Issue No. 45

Welcome Home, {{first_name|default:Michigander}}!

🗳️ The Republican Party is Born in Michigan

Digest Exclusive: While organizers printed 1,000 flyers for the July 6, 1854 meeting, the turnout reached up to 10,000 citizens, launching a grassroots movement that won the presidency within 6 years under Abraham Lincoln.

To commemorate this historic assembly, a 75th-anniversary delegation in April 1929 presented President Herbert Hoover with a ceremonial gavel carved from the wood of the original Jackson oak trees where the organizers met.

☠️ Anthony Chebatoris Hanged in Milan MI

Digest Exclusive: During the getaway, a local dentist and World War I veteran successfully shot and killed Chebatoris's accomplice.

Chebatoris escaped but was captured nearby after mistakenly shooting a truck driver he confused for a police officer.

Until 2020, Chebatoris was the only person in American history executed by the federal government for a crime committed in a non-death penalty state.

🏨 Grand Hotel Opens on Mackinac Island

Digest Exclusive: The construction of the resort was financed as a joint venture by the Michigan Central Railroad, the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad, and the Detroit and Cleveland Steamship Navigation Company.

These transportation corporations designed the luxury destination specifically to increase passenger traffic on their respective rail and steamship lines during the summer travel season.

Tip: Click the underlined title for any moment to watch on YouTube for free!

“Thank you for sharing! 💚”
— Grand Hotel from Facebook and Instagram

We had some great comments this week, but when the Grand Hotel page thanks you for sharing a video, it’s truly an honor.

Award-winning actress and singer Kristen Bell was born on July 18, 1980, in Oakland County, where she discovered her passion for performance at local theater companies.

Bell went on to achieve massive global fame, starring in the cult-classic noir series Veronica Mars, the critically acclaimed comedy The Good Place, and voicing Princess Anna in Disney's Frozen—one of the highest-grossing animated film franchises of all time.

Inspired by the landmark 1976 Bicentennial Freedom Train, this nationwide tour was launched by the National Archives to safely transport vault-level, founding-era treasures directly to the public.

While in-person tickets for its current stop at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation are completely sold out, officials recommend checking the booking page for canceled reservations.

History buffs can still freely explore the entire high-resolution collection online at the Freedom Plane Tour website.

Being born and raised in Michigan, I knew that the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island was historic, but I had no idea it was built in just 93 days!

Incase that timeline wasn’t impressive enough, crews used horses to drag 1.5 million feet of white pine lumber across the frozen Straits of Mackinac before the spring thaw. Skeptical locals mockingly called it "Caskey's Folly" after seeing all the timber stacked up, assuming there was no way he could pull it off.

Having never visited the hotel myself, I can only imagine how jaw-dropping it must look once you actually know the backstory. That’s one of the things I love about history—it unlocks a whole new perspective on something already astonishing.

Until next week, thank you for reading Michigan History Digest.
— Zac and the Welcome Home History Team.

Tip: Click or tap on your guess to see how you did!
P.S. You can leave us any feedback you may have after making your guess or replying to this email.