Monday Morning Musings

This past Saturday was the launch party for the new book, Reflections of Winnsboro, that I helped our Winnsboro historian, Bill Jones, write. We had a grand time, and it was so much fun for me to listen to Bill visit with his many long-time friends who came to help celebrate. We received lots of compliments about the book and the cover, and some people even understood why the sign in the photograph is backwards. Leave a comment if you know why. Or you can leave a comment anyway. 

 

 

From the News:  I was most distressed about 45’s first diplomatic trip being one to Saudi Arabia. To chose a country that has such a poor record of human rights and horrendous treatment of women was a slap in the face to every country that espouses justice and fair treatment to all citizens. Not that we have done such a perfect job here in the U.S. when it comes to fairness for all, but we are leaps and bounds ahead of Saudi Arabia.

I read an article in the Washington Post by Anne Applebaum  that lists several ways this trip was a diplomatic mistake, but one of the worst things, besides the sword dance, was the press conference that Rex Tillerson called that invited only foreign press representatives. U.S. correspondents were not allowed to attend. Hmmm? As Anne Applebaum said in her article, “was that because the White House does not want us to know what the president was doing in Saudi Arabia?”

If you are interested, here is a video from The Hill of the press conference by Tillerson, that was released today.

Now for some interesting trivia about my home state of Michigan. You might find this helpful if you play Trivial Pursuit and questions about Michigan pop up.

During the lumber boom era, the row of saloons that lined Water Street in Bay City, was known as ‘Hell’s Half Mile’.

(It is interesting that many cities had rows of saloons during the lumbar boom era. Here in Winnsboro we had The Bowery  – song by Adler & Hearne.)

In 1936, Escanaba, Michigan harvested and processed 100,000 sq. ft. of birds eye maple to be used in the English Luxury Liner, the Queen Mary.

When the territory of Michigan was created on Jan. 11, 1805, Detroit was chosen as its capital.

The world’s only marble lighthouse is located on Belle Isle. (Livingston Lighthouse).

Hog’s Hollow was the original name of Utica, Michigan.

There are over 11,500 lakes in Michigan.

The home offices of Life Savers Candy, Beech-Nut Gum, and Squirt soft drinks are in Holland, Michigan.

Charles A. Lindbergh was born in Detroit on Feb. 4, 1902.

The Stars and Stripes first flew over Michigan soil on July 11, 1796.

In Sept. 1908, William C. Durant organized several independent automobile plants into what was to become General Motors.

Michigan’s first police woman began walking the beat in Detroit in 1893.

In 1942, the Davison Freeway in Detroit was completed and became the world’s first urban freeway.

The first soft drink, (Vernor’s Ginger Ale) was introduced by a Detroit Pharmacist, James A. Vernor, in 1866. Note: There were several ‘elixirs’ on the market at that time, including what would later be called Coca Cola. These contained alcohol, whereas Vernor’s didn’t. Thus the name ‘soft’ drink.

(This is a great ginger ale. The best in the world. LOL)

The intersection of Woodward Avenue and Grand Avenue in Detroit proudly displayed the world’s first traffic light in 1915, leaders of 19 countries and 26 States came to check it out in the first six months.

In 1688, Father Jacques Marquette founded the first permanent settlement in what would later become Michigan.

The world’s first shopping mall (Northland Mall), opened in the Detroit suburb of Southfield in 1954. Newspapers from overseas as well as this country wrote that it would never catch on…Duh?

And from Miller family history, Beaubien Street in Detroit was named for my mother-in-law’s family who were early settlers of Detroit. My husband used to joke that that was our one claim to fame.