the HF does not maintain an office. Some nonprofits do, like the Ann Arbor Art Fair with its downtown office; the HF does not. This may just be "official" terminology that I do not understand. Still, why did this fund increase so much in so few years?

The small green box compares festival costs as recorded by the HF and by the city. The city claims it charged $15,599.40 for police services in 2012; the HF itemizes this as "Security" but says the amount was $16,699. The city charges a parks capital improvement fee of $1,000 per day for Tier 4a events (more than 10,000 attendees, has alcohol), per its online fee schedule (Note: This is the 2014 fee schedule, and some costs are higher than they were in 2012). Unless this cost has been folded into another one, I do not see it itemized in 2012. Nor is the city's 2012 charge for electricity and various other smaller city fees totaling $750.

The city did raise fees for some items in 2014--and they apply to all festivals seeking use of city parks. And anyone seeking other city services, such as a notary seal, gazebo rental, building permit, &c. No one likes paying a fee. The 2014 fee schedule is dated June 3 of this year. I presume, perhaps wrongly, that this is when it went into effect. Since June 3, Ypsilanti has hosted the Color Run (they also pay park fees and purchase a lot of police services from the city, due to a desire to ensure that people feel safe after the Boston bombing incident). In July we had the Camaro Superfest, Elvisfest, and in August the Band Organ rally, the Fire Truck Muster and the Parkridge Community Fair. Those are just the big events. Smaller ones also must pay: Farmer's Market, Cruise Nights, and so on. The HF is the only one of these events that has complained--that I have heard of--in more than one online local newspaper, in social media, and several times, that city fees are responsible for destroying this particular festival.

What do these documents suggest if the festival is to continue?

The festival needs an independent and professional treasurer/accountant, one who is accustomed to keeping detailed account of complex budgets and itemizing things in detail. This helps the festival: when items are meticulously itemized, cost trends may be more accurately tracked, and expenses adjusted more precisely as a result. Posting yearly tax returns will also show that the HF is serious about accountability. Increasing transparency and accountability helps the festival by instilling confidence in sponsors.

The festival, like many things impacted by the ongoing recession, must "right-size." Eliminating Friday and making the HF a two-day festival will trim expensive security costs, among others. As many have suggested, charging even $1 would have a great effect. Contrary to what some have said, a $1 admission fee does not "change the character of the festival." And if it does, well, we've all struggled and are still struggling through a global economic meltdown and its aftermath. Maybe it's time--maybe it's necessary--to change.

Another recommendation I would make is that the personnel of the HF should be listed with contact information clearly on the website. I was told that this was not done now out of "concerns for privacy." Many other organizations all over Ypsilanti that also rely on the public's money to survive clearly list their staff's contact information on their websites. What's the big deal? I doubt that anyone would be inundated with thousands of emails, if that is what is meant by "privacy."

Everyone understands that someone who is, for example, a domestic violence victim in hiding from an abusive partner might need or want a lot of privacy. Of course. But the Steering Committee is very large, and this situation is likely certainly not true for every member (and I hope it is true for none of them, naturally).

Public staff listings benefit the festival by communicating that staff is available for community ideas. We have 19,000 brains in the city. If the HF is open to hearing from those with innovative, new, creative, cost-cutting ideas, it only benefits the festival. It also benefits the director by lessening his or her workload so that he or she is not, as is apparently the case at present, forwarding everything to "the right person." It's more efficient to just talk/email directly to a relevant staff person.

And you can email me if you want PDF copies of all of the HF tax documents or the documents I made. Let me know. I did this analysis to try and better understand the HF's actual situation, and I think the recommendations above can only benefit the festival. That in turn benefits local businesses--it's a good goal! Respectfully, I hope this analysis can be a tool to help move towards that goal. Thanks for reading it.

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 17:22:00 +0000

Montage from 1979 promotional brochure.

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 18:15:00 +0000

General statistics for 1930 Ypsilanti, from promotional brochure.

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 17:59:00 +0000

Say what you will about Ypsi: we have adequate power and transport facilities. According to the 1930 promotional brochure from which this pic is taken, Ypsi in 1930 had 13,000 people in 2 1/8 square miles, with a valuation of 9,000,000 dollars and a debt of $490,000 (ah, god, those were the days.) 12.9 miles of paving! 33 miles of public sewers! 15 factories within city limits!

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 04:19:00 +0000

Ypsilanti: A city you can be proud to call "home." "Without blowing its horn, Ypsilanti also admits to being rich...rich in industry, rich in commerce, rich in community-minded residents." From 1970 promotional brochure.

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 03:35:00 +0000

Onetime Ypsi store: Hayward's. For the Now Generation. Also: The Johnny Carson Collection (downstairs). From 1970 city publicity brochure.

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 02:36:00 +0000

City Hall "cheese grater" facade, from 1970 Ypsilanti publicity brochure.

Careful on the Forest Avenue Bridge

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:40:00 +0000

In May of 1905, the bridge at Forest Avenue was a new one--and yet it was falling apart. Townspeople were so suspicious that someone painted graffiti on the abutments suggesting that the city had been ripped off.

Conditions at the new Forest Avenue Bridge are getting worse all the time, and now some joker has printed in big letters on one of the abutments "Graft," "Boodle," which was the cause of considerable comment yesterday.

"The break in the southwest abutment has widened so much that were it not for the anchor it would topple over. The strain has been sufficient to crack the corner on which rests one of the main girders of the bridge. As far as the Daily Press knows no engineer has yet examined the structure, but to a layman it looks as if the anchor was not sufficient to hold the side wall together much longer.

"On the east side a crack has also appeared in the same part of the abutment as on the west side. Little can be done at present by the bridge company, as the water is too high, but persons using the bridge would like to see the approaches fixed up so that it would be a little more pleasant to drive over it. If the members of the bridge company could have heard the comments made by dozens of people that looked over the structure yesterday, they would not have been particularly elated."

--May 15, 1905 Ypsilanti Daily Press

A Cow for the Ages

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 01:03:00 +0000

"She was quiet and stocky, yet viewed as beautiful. She had numerous relatives at the insane asylum at Pontiac, which in her case was regarded as a prestigious lineage."

Latest story in the Chronicle.

Sarah Jane Norton Diaries: An Emigrant's Life in Ypsilanti

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 10:42:00 +0000

Sparrow Heads, Cyclorama, Sugar Social: Tidbits from the March 18, 1887 Ypsilanti Commercial

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 10:45:00 +0000

"Now that English sparrows have a price set upon their heads*, what is to prevent some industrious, able-bodied fellow from raising them for the bounty?"

"The Washtenaw agricultural association will hold a cattle fair on the fair ground at Ann Arbor this spring. Sheep shearing prizes will be offered."

"At Fred Davis' drug store may be seen an orange brought home by Capt. Wallace from California, which is over thirteen inches in circumference and weighs nearly fifteen ounces."

"The Young People's Society of the M. E. church will give a maple sugar social in the chapel of the church next Tuesday evening. Hot biscuit and sugar will be served."

"Take Advantage of it While You Can. The Michigan Central Railroad, in appreciation of the liberal patronage to their cheap excursion given last summer now invites you all to go and see the greatest painting ever produced, and known as the 'Battle of Atlanta,' now on exhibition at Detroit, and will make the fare for the trip almost equal to a free excursion. A special train of ten coaches will leave Ypsilanti at 8:50 a.m.; returning will leave Detroit at 5 p.m. Room for all guaranteed. Rates for the round trip, 80 cents for adults; children 12 years of age, 40 cents. Grasp your opportunity and remember the date, Saturday, March 19."**

*For a time a bounty was placed on English sparrows, calculated by the numbers of severed you brought in to some lucky clerk in City Hall. The non-native birds were viewed as pests to farmers.
**Yes, people took a train trip to see a single painting--but this was no ordinary painting. William Wehner's enormous 1886 work 'The Cyclorama of the Battle of Atlanta' covers over 15,000 square feet and weighs over 10,000 pounds. It is the largest oil painting in the world and still exists, on display in Atlanta.

Coldwater State Public School: An Obscured Story

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:48:00 +0000

The forgotten story of the Coldwater state public school for dependent children is one I'm telling in an ongoing series of stories. I'm fascinated by this complicated story that mingles tragedy, heartbreak, happiness, and hope, with two major scandals thrown in. At any rate, some of the teachers that served there were from Ypsi's Normal School. Here's a look at some of them. Thanks to the Courier.

Sarah Jane Norton Diaries: Arrived in Ypsilanti

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 10:11:00 +0000

Gyrating Bicycle; Circuses; Arrested for Truancy: Tidbits from the March 11, 1887 Ypsilanti Commercial

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 11:24:00 +0000

"Jane Simmons was taken to Adrian* Tuesday for one year. She was arrested under the truancy law and sentenced by Justice Joslyn.

"The Queen City** Quartet will furnish music for the prohibitory amendment meetings which will be held."

"The small boy should be happy, and economical. Three large circuses, Forepaugh's, Dorris', and Sells Brothers', will invade Michigan early this spring."

"The W. C. T. U. will meet at the Methodist chapel Tuesday afternoon, March 15, at 3 o'clock. Topic, Will the prohibitory amendment, if carried, interfere with the use of fermented wine for sacramental purposes? The question for discussion last week, That the tax or license system interferes with the liberty of a greater number of persons than a prohibitory law, was nearly unanimously decided in the affirmative."

"The warm weather has brought out the bicycle, and during the past week Charlie Sweet has been putting his through an unusual number of gyrations much to the enjoyment of the spectators. Charlie has become an adept with the 'wheel'."

--Ypsilanti Commercial, March 11, 1887

*Adrian had a state institution designed for errant girls. Supposedly one main building on the grounds had basement jail cells where especially troublesome girls were kept.
**Ypsilanti was one of several Michigan cities that gave itself the nickname "Queen City."

Interlochen Public Radio sturgeon story

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:03:00 +0000

Yesterday I was in Ann Arbor in a WUOM studio for an interview with Interlochen Public Radio about my recent Ann Arbor Chronicle sturgeon story. Here's the finished interview. Grateful thanks to both radio stations for their interest and assistance!

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:38:00 +0000

An order has been received at the local postoffice from the office of the postmaster general as follows: All mail matter sent by the post by Frances F. Cleveland, widow of the late Grover Cleveland, under her written autograph signature, and by Mary Lord Harrison, widow of the late Benjamin Harrison, under her written autograph signature, will be conveyed free of postage during the natural life of each, respectively. --March 8, 1909 Ypsilanti Daily Press

Sarah Jane Norton Diaries: "Baked some to take on the road to Ypsilanti"

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 11:38:00 +0000

In the spring of 1864, 24-year-old Sarah Jane Norton, her 28-year-old husband Austin, and the couple's infant son Charlie emigrated from Sharon Springs, New York, to Ypsilanti. Sarah kept a diary over the next 43 years until her death in November of 1906. Her 1864 diary will be serialized here during 2012. To see all entries to date, see the "Sarah Jane Norton" tag at bottom.

At left she is pictured in 1888 at age 49. Introduction to the Norton family.

3/4/1864: Baked some to take on the road to Ypsilanti Charlie is not very well Albert came home from Rochester. he went up to Mr Sprongs and stayed till one o'clock then he came home and slept on the floor untill morning

3/5/1864: Washed, picking up a little every day so that I will not have so much to do next week Albert started for his regiment it is hard to have him go again such is war friends must part

3/6/1864: Lib Smith called in the forenon. We went George Smiths and took dinner we were agoing to stay all night but Charlie was to sick

3/7/1864: commenced packing this morning Charlie is not well at all he takes cold so very easy Susy Stafford helped take care of Charlie I could not do much we were agoing to stay Johan Moaks if Charlie had been well enough we took dinner to Mr Staffords went to Mother Nortons and stayed all night

3/8/1864: Charlie was sick all night I was up with him from half past twelve he coughed so hoarse we did not know but what he woud have the croup I stayed up and doctred him and he got better Aut and I called to John Moaks the[y] are disappointed because we do not stay there

3/9/1864: Charlie is quite smart today we started for ypsilanti at half past eaght we went to Canapharie in a wagon We took the 8 o clock express

3/10/1864: We rode all night on the cars We crossed the suspension bridge about midnight it was so dark I could not see much Charlie slept good we had a double seat and laid him on one of them we crossed on the ferry boat to Detroit. we arrived at Ypsilanti at noon it was raining father was waiting for us

These diaries were written by Sarah Jane Norton and are the property of the Norton Family. They may be used and reproduced for genealogical and historical purposes only. No commercial use is allowed without the express, written permission of Dennis Norton and no charge may be made for, nor income derived from their use.

Prohibition Frenzy; Strange-Looking Elocutionist; Water Works Uncertainty: Tidbits from the March 4, 1887 Ypsilanti Commercial

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 11:52:00 +0000

"The crowd that customarily greets the numbers of the Normal Lecture Course was on hand last Monday evening to listen to Mrs. Laura Dainty's readings. Her appearance did not predispose the audience in her favor, but before her first selection was finished she had their sympathy, and held it till the close of the entertainment. She has a good voice, well trained, and is perfectly at home before an audience, but her work as a whole does not compare favorably with Mr. Burbank's."

"The dry goods stock of the late Joseph Kitchen was sold at auction by C. L. Yost this week. Mrs. H. D. Martin will move into the Kitchen store Mar. 15."*

"It must be evident to all candid minds that our people are not prepared to vote on the water works question, until they had more definite information as to a source of supply and the probable cost. What then justified the action of the Council in refusing to hire an expert to investigate the matter?"

"Opera House for March:
Manager Curtis announces that the dates for March at the Opera House have been filled as follows:
Mar 10: Wrestling match between Jake Martin of Ypsilanti and T. J. Murphy of Minneapolis.
Mar. 11: Walter Thomas Mills on the prohibition amendment under auspices of W. C. T. U.**
Mar. 15: M. E. Hawks, lecture on the prohibition amendment under auspices of W. C. T. U.
Mar. 17: St. Patrick's Day--the great play 'Devil's Auction or the Golden Branch,' under the personal management of Chas. H. Yale.
Mar. 20: Col. Geo. W. Bain, of Ky., lecture under the auspices of the W. C. T. U. on the prohibition amendment.
Mar. 21: Mendelshon [sic] Quintet Club of Boston, the last in the series of Normal Lecture and Music Course entertainments.
Mar. 23: Sylvester Larned on the prohibition amendment under the auspices of the city committee.
Mar. 24: Young Men's Prohibitory Amendment Club mass meeting--the addresses to be by young men.
Mar. 26: Afternoon and evening, Prof. Morris' celebrated trained dogs.
Mar. 31: Hon. John B. Finch under the auspices of the W. C. T. U., a lecture on [take a wild guess --ed.] the prohibition amendment.

--Ypsilanti Commercial, March 4, 1887

*She opened a millinery store.
**Women's Christian Temperance Union.

Teenaged Jessie Swaine's Reflections on the 19th Century

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:08:00 +0000

One recent discovery in the Archives is the 1895 literature notebook from Jessie Swaine, onetime domestic science instructor at Ypsilanti High School and the Normal School. Jessie lived for much of her life in what is still called the Swaine house at the northeast corner of Forest and River. She wrote in this notebook when she was approximately 16 years old. One of the entries is an essay on the 19th century.

The Nineteenth Century

The Nineteenth century period is the present period and is the most wonderful period of all; it is an age of invention and their [sic] has been a great advancement in Education, Religion and Literature also in the social life and politics have been bettered and science has advanced greatly nearly every school boy and school girl knows now and more than the men that made science a special study in the past ages, it is taught in all schools and in nearly all grades. The invention of electricity has aided us greatly in lightly on streets and many other useful things, the sewing machine has taken the place of the needle, and fire arms have been greatly improved.

The different churches have become more united and societies have been formed in which the Bible is read and people are taught more about religion, then missionaries are sent from Christian countries to countries where God is not known and they teach the people there so that the Christian religion is being spread all over the world.

In Literature fiction has taken the place of the drama of the Elizabethan age and it is purer than it used to be, and treats more of the life and ways of people then of wars etc. We read not only for the story but for what we can get out of it, we find most of our best reading in the magazines and Reviews.

Baron [Byron] was one of the best poets of this period but his life does not correspond with his writing and many think that he will not have a lasting remembrance, his poems are gloomy, melancholy but deep and beautiful. Is this not true:

There is a rapture in the pathless woods,
There is a pleasure on the lonely shore,
There is society where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar.

His words are certainly stricking [sic] and stirring....

Past and Present: Washington Street, 1930s

noreply@blogger.com (Dusty D) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:37:00 +0000

Here's a view from what was until recently the Mongolian BBQ looking north. Long before it was the BBQ it was a Kresge's and is still known as the Kresge Building.

Check out the Coca-Cola lettering on the tall white building in the middle of the east side of the street. Perhaps the building just to the south was built later, as it obscures the logo.

The building just to the south of the Coke logo has a quite pretty facade, presumably still beneath the modern-day green covering.