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Tag Archives: Sinclair Lewis

Michigan Today
Arrowsmith’s Inspiration
Jim Tobin | June 13, 2019 alumni
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⭐ Here are a few finds from the archives that really surprise people:

🌼 A historic valentine with pop-up paper flowers that seem to bloom when you open the card!

🐥 Parrot feathers labeled with the parrots’ names, in an old scrapbook!

🎸 Large group photos of U-M's early “Mandolin Club!" (It was surprisingly popular!)

Test your archives knowledge! Click through to see a quick quiz about what else you can find at the Bentley Historical Library.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever seen in the archives?

#Archives #AmericanArchivesMonth #BentleyHistoricalLibrary #MichiganHistory #TestYourKnowledge #PopQuiz

🕑 Views of Ann Arbor’s Main Street from over 100 years ago!

Here are just a few of the things you could have seen on Ann Arbor’s Main Street, in its early history:

🐴 Horse-drawn carts carrying groceries to a local store

⚡ Electric streetcars, running on wires and rails

🧱 A dirt road that was paved over with bricks

📰 The “Ann Arbor Argus” building, home of an early local newspaper

🎀 Striped awnings and beautifully-draped curtains

Do you spot any buildings you recognize?

If you want to see more photos like these, check out the Sam Sturgis photo collection, and the Postcard collection!

📸: Photos sourced from the Sam Sturgis photo collection, and the Postcard collection

#AnnArbor #AnnArborHistory #LocalHistory #ElectricStreetcar #BrickRoad #FlashbackFriday

⭐ Archival myth-busting, in honor of American Archives Month!

Did you know that the archives are more than just papers and books? 📖

The Bentley's archives also contain digitized newspapers, thousands of scanned photos, and more! 🖥️

Click through to see some more archival myth-busting, and let us know if you have any other questions about the archives!

Happy American Archives Month! 🎉

#AmericanArchivesMonth #Archives #Mythbusting #BentleyHistoricalLibrary #MichiganHistory #SupportYourLocalLibrary

Do you know the origins of the Little Brown Jug? 🏈

This rivalry trophy between Michigan and Minnesota has a long history, stretching all the way back to 1903! 🕑

That year, during an exciting game that ended in a 6 to 6 tie, the Michigan Wolverines ended up leaving behind a five-gallon pottery jug.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers claimed this jug, and painted it with the words: “Michigan jug, captured by Oscar, October 31, 1903.”

(Oscar Munson was the Gophers' equipment manager at the time!)

They also painted the game's score on the jug, with Minnesota's "6" much larger than Michigan's.

U-M did not notice the jug was missing until years later, when the captain of the Golden Gophers proposed it as a trophy for the winners of their 1909 football game!

And thus, one of the oldest rivalry trophies of Michigan’s football history was born. 🏆

Congratulations to the Wolverines for taking home the Little Brown Jug once more! 🎉

What’s your favorite football rivalry from Michigan's long history?

📸: Images sourced from the Henry Hatch photos, Athletic Department records, and the News & Information photos

#LittleBrownJug #Wolverines #UMich #FootballHistory #RivalryTrophy #FootballRivalry #GoBlue

When you think of fall in Ann Arbor, what do you imagine? 🍁 Beautiful leaves, football games, and crisp autumn air?

Well, if you were a graduate in U-M’s early history, you might also think about banquets, dances, the glow of the old General Library’s clockface at night, or fireworks sparkling in the sky above Ann Arbor’s train depot!

Lots of wonderful fall memories from Ann Arbor history are preserved in the Alumnae Surveys in the archives, including responses from many of the first women who ever attended U-M.

Click through to read about some of those alumni’s fondest fall memories of Ann Arbor. 😊🍂

What are your favorite things to do in Ann Arbor in the fall?

#AnnArbor #UMich #Fall #Autumn #Memories #Alumni #StudentLife

POV you’re a fall leaf! 🍂🍁

Over 30 years ago, these playful photos were snapped of a U-M worker mowing the lawn on the Diag—from the perspective of the fall leaves on the ground!

Photos like these help show how people have tended to U-M’s landscape across the years, and how that work has changed over time, from using horse-drawn carts, to lawnmowers like this, and beyond.

Shoutout to all the Grounds workers working so hard to keep U-M’s landscape healthy by tending to the trees, gardens, and more! 🌳

If you want to learn more about how U-M's landscape has been cared for in the past, check out:

📸 The News and Information photos, which include pictures like these!

🐴 The Buildings and Grounds records, which go back as far as 1913 and include records of buildings, gardens, and even photos of the horses that once helped pull U-M carts!

Happy fall! 🍂😊

#UMich #Fall #Campus #Landscaping #FallLeaves #UMHistory

We had such a great visit from the student docents from the historic Detroit Observatory today! ✨

These students explored all kinds of papers created by historical astronomers, guided by the observatory’s assistant director, including:

📖 A tiny little travel book, with notes written in cursive!

⭐ A beautiful chart of constellations, called a “planisphere!”

🎂 A notebook that carefully tracked the teatime snacks of U-M’s early astronomers!

🔭 A blueprint for a large historical telescope!

It was wonderful to see these students explore the Detroit Observatory’s long history!

#DetroitObservatory #Archives #StudentDocents #Astronomy #AstronomyHistory

As a 1920s student at U-M, Judith Jiménez got to see both Michigan Stadium and the Michigan League being built! 🔧

Judith was very involved in campus life! She joined several campus clubs, including the Sociedad Hispanica, and the Cercle Francis.

Despite her busy schedule of classes and clubs, however, sometimes she got homesick; she missed the dances that were held in Puerto Rico, where she grew up.

“Perhaps you have heard of Mardi Gras?” Judith asked the Michigan Daily, during an interview in 1928.

She went on to describe her memories of the Carnaval de Ponce, a celebration similar to Mardi Gras, full of “fancy costumes, color, and excitement.” ✨

Still, U-M was a school where she had family; several of her cousins attended, and her father actually worked as a doctor for the University Health Service! 🩺

After graduating with a BA, MA and a doctorate, Judith worked for the campus Health Service alongside her father, helping others! 💙

You can find out more about what life was like for Latine students at U-M using the Michigan Daily Digital Archives, the yearbooks, and the U-M Vertical Files.

You can also see the photo collection of Judith’s father, Buenaventura Jiménez, in the Bentley’s Reading Room!

📸: Photos sourced from the U-M Vertical Files, Department for the Phys. Education of Women papers, Ivory Photographs, and yearbooks

#LatineHeritageMonth #StudentLife #UMich #Alumni #UniversityHistory

Here are some unexpected things movie “Unfrosted” got right about Michigan history, according to the archives!

(We probably don’t have to tell you that the mutant creature in this film, created by combining sea monkeys with pastry dough, was not real! 😂)

Click through the slides to learn more, and let us know if you have any questions about Michigan history as portrayed in other films, in the comments!

You can find more details about the history of the Post vs. Kellogg’s historic cereal rivalry in the Bentley’s archives, in the Post Family papers, and the John Harvey Kellogg papers!

#Unfrosted #FactChecking #Archives #MichiganHistory #BattleCreek #MarjorieMerriweatherPost #JohnHarveyKellogg

#TBT to this 1957 Homecoming display titled “Michigan Tilts Northwestern!”

Featuring a Northwestern knight made of silver paper, jousting against Michigan-themed windmills, it was based on a scene from Don Quixote! 🏇

In the background, you can see a tissue paper crowd, cheering in a hand-painted version of Michigan Stadium.

This is just one of the many Homecoming displays students created over the years, with themes ranging from phoenixes, to dragons, to bowls of cereal! 🥣

Click through to see another 1957 display, showing a scene from Gulliver’s Travels, reimagined with papier-mâché wildcats and a giant football player.

Homecoming is coming up this weekend! 🏈 What was your first U-M Homecoming Game?

📸: Images from the archived News & Information photo collection

#UMich #Wolverines #Homecoming #1950s #HomecomingDisplay

In honor of James Earl Jones, here is a look back at his legacy at Michigan:

James Earl Jones won a scholarship to U-M, and actually began his studies as a pre-med student.

(He later ended up switching to focusing on drama, which he truly enjoyed.)

Jones joined the ROTC while on campus, then spent two years in the army before coming back to finish his education, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1955.

As his success as an actor grew, James Earl Jones visited U-M for events like the opening of the Power Center, as seen in this photo.

He told the Michigan Daily that he felt like U-M gave him a sense of “the scope of humanity.”

He also made time to talk with students, sharing happy memories of fall days on the Diag, and living in West Quad.

Students were so fond of him that they even petitioned for him to be the voice of CRISP, U-M’s old Class Registration telephone system, in 1971. (This petition did not succeed, to their dismay.)

James Earl Jones gave back in many ways to the Michigan community, sharing his time, his voice, his talents, and even co-chairing the William and Claribel Halstead scholarship endowment, helping others access education.

You can learn more about James Earl Jones’ remarkable life and legacy through the Michigan Daily Digital Archives, the Michigan Alumnus magazine, the Claribel Halstead papers, the Raymond Mullins papers, and the Eva Jessye papers.

#JamesEarlJones #StudentLife #MichiganIcon #Wolverine #RestInPeace

Happy Upper Peninsula Day! 🎉

Did you know that the Bentley’s archives include some fascinating history from the U.P.?

Here are four collections featuring Upper Peninsula history, that everyone is welcome to explore:

🌉 The Prentiss Brown papers: Prentiss Brown was a senator from St. Ignace, and the iconic Mackinac Bridge wouldn’t exist without his work!

His papers include speeches, scrapbooks, letters, and more.

📖 The Miners’ Bulletin: These papers mark a crucial point in Michigan's past, describing the astonishing history of the copper strikes of 1913.

🚢 The Lizzie Puro papers: You can explore some early U.P. history with these writings from Lizzie Puro, a Finnish immigrant who arrived in Ironwood over 100 years ago!

🌲 The ⁨⁨Jean Worth papers: Get the details on the history of forestry and farming in the U.P. with these papers and photos, from a newspaperman in Escanaba, spanning the 1860s-1980s.

There’s even more to explore in the archives!

Everyone is welcome at the Bentley, so if you’d like to see these collections, and others like them, you can drop into our Reading Room during our open hours!

Click through to take a brief tour of U.P. history, with pictures from the archives.

We’re curious: what’s your favorite place in the U.P.?

Sources: R. McClelland Brown papers, the historic Postcard Collection, Prentiss Brown papers, Expedition to Lake Superior photograph collection, and the Marquette photograph vertical file

#UpperPeninsula #MichiganHistory #NorthernMichigan #Michigander #UpperPeninsulaDay #906Day #UpperPeninsulaHistory

You might know that the Michigan Union and the Michigan League were designed by a team of two brothers, who worked together after graduating from U-M. 🏛️

But did you know that those same brothers also designed a theater for the old Detroit Opera House? 🎵

In the late 1880s, Detroit held a competition, searching to create a gorgeous new interior for its Opera House!

U-M alumni Irving and Allen Pond won, and the renovated Opera House opened on this day in 1887, revealing this theater to the public for the first time!

"There are 16 private boxes,” the Detroit News reported in 1887, adding: “The ceiling is painted a light blue. Over 400 Edison electric lights will be used in lighting up the theater,” making it “bright as day.” 💡

Unfortunately, this design didn’t last long. That old Opera House, located on Campus Martius Park, burned down in 1897. 😢

Today, the modern Detroit Opera House is actually the fifth Opera House to exist in the city of Detroit!

The Pond brothers’ beautiful early theater design now survives only in images like this one, found in the Pond Family papers, where you can see the elaborate balconies and curtain-draped archways that once lined the walls.

Just imagine walking into this space! ⭐

#OTD #TBT #UMich #ArchitectureHistory #Detroit #PondBrothers #IrvingPond #AllenPond

When Roberto Sada was a U-M student, over 100 years ago, the Kellogg Cereal company was founded in Grand Rapids, and the Model T Ford car was first introduced! 🚘

Roberto (known to his friends as “Bob”) first traveled from Monterrey, Mexico, to enter U-M in 1905, as an early engineering student.

He was a champion fencer, and was admired in the Michigan Daily for his incredible skills as a member of U-M’s Fencing Club! 🤺

Roberto was also a member of the Rocky Mountain Club, which, according to the Michigan Daily, held energetic dances and banquets where the club members dressed as cowboys. 🐴

At a 1907 summer camp for student civil engineers, Roberto was known for being a morning person, according to the Michiganensian yearbook, which described him as “less frowzly” than anyone else, despite a 6:20 AM wakeup time. 😯

He graduated in 1908, and went on to work as an industrial engineer for a glass manufacturing company in Monterrey!

Roberto was just one of the early students from Latin America to attend U-M, whose lives can be explored using the Michigan Daily, the Michigan Alumnus, and resources like the website ¡PRESENTE! from U-M’s College of LSA.

Click through to learn more about Roberto’s time at U-M in 1900s Ann Arbor!

📸: Michiganensian yearbooks, Michigan Daily, and the U-M Photograph Vertical File

#UMich #StudentLife #LatineHeritageMonth #1900s #AnnArbor

These are some of the workers who built Michigan Stadium, in 1927! 🛠️

Their hard work, and the work of so many others, helped build U-M into the university it is today!

Click through to see more of Michigan Stadium’s construction, and to see a photo of workers taking their lunch break with family at the Michigan Stadium construction site, almost 100 years ago.

Happy Labor Day! 🎉

📸: Images from the Athletic Department records and Alumni Association records

#LaborDay #MichiganStadium #Workers #LaborHistory #Construction #UMich

Throwback to the Wolverines taking the field 50 years ago, for the first football game of the 1974 season! 〽️🏈

Fans were worried: quarterback Dennis Franklin was out sick, so U-M’s football team prepared to face Iowa with their replacement quarterback, Mark Elzinga, who reportedly hadn’t played a varsity football game in years.

Despite the odds being stacked against him, however, Elzinga rose to the challenge!

After several failed rushes, Iowa was forced to punt, and Elzinga took charge, leading the team through play after play, without throwing any interceptions.

Elzinga was aided by a powerful defensive line, and by players like Rob Lytle, who rushed 86 yards during the game.

It was clear that Michigan was on the path to victory, and fans were likely feeling pretty cheerful at halftime, when the marching band spelled out “Go M Go” on the football field. 〽️

Iowa pushed back, and won one touchdown for themselves, but in the end, Elzinga and the 1974 Wolverines defeated Iowa by a score of 24 to 7! 🎉

“Everything went as planned, except for the touchdown,” Carl Russ, one of U-M’s linebackers at the time, joked wryly with the Michigan Daily. “We didn’t plan on them scoring.”

It’s almost time for the first gameday of the season!

What’s your favorite memory from a U-M football game? ⭐

📸: Robert Kalmbach Photographs of the 1974 U-M vs. Iowa football game

#UMich #Wolverines #1970s #FootballHistory #50YearsAgo #FlashbackFriday #GoBlue

The Swimming and Diving Team woke up early yesterday morning to visit the Bentley Historical Library! ⭐

These students learned about U-M’s swimming and diving history, with historic papers, photos, and even Olympic gold medals!

Here are five things from the archives that these students enjoyed:

🏊🏻‍♀️ Pictures of different diving boards and swimming pools across U-M history!

⚡ The history of the electronic touch pads that swimmers use to record their swim times!

📸 Photos of women’s swimming and diving coach Cokey Huffman from her time as a U-M student swimmer, in the 1980s!

🥇 U-M’s Olympic history, including medals, cards, articles, and more. ✨

⏱️ The winning times from old swimming and diving meets in the 1920s!

(Students especially loved comparing their current times against these historic wins.)

We absolutely love to see how excited students get to see the history of their team!

We truly believe that visits like this, where students work directly with unique pieces of history, are such special experiences.

Special thanks to Program Director Alyce Sigler, the Swimming and Diving team and coaches, Archivist Brian Williams, and Research Associate Andrew Rutledge, for all working to make this happen.

Go Blue! 💙🌊

#UMich #Wolverines #GoBlue #AthleticHistory #UniversityOfMichigan #Swimming #Diving

Happy Birthday to U-M! 🥳

On this day in 1817, the University of Michigan was officially established by Michigan’s Territorial Legislature!

Back then, U-M was known as the “Catholepistemiad,” or the "University of Michigania."

“Catholepistemiad” was a name coined by Chief Justice Augustus Woodward, who claimed that this word (which he made up) meant “Universal Science.”

Of course, the name didn’t stick, and today it’s known as the University of Michigan!

U-M's first home was a two story building in Detroit, located on Bates Street, which provided primary and secondary schooling to local children, preparing them for college.

U-M moved to Ann Arbor 20 years later, and U-M's first university students started their classes here in September of 1841! 🎓

Happy first day of class, Wolverines! 😊

We’re so delighted to welcome you on U-M’s birthday!

You can learn more about U-M’s founding with the Gabriel Richard papers and the Charles Walker papers in the archives, and with the article “The First Freshmen,” from the U-M Heritage Project. 💙〽️

📸: U-M Photograph Vertical Files

#UMich #UniversityOfMichigan #Catholepistemiad #Wolverines #FirstDayOfClass #HappyBirthdayUM

Here’s the history behind some famous U-M traditions! 〽️

🎨 Painting the Rock: The glacial boulder fondly known as “The Rock” was initially a George Washington memorial, installed at the corner of Washtenaw and Hill Street!

The tradition of painting this rock began in the 1950s, allegedly started by the U-M vs. MSU football rivalry!

⛲ The Fountain Walk: “Sunday Morning in Deep Waters,” the beautiful 1940 fountain on Ingalls Mall, features Triton and his children, accompanied by several small fish.

Around 50 years after it was created, students began walking through this fountain to mark the start, and end, of their time at U-M!

(It’s worth noting that this can damage the fountain; walking past the fountain may be safer, so that everyone can keep admiring its beauty!)

〽️ Not Stepping on the Block M: The block M on the Diag was a gift from the class of 1953!

Seniors in 1953 felt protective of the “M,” and tried to keep first year students from walking across it.

"But if they make it through a year here, they deserve to walk anyplace, even on the seal," senior John Flynn joked to the Michigan Daily.

Today, campus legend says that if you step on the “M,” you’ll fail your exams. 📖

🧊 Spinning the Cube: The Cube, or “Endover,” a spinning sculpture created by alum Tony Rosenthal, was installed on campus in 1968!

In 1971, the Michigan Daily recommended to anyone feeling bored in Ann Arbor:

“You can go north to the botanical gardens. You can spin the cube til you’re dizzy… There’s all sorts of things to keep the spider, boredom, from spinning webs around your heart, and plenty more to make Ann Arbor home.”

What's your favorite historic U-M tradition?

📸: Ivory Photograph Collection, & University of Michigan Photographs Vertical File

#UMich #AnnArbor #CampusLife #UMTraditions #TheCube #TheRock #IngallsMall

Throwback to these students enjoying the early morning sunlight on campus, in 1947! ☀️

We can’t wait to welcome you back, Wolverines!

📸: News & Information Photographs

#UMich #Wolverines #CampusLife #AnnArbor

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