Travel and shipping on the Great Lakes

For longer than people have been recording Great Lakes history, men, women and children have paddled, sailed, steamed, and motored over Lake Erie, Lake

Great Lakes Art

Ontario, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, and Lake Superior.

Chippewa, Cree, Mesquakie/Fox, Huron, Iroquois, Menominee, Ottawa, Potawatomi and Dakota/Sioux were some of the Native American Indians who lived in the Great Lakes regions. These Indian nations used canoes to fish, travel and migrate from one area to another. The Lakes were a source of livelihood to ancient indigenous tribes.

Though highly disputed, evidence that Norsemen longboats traveled and possibly camped along the shores of the Great Lakes was “discovered” in the 1930’s. The Beardmore Relics are Viking Age artifacts, supposedly found near Beardmore, Ontario, Canada. 

The Beardmore Relics

The objects consist of an ax head, a Viking Age sword, and a bar that could have been part of a Viking shield. While the legitimacy of the fragments is not usually argued, the "discovery" is commonly considered to be a hoax. Did Viking longboats travel around the Great Lakes? That’s yet to be proven, but hey, Vikings were explorers and conquerors, so why wouldn’t they?

By the early Seventeenth Century, European explorers were traveling on Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, and Lake Superior in canoes and boats powered by sails

Lake Huron

or paddles. We know French explorers were more aggressive in their pursuit to map and explore the shoreline due in part to cartography. A British map published in 1626 showed no sign of the Great Lakes existence, and though more accurate maps were available in 1701, at least one British map issued was drawn showing with a single large lake at the end of the St. Lawrence River. In comparison, as early as 1650, the Frenchman Nicolas Sanson d'Abbeville had documented all five Great Lakes. Though not accurate, especially Lakes Erie, Ontario, and Superior, all of the Great Lakes were accounted for.

During the late 1700’s and all through the 1800’s, as more Americans moved west, shipping on the Great Lakes became increasingly important to the growth of our new nation’s economy. During this time barges, sloops, brigantines, schooners, and clippers traversed the freshwater of the Great Lakes. After the War of 1812, schooners were the chief vessels on the Lakes. Most of the merchant ships between 1800 and 1830 were 100 tons register, approximately 70 foot long, two-masted schooners. These ships could carry about 150 tons or 1,500 barrels of cargo. A crew of three or four men could run the schooner. Brigantines became popular in the 1830's and 1840's. Crews of eight to ten

Schooner

people were required, and the ships were not as maneuverable as schooners. After 1850 few brigs or brigantines were built mostly because they were too expensive. The most useful and lucrative rig was the topsail schooner, intended for quick trips with heavy cargo the ship had excellent maneuverability and required a limited crew.

Today, shipping on the Great Lakes is still going strong. We visited Whitefish Point in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan this summer and saw two massive freighters in the few hours we were there. Alpena, Michigan has recently expanded a cruise ship line that travels the Great Lakes. Everyday, pleasure boats and fishing vessels travel the lake shores and beyond.

The Great Lakes’ long history of shipping doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

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Award winning author, Michele Morris’s love for historical fiction began when she first read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House book series. She grew up riding horses and spending her free time in the woods of mid-Michigan dreaming of days-gone-by and knights-in-shining-armor. Therefore, it only makes sense that she now writes historical romance with a touch of suspense. Married to her high school sweetheart, they are living happily-ever-after with their six children, three in-loves, and six grandchildren in Florida, the sunshine state. When not spending time with her large brood or writing, Michele enjoys photography, genealogy, and cooking. 

A Breif History of The Mighty Mac

Michele Morris here on Heroes, Heroines, and History.

Location of The Straits of Mackinac

The Straights of Mackinac are a narrow, relatively shallow waterway connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. The shortest distance across the Straits from Michigan’s Lower Peninsula to the Upper Peninsula (UP) is about five miles. It’s across this stretch of water that The Mackinac Bridge was built.

During the seventieth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, people traveling from one peninsula to the other used canoes or boats to cross. The crossing was dangerous and during winter, almost impossible until the waterway completely froze over.

Algonquin Indians in dugout

As early as 1880, Michigan Legislators began discussing the construction of a bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac. Then in July 1888, on Mackinac Island, during a meeting of the board of directors of the Grand Hotel, Cornelius Vanderbilt II introduced a plan to build bridge across the Straits. His goal was to expand business in the area and help lengthen the resort season of his hotel. The design he proposed was similar to one under construction across the Firth of Forth in Scotland. Though plans for a bridge were ahead of their time, ways to make crossing the waterway more efficient continued to pass through Michigan Legislation and discussed among local businesses.

By 1923 cars had become common place in the United States. The Michigan State Highway Department began a car ferry system to transport people and their vehicles across the Straits. As the ferry system became more popular it 
also became more expensive for the state to maintain.

After only five years of ferry service, Governor Fred Green ordered that the same agency that ran the ferry system to research the possibility of building a bridge. Their findings were positive. The estimated cost was 30 million dollars. There were steps taken to get the project underway but soon the project was dropped until 1934 when Michigan Legislature formed the Mackinac Straits Bridge Authority of Michigan.

At this time, The Bridge Authority conducted another study of bridge feasibility. Their findings were similar to the 1923 study, and it was concluded that the bridge could be built for approximately 32,400,000.

For the next ten years the Mackinac Straits Bridge Authority worked diligently to raise funds and obtain federal grants, but unfortunately due, in part, to World War Two, the Bridge Authority was abolished and all plans for a bridge across the Straits were put on hold.

Soon after the war ended The Mackinac Bridge Authority of Michigan was reinstated and exists to this day. It took another ten years of fundraising and planning before bridge construction took place. Ground breaking ceremonies were held on May 7th, 1956 in Saint Ignace (Upper Peninsula side) and on May 8th in Mackinaw City (Lower Peninsula side).

Mackinac Bridge construction began with the erecting the pillars. Caissons (footing) were built off site then floated into position and sunk to provide a foundation for the two main towers. Cables would be connected to the two towers and would serve to support the center span of the bridge. Creeper derricks (crane type machines) were added, to raise materials for construction. Truss sections were built in sections and floated into position then raised into place.

Right on schedule, the Mackinac Bridge opened to traffic on November 1, 1957. The auto ferry service discontinued runs on the same day. On June 25, 1958, the Bridge was formally dedicated.

The following facts and figures are quoted from David Steinman's book "Miracle Bridge at Mackinac".

LENGTHS

Total Length of Bridge (5 Miles) - 26,372 Ft.

Total Length of Steel Superstructure - 19,243 Ft.

Length of Suspension Bridge (including Anchorages) - 8,614 Ft.

Total Length of North Approach - 7,129 Ft.

Length of Main Span (between Main Towers) - 3,800 Ft.



HEIGHTS AND DEPTHS

Height of Main Towers above Water - 552 Ft

Maximum Depth to Rock at Midspan - Unknown

Maximum Depth of Water at Midspan - 295 Ft.

Maximum Depth of Tower Piers below Water - 210 Ft.

Height of Roadway above Water at Midspan - 199 Ft.

Under-clearance at Midspan for Ships - 155 Ft.

Maximum Depth of Water at Piers - 142 Ft.

Maximum Depth of Piers Sunk through Overburden - 105 Ft.



CABLES

Total Length of Wire in Main Cables - 42,000 Miles

Maximum Tension in Each Cable - 16,000 Tons

Number of Wires in Each Cable - 12,580

Weight of Cables - 11,840 Tons

Diameter of Main Cables - 24 1/2 Inches

Diameter of Each Wire - 0.196 Inches



WEIGHTS

Total Weight of Bridge - 1,024,500 Tons

Total Weight of Concrete - 931,000 Tons

Total Weight of Substructure - 919,100 Tons

Total Weight of Two Anchorages - 360,380 Tons

Total Weight of Two Main Piers - 318,000 Tons

Total Weight of Superstructure - 104,400 Tons

Total Weight of Structural Steel - 71,300 Tons

Weight of Steel in Each Main Tower - 6,500 Tons

Total Weight of Cable Wire - 11,840 Tons

Total Weight of Concrete Roadway - 6,660 Tons

Total Weight of Reinforcing Steel - 3,700 Tons



RIVETS AND BOLTS

Total Number of Steel Rivets - 4,851,700

Total Number of Steel Bolts - 1,016,600



DESIGN AND DETAIL DRAWINGS

Total Number of Engineering Drawings - 4,000

Total Number of Blueprints - 85,000



MEN EMPLOYED

Total, at the Bridge Site - 3,500

At Quarries, Shops, Mills, etc. - 7,500

Total Number of Engineers - 350



IMPORTANT DATES

Mackinac Bridge Authority Appointed - June 1950

Board of Three Engineers Retained - June 1950

Report of Board of Engineers - January 1951

Financing and Construction Authorized by Legislature - April 30, 1952

D.B. Steinman Selected as Engineer - January 1953

Preliminary Plans and Estimates Completed - March 1953

Construction Contracts Negotiated - March 1953

Bids Received for Sale of Bonds - December 17, 1953

Began Construction - May 7, 1954

Open to traffic - November 1, 1957

Formal dedication - June 25-28, 1958

50 millionth crossing - September 25, 1984

40th Anniversary Celebration - November 1, 1997

100 millionth crossing - June 25, 1998

Thank you for joining me here at Hero, Heroines, and History.

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Award winning author, Michele Morris’s love for historical fiction began when she first read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House book series. She grew up riding horses and spending her free time in the woods of mid-Michigan dreaming of days-gone-by and knights-in-shining-armor. Therefore, it only makes sense that she now writes historical romance with a touch of suspense. Married to her high school sweetheart, they are living happily-ever-after with their six children, three in-loves, and six grandchildren in Florida, the sunshine state. When not spending time with her large brood or writing, Michele enjoys photography, genealogy, and cooking. 

The United Service Organization.

Michele Morris here, and one of my favorite ways to spend a rainy afternoon is to brew a cup of hot peppermint tea, then curl up with an afghan in my favorite chair, and binge-watch old movies. Not the Technicolor or colorized kind, but good old fashioned grainy, sepia colored films, and the more singing and dancing—the better!

Some of my favorites are WW2 era USO stories. The iconic actors and actresses always prove entertaining. While over the years the real-life USO has enlisted a host of volunteer Hollywood favorites, there is so much more history to the organization than the live shows.

Before the United Sates’ involvement in World War Two, President Franklin D. Roosevelt saw a need for boosting the morale of U.S. servicemen. To accomplish this, he and Mary Ingraham work to combined several service organizations—the Salvation Army, Young Men’s Christian Association, Young Women’s Christian Association, National Catholic Community Services, National Travelers Aid Association and the National Jewish Welfare Board—into the United Service Organization or better known as the USO. 

The USO is not part of the federal government but is a Congressional chartered,

private organization that relies on the contributions of organizations, corporations, and individuals for support and it is powered a “family” of volunteers and paid staff.

During World War II, G.I.s called the USO their "home away from home." A place they could go for a friendly smile. The USO was one of the many ways in which our nation came together to support the war effort and US soldiers.

Started a tradition of entertaining US troops that still continues, the USO

became predominantly famous for its live performances called Camp Shows. Through which, the entertainment industry helped boost the morale of its servicemen and women. Hollywood, in general, was eager to show its patriotism, and many well-known stars joined the lines of USO performers. They entertained at military bases, at home, and overseas, sometimes placing their lives in danger, by traveling or performing under hazardous conditions.

In 1947, the USO was disbanded. Then in 1950, it was revived for the Korean War, after which it also provided peacetime services. During the Vietnam War, USOs were sometimes located in combat zones and volunteers even visited troops on the front lines.

In 1944, at the USO’s high point, there were more than 3,000 G.I. clubs, and 700 camp shows entertaining the troops each day. During the WWII era, the USO presented more than 400,000 performances.

I came across a list of USO entertainers who performed for the USO from 1941 to 1947 at wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Service_Organizations.com that I thought was interesting. It’s just a snapshot of the great men and women who have supported our troops.

Abbott and Costello, Larry Adler, Brian Aherne, Louise Allbritton, Morey Amsterdam, Marian Anderson, The Andrews Sisters, Armida, Jean Arthur, Fred Astaire, Gene Autry, Lauren Bacall, Fay Bainter, Lucille Ball, Tallulah Bankhead, Lynn Bari, Count Basie, Peg Leg Bates, Constance Bennett, Jack Benny, Edgar Bergen, Ingrid Bergman, Milton Berle, Eubie Blake, Ben Blue, Ray Bolger,

Humphrey Bogart, Mary Brian, Phyllis Brooks, Joe E. Brown, Willie Bryant, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Charles Butterworth, James Cagney, Cab Calloway ,Judy Canova, Eddie Cantor, June Clyde, Jerry Colonna, Gary Cooper, Katharine Cornell, Bing Crosby, Bebe Daniels, Linda Darnell, Bette Davis, Joan Davis, Dennis Day, Olivia De Havilland, Joe DeRita, Marlene Dietrich, Doraine and Ellis, Morton Downey, Ellen Drew, Irene Dunne, Deanna Durbin, Jimmy Durante, Ann Dvorak, Nelson Eddy, Duke Ellington, Skinnay Ennis, Maurice Evans, Jinx Falkenburg, Glenda Farrell, Joey Faye, Leslie Fenton, Gracie Fields, Shep Fields, W.C. Fields, Kay Francis, Jane Froman, Reginald Gardiner, Ed Gardner, Judy Garland, Billy Gilbert, Betty Grable, Cary Grant, John Garfield, William Gargan, Greer Garson, Paulette Goddard, Benny Goodman, Jack Haley, Moss Hart, Susan Hayward, Rita Hayworth, Jascha Heifetz, Hildegarde, Celeste Holm, Bob Hope, Lena Horne, Marsha Hunt, Alberta Hunter, Betty Hutton, Allen Jenkins, George Jessel, Al Jolson, Boris Karloff, Danny Kaye, Gene Kelly, Guy Kibbee, Andre Kostelanetz, Gene Krupa, Kay Kyser, Veronica Lake, Hedy Lamarr, Dorothy Lamour, Carole Landis, Frances Langford, Laurel and Hardy, Gertrude Lawrence, Anna Lee, Gypsy Rose Lee, Vivien Leigh, Joan Leslie, Joe E. Lewis, Beatrice Lillie, Carole Lombard, Edmund Lowe, Paul Lukas, Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontanne, Ida Lupino, Jeanette MacDonald, Tex McCrary, Joel McCrea, Hattie McDaniel, Dorothy McGuire, Frank McHugh, Frederic March, Mitzi Mayfair, Mike Mazurki, The Marx Brothers, Adolphe Menjou, Una Merkel, Ray Milland, Glenn Miller, Garry Moore, Tim Moore, Chester Morris, Zero Mostel, George Murphy, Mildred Natwick, Adelaide Hall,[11] The Four Evans,[12] Merle Oberon, Pat O'Brien, Minerva Pious, Lily Pons, George Raft, Luise Rainer, Martha Raye, Ossy Renardy, Paul Robeson, Edward G. Robinson, The Rockettes, Ginger Rogers, Mickey Rooney, Rosalind Russell, Ann Rutherford, Ann Savage, Randolph Scott, Artie Shaw, Ann Sheridan, Dinah Shore, Phil Silvers, Frank Sinatra, Noble Sissle, Ann Sothern, Jo Stafford, Barbara Stanwyck, Bill Stern, James Stewart, Ed Sullivan, Danny Thomas, Three Bon Bunnies, Gene Tierney, Martha Tilton, Arthur Tracy, Spencer Tracy, Arthur Treacher, Sophie Tucker, Lana Turner, Vera Vague, John Wayne,[13] Mae West, Chill Wills, Anna May Wong and Keenan Wynn.

Wow! This list is inspiring! And think how many more people have been involved since 1947. As a matter of fact, there have been approximately 1.5 million volunteers, and it is estimated that 35 million soldiers have been entertained or served in some other capacity.

The next time you watch an old USO movie on classic TV, remember the volunteers who provide the US troops with a “home away from home.”

Thank you for stopping by Heroes, Heroines, and History today!

                     _____________________________________

Award winning author, Michele Morris’s love for historical fiction began when she first read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House book series. She grew up riding horses and spending her free time in the woods of mid-Michigan dreaming of days-gone-by and knights-in-shining-armor. Therefore, it only makes sense that she now writes historical romance with a touch of suspense. Married to her high school sweetheart, they are living happily-ever-after with their six children, three in-loves, and six grandchildren in Florida, the sunshine state. When not spending time with her large brood or writing, Michele enjoys photography, genealogy, and cooking.

A Brief History of The United States Secret Service

By: Michele Morris

On the night of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, one of the pieces of legislation laying on his desk was the establishment of the "Secret Service Division" of the Department of the Treasury.

At the end of the American Civil War, an estimated one-third of the U.S. currency in circulation was counterfeit. To combat the growing counterfeit problem, the United States Government formed the Secret Service on July 5th, 1865.

USSS Badge 1890-1971

Soon, tracking down forgers was not the only duty of the new Secret Service. In 1867, the Secret Service’s duties were expanded to include “detecting persons perpetrating fraud against the government”. Their inquiries included the Ku Klux Klan, non-conforming distillers, mail thieves, land scams, smugglers and a number of other criminal activities. In addition, the U.S. Marshals Service did not have the manpower to cover all misconduct under federal jurisdiction, so the Secret Service absorbed some of the U.S. Marshals caseloads, and again evolving to investigate unlawful activities including murder, illegal gambling and racketeering, and bank robbery.

During President Grover Cleveland’s term, in 1894, the Secret Service began to
informally provide part-time protection to the president. They continued this service until 1901 when President William McKinley was assassinated and Congress requested the Secret Service to provide full-time protection to the

President McKinley

Commander and Chief.

It wasn’t until a year later that two men were assigned full-time to the White House detail. In the same year, 1902, William Craig became the first Secret Service agent to die while on duty. He perished in a road accident while riding in the presidential carriage.

For a time, a lack of designated funds kept the Secret Service from allocating more agents to presidential protection. So The Sundry Civil Expense Act for 1907 was passed by Congress to afford money specifically to enable the Secret Service to provide protection to the president. During 1908, the Secret Service duties began to include security for the President-elect.

One of the many heroic stories of bravery committed by the Secret Service took place November 1st, 1950. At this time, the White House underwent lengthy renovations, thus displacing President Harry S. Truman across the street to the

President Harry S. Truman

Blair House. While residing there, two Puerto Rican nationalists, Oscar Collazo, and Griselio Torresola, opened fire on White House Police officers. (White House Police came under the supervision of the Secret Service) Though mortally wounded by multiple gunshots, Private Leslie Coffelt returned fire, killing Torresola with a single shot to his head. Private Coffelt is the only Secret Service Agent to be killed while protecting the president from an assassination attempt. Due to this attack, Congress created legislation that made the Secret Service permanently responsible for the protection of the president, his family, the vice-president, and the president-elect.

1967 and 1968 ushered in more changes to the Secret Service. This expansion was due, in part, to President John F. Kennedy’s assignation in Dallas, Texas, 1963, and his brother, Robert Kennedy’s assignation, June 6th, 1968. Congress authorized protection of major presidential and vice presidential candidates and nominees, and also approved the lifetime protection of the spouses of deceased presidents unless they remarry, and of the children of former presidents until age sixteen.

The Secret Service has shown its self-capable of changing with the times. Today the duties of the Secret Service include everything from physical protection to

snail-mail fraud and cyber threats against our government and its officials. Each agent would give their life to do his or her duty. As an American, I’m proud of the job they and every other service man or woman carries out for us, our country and our continued freedoms.

Thank you for joining me today at Heroes, Heroines, and History!

  ________________________________________________________________

Award winning author, Michele Morris’s love for historical fiction began when she first read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House book series. She grew up riding horses and spending her free time in the woods of mid-Michigan dreaming of days-gone-by and knights-in-shining-armor. Therefore, it only makes sense that she now writes historical romance with a touch of suspense. Married to her high school sweetheart, they are living happily-ever-after with their six children, three in-loves, and six grandchildren in Florida, the sunshine state. When not spending time with her large brood or writing, Michele enjoys photography, genealogy, and cooking.

Will the Real Captain John Smith, Please, Stand Up?

Thank you for stopping by Heroes, Heroines, and History today. I’m Michele Morris, and I’d like to share with you some truths about the life of Captain

John Smith. 

Let's start by going back in time more than four-hundred years to December 19, 1606. Captain John Smith and an English expedition of 105 settlers sailed on three ships headed for The New World. They landed April 26th, 1607 on the shores of what is now Cape Henry, Virginia. King James had chartered the London Company branch of the proprietary Virginia Company for a for-profit venture, and he commissioned Captain Christopher Newport to lead the sea voyage.

The trip must have been fraught with chaos because days before they arrived,

The Virginia Company's claim in the New World

Captain Newport charged Captain John Smith with mutiny and sentenced him to the gallows. Luckily for Smith, Captain Newport read The Virginia Company’s sealed settlement orders before Captain Smith’s execution. The document appointed Captain John Smith as one of the seven leaders in the colony, thus, possibly saving his life.

On May 24, 1607, Captain Edward Maria Wingfield, head of the leader’s council, picked the Jamestown site as the location for the settlers’ new home.

Jamestown's location

Jamestown, an island in the James River, became the first permanent English settlement in North America.

After a four-month long sea voyage, the colony’s food supplies were alarmingly low. Each man was allotted only a cup or two of grain-meal per day, and due to poor water sources, Indian attacks, and diseases, at least sixty men died by September 1607. Captain John Smith wrote that for a time, one man died every day.

Though times were tough, 27-year-old John Smith began exploring the new land. While mapping Chickahominy River in December 1607, Powhatan warriors captured two colonists and Smith. At the time, the Powhatan Indian confederacy consisted of around thirty Tidewater-area tribes led by Chief Wahunsonacock, known as Chief Powhatan to the English. Smith’s companions were killed, but, according to a 1624 account by Smith, he was spared and released because of the intervention of Chief Powhatan’s 13-year-old daughter, Pocahontas.

Pochahontas saving Captain Smith

In early January 1608, Captain Newport brought nearly one hundred new settlers. After their arrival, a carelessly set fire accidently burnt most of the fledgling village, thus forcing the settlers to live in the burnt-out ruins during the remaining harsh winter months. Food supplies ran low, and although Native Americans (including Pocahontas) brought some food, Smith wrote that "more than half of us died."

After Jamestown’s disastrous first year, Smith became president of the colony.

Jamestown

Much of the past discord within Jamestown came as the result of some of the more affluent colonists believing they were above manual labor. Many constricted others to do their share of work. Captain Smith immediately imposed order by ruling everyone must work. The captain trained the settlers to farm the land and to contribute to the betterment of Jamestown, thus saving the colony from early devastation. He publicly stated, "He that will not work shall not eat."

John Smith continued to explore and map the area. In 1608, he led a team up the Chesapeake Bay. It is believed they traveled as far north as Baltimore. On their return trip, they took a turn up the Potomac River to modern-day Washington, D.C. During this trip, Captain John Smith caught a stingray. The ray stung and almost killed him. To this day, that area of the Rappahannock River is called Stingray Point.

In 1609, Smith was injured from a fire in his gunpowder bag. His injuries were severe enough to force his return to England for medical care.

John Smith returned to the New World in 1614. He did not go back to Jamestown, but instead explored the New England coast from Penobscot Bay to Cape Cod. Interestingly, that April, Pocahontas married the English planter John Rolfe in Jamestown. She eventually served as an Indian ambassador in England where she contracted smallpox and died.

In 1615, Smith was captured by pirates off the New England shoreline. He managed to escape after three months of captivity, then returned to England where he educated others about the New World and wrote of his adventures. He died in 1631.

Captain John Smith played a vital part in the settlement of Jamestown and mapping the eastern coast of the New World. His life was filled with bravery, excitement, and adventure. There have been many fictional stories told about Captain John Smith, including his relationship with the Indian princess Pocahontas. Although I love a good story, it’s important to know the truth behind the fiction.

What do you think of Captain John Smith’s adventures and the differences between fact and fiction in the stories told about him? Please, comment below, and thank you for joining me today at HHHistory.com. 

Award winning author, Michele Morris’s love for historical fiction began when she first read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House book series. She grew up riding horses and spending her free time in the woods of mid-Michigan dreaming of days-gone-by and knights-in-shining-armor. Therefore, it only makes sense that she now writes historical romance with a touch of suspense. Married to her high school sweetheart, they are living happily-ever-after with their six children, three in-loves, and six grandchildren in Florida, the sunshine state. When not spending time with her large brood or writing, Michele enjoys photography, genealogy, and cooking.

                    

President George Washington's Inauguration

On April 30, 1789, George Washington, hero of the American Revolution, took an oath to serve as the first president of the newly formed United States of America.

Washington’s journey to inauguration began February 1789 when all sixty-nine presidential electors unanimously voted for him. Then in March, the new U.S. constitution officially took effect giving Congress the capability to send an official notice to Washington, he had won the presidency. Because of the financial burden the war had caused Washington and his estate, he had to borrow money to pay off debts in Virginia before he traveled to New York. On April thirtieth, George Washington rode an ornately adorned barge across the Hudson River. The barge was specially constructed for this purpose.

Washington dressed in an American-made dark brown suit with white silk stockings and silver shoe buckles. He also wore a steel-hilted sword and dark red overcoat.

Federal Hall

After Washington’s arrival at Federal Hall, he was introduced to the House and Senate. Vice-President John Adams, who had already been sworn into office, then announced it was time for the inaugural ceremony.

The chancellor of New York, Robert Livingston, administered the presidential

oath to Washington on the second-floor balcony in front of a crowd of onlookers. After Washington was sworn in, Livingston then turned to the throng of people, lifted his fist in the air and shouted: "Long live George

Taking the oath of President

Washington, President of the United States!" Cheers, confetti, and a 13-gun salute followed.

Inside Federal Hall, President George Washington read his inaugural address to Congress. (1419 words in length) In the honorable speech, he spoke of “the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” Washington sought to unite the nation and protect the interests of the new republic at home and abroad. Referring to his presidency; he said, “I walk on untrodden ground. There is scarcely any part of my conduct which may not hereafter be drawn in precedent.”

After closing his annotations, the President and Congress paraded through multitudes of enthusiastic citizens who were lined up along Broadway Avenue to St. Paul's Church, where a service was conducted. Social gatherings and celebrations ended the new nation's first inaugural day.

The Inaugural Address of George Washington, First President of the United States of America.

WASHINGTON'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS OF 1789

A Transcription

[April 30, 1789] 

Fellow Citizens of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Among the vicissitudes incident to life, no event could have filled me with greater anxieties than that of which the notification was transmitted by your order, and received on the fourteenth day of the present month. On the one hand, I was summoned by my Country, whose voice I can never hear but with veneration and love, from a retreat which I had chosen with the fondest predilection, and, in my flattering hopes, with an immutable decision, as the asylum of my declining years: a retreat which was rendered every day more necessary as well as more dear to me, by the addition of habit to inclination, and of frequent interruptions in my health to the gradual waste committed on it by time. On the other hand, the magnitude and difficulty of the trust to which the voice of my Country called me, being sufficient to awaken in the wisest and most experienced of her citizens, a distrustful scrutiny into his qualifications, could not but overwhelm with dispondence, one, who, inheriting inferior endowments from nature and unpractised in the duties of civil administration, ought to be peculiarly conscious of his own deficiencies. In this conflict of emotions, all I dare aver, is, that it has been my faithful study to collect my duty from a just appreciation of eve ry circumstance, by which it might be affected. All I dare hope, is, that, if in executing this task I have been too much swayed by a grateful remembrance of former instances, or by an affectionate sensibility to this transcendent proof, of the confidence of my fellow-citizens; and have thence too little consulted my incapacity as well as disinclination for the weighty and untried cares before me; my error will be palliated by the motives which misled me, and its consequences be judged by my Country, with some share of the partiality in which they originated.

Such being the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station; it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official Act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the Universe, who presides in the Councils of Nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that his benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the People of the United States, a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes: and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success, the functions allotted to his charge. In tendering this homage to the Great Author of every public and private good I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own; nor those of my fellow-citizens at large, less than either. No People can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the Affairs of men more than the People of the United States. Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency. And in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their United Government, the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities, from which the event has resulted, cannot be compared with the means by which most Governments have been established, without some return of pious gratitude along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which the past seem to presage. These reflections, arising out of the present crisis, have forced themselves too strongly on my mind to be suppressed. You will join with me I trust in thinking, that there are none under the influence of which, the proceedings of a new and free Government can more auspiciously commence.

By the article establishing the Executive Department, it is made the duty of the President "to recommend to your consideration, such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." The circumstances under which I now meet you, will acquit me from entering into that subject, farther than to refer to the Great Constitutional Charter under which you are assembled; and which, in defining your powers, designates the objects to which your attention is to be given. It will be more consistent with those circumstances, and far more congenial with the feelings which actuate me, to substitute, in place of a recommendation of particular measures, the tribute that is due to the talents, the rectitude, and the patriotism which adorn the characters selected to devise and adopt them. In these honorable qualifications, I behold the surest pledges, that as on one side, no local prejudices, or attachments; no seperate views, nor party animosities, will misdirect the comprehensive and equal eye which ought to watch over this great assemblage of communities and interests: so, on another, that the foundations of our National policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality; and the pre-eminence of a free Government, be exemplified by all the attributes which can win the affections of its Citizens, and command the respect of the world.

I dwell on this prospect with every satisfaction which an ardent love for my Country can inspire: since there is no truth more thoroughly established, than that there exists in the economy and course of nature, an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness, between duty and advantage, between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy, and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity: Since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained: And since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.

Besides the ordinary objects submitted to your care, it will remain with your judgment to decide, how far an exercise of the occasional power delegated by the Fifth article of the Constitution is rendered expedient at the present juncture by the nature of objections which have been urged against the System, or by the degree of inquietude which has given birth to them. Instead of undertaking particular recommendations on this subject, in which I could be guided by no lights derived from official opportunities, I shall again give way to my entire confidence in your discernment and pursuit of the public good: For I assure myself that whilst you carefully avoid every alteration which might endanger the benefits of an United and effective Government, or which ought to await the future lessons of experience; a reverence for the characteristic rights of freemen, and a regard for the public harmony, will sufficiently influence your deliberations on the question how far the former can be more impregnably fortified, or the latter be safely and advantageously promoted.

To the preceeding observations I have one to add, which will be most properly addressed to the House of Representatives. It concerns myself, and will therefore be as brief as possible. When I was first honoured with a call into the Service of my Country, then on the eve of an arduous struggle for its liberties, the light in which I contemplated my duty required that I should renounce every pecuniary compensation. From this resolution I have in no instance departed. And being still under the impressions which produced it, I must decline as inapplicable to myself, any share in the personal emoluments, which may be indispensably included in a permanent provision for the Executive Department; and must accordingly pray that the pecuniary estimates for the Station in which I am placed, may, during my continuance in it, be limited to such actual expenditures as the public good may be thought to require.

Having thus imported to you my sentiments, as they have been awakened by the occasion which brings us together, I shall take my present leave; but not without resorting once more to the benign parent of the human race, in humble supplication that since he has been pleased to favour the American people, with opportunities for deliberating in perfect tranquility, and dispositions for deciding with unparellelled unanimity on a form of Government, for the security of their Union, and the advancement of their happiness; so his divine blessing may be equally conspicuous in the enlarged views, the temperate consultations, and the wise measures on which the success of this Government must depend.

This transcription was taken from the original document in the Records of the U.S. Senate, Record Group 46, in the National Archives.

Award winning author, Michele Morris’s love for historical fiction began when she first read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House book series. She grew up riding horses and spending her free time in the woods of mid-Michigan dreaming of days-gone-by and knights-in-shining-armor. Therefore, it only makes sense that she now writes historical romance with a touch of suspense. Married to her high school sweetheart, they are living happily-ever-after with their six children, three in-loves, and six grandchildren in Florida, the sunshine state. When not spending time with her large brood or writing, Michele enjoys photography, genealogy, and cooking.

The Dakota Hard Winter of 1880/81

BY: Michele Morris

A long time ago, I read the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family for the first time. The Little House books captivated the history lover in me. They still do. 

My favorite of the series is The Long Winter. Mrs. Wilder accurately detailed the events of what would widely become known as the Dakota Territory’s Hard Winter or the Snow Winter of 1880/81.

During the summer of 1880, the people of Dakota Territory had no forewarning of the winter to come. Indian summer lasted into October and folks were taking their time with final preparations for winter. Hay still needed to be cut, feed corn picked and firewood gathered. Little did these hardy pioneers know how profoundly a little procrastination would soon affect them.

Suddenly, in mid-October,1880, without warning, the vast Dakota prairie skies darkened and it began to snow. According to most accounts, folks didn’t panic when it started to snow. It was early in the season, after all, there’d be plenty of time to finish winter preparations, but quickly it became apparent the blizzard wouldn’t soon end.

White out conditions.

Blizzard after blizzard blew across the plains of Dakota Territory, and by mid-December, snowdrifts completely covered single story buildings. Farmers had to tunnel from their house to their barn. There are stories of settlers tunneling out of their home only to have to burrow back down through ten, or eleven feet of drifted snow to reach their livestock in the barn.

A group of cowboys gave an account stating that a twenty-eight-foot deep canyon filled to the top with drift snow. Twenty-eight-feet! That’s a lot of blowing and drifting snow.

The Dakota Territory settlers were a hardy bunch and adapted to the freezing temperatures and continuous snowstorms until their food ran low. The threat of starvation loomed heavy over the towns as day after day the supply trains failed to arrive. Businessmen formed committees to ration out food and fuel, so everyone had their fair share. Families moved in together to share heat and chores. In my research, a diary entry from a town’s woman said that after blowing snow had covered her windows, and the lamp oil had run out, sitting in the near dark day after day became the most distressing and depressing part of the Hard Winter.

 

By January 1881, trains had suspended service to the area due to the massive amounts of snow. In an attempt to resume rail deliveries, railroad companies hired hundreds of men to dig out the track, but to no avail. As soon as the men dug out a stretch of track, a new storm would begin and blowing snow would fill in all their hard work.

February 2, 1881, another massive blizzard bore down. There were nine straight days of white out conditions, and no winter thaw. It seemed the season would never end.

While there was much hardship during the hard winter, there was little real suffering. Ranchers lost livestock and farmers lost crops, but there are very few reports of human deaths. This is a testament to the hardiness and comradery of the settlers.

Finally, in the late spring of 1881, the weather quickly warmed and the snow melted . . . In three days. Vast sections of the plains were flooded and ice jams clogged rivers. The town of Yankton was almost entirely washed away. More lives were lost in the floods after the blizzards than during the entirety of the Hard Winter.

Living in the south, I’ve forgotten how cold winter can be. My Michigan family laughs when I complain about the cold 60-degree weather. (I know, it is a little pathetic!) I can’t imagine living through a winter like the Hard Winter of 1880/81.

Do you have any winter tales to tell? Have you had to survive without heat during a blizzard? Or maybe an ice storm took out your electricity for a few days? Please share your experience in the comment below.

Thank you for joining me here at Heroes, Heroines, and History. Have a blessed January and keep warm!

Blessings,

Michele

Michele Morris’s love for historical fiction began when she first read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House book series. She grew up riding horses and spending her free time in the woods of mid-Michigan dreaming of days-gone-by and knights-in-shining-armor. Therefore, it only makes sense that she now writes historical romance with a touch of suspense. Married to her high school sweetheart, they are living happily-ever-after with their six children, three in-loves, and six grandchildren in Florida, the sunshine state. When not spending time with her large brood or writing, Michele enjoys photography, genealogy, and cooking.

A Visit from St. Nicholas

Welcome to Heroes, Heroines, and History. 

Clement Clarke Moore

Grab a cup of your favorite “day after Christmas” beverage and join me, Michele Morris, on a journey into the history of the beloved Christmas poem, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”.

Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, (later know as “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”) after a shopping trip to the open market in Chelsea, New York. It was a snowy Christmas Eve in 1822, and Mr. Moore intended the poem to be a gift to his wife Eliza, and his children, Margaret 7, Charity 6, Ben 4, Mary 3, Clement Jr. 2, and Emily 8 months old.

Due to Clement Clarke Moore’s position as an academic and religious professor, and his family’s upper-class, social status, he never planned for the whimsical poem to be published. But a year after Moore wrote it, a family friend sent the poem to the New York Sentinel with the condition that the author of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” remained anonymous.

The poem's first publication date was December 23rd, 1823, and it was an

A right jolly old elf!

immediate success. It wasn’t until 1844 that Clement Clarke Moore finally claimed authorship. When, at his children’s prompting, he included it in a book of his poems. (Authorship would later be disputed by the Livingston family . . . but that’s fodder for another blog post!)

Some of Moore’s descriptions of Santa Clause were borrowed from Washington Irving’s writings: A History of New York in 1809, but prior to the creation of Moore’s poem, St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, had never been connected with a sleigh or reindeer, and for the first time, Santa Clause was depicted as a “right jolly ole elf”. “'Twas the night before Christmas” redefined America’s image of Christmas and Santa Claus.

One of the four hand written copies.

Four hand-written prints of the poem are known to still exist. Three are in museums, including the New-York Historical Society library. The fourth copy, which Clement Clarke Moore created as a gift to a friend, was sold by one collector to another in December 2006. According to Heritage Auctions, which brokered the private sale, it was purchased for $280,000.

I love that a fanciful children’s poem, written as a personal gift, changed the history of Christmas. 

Sometimes it’s the simple things that make the biggest impact.

Do you have a favorite Christmas story or poem? Would you share it in the comments below?

Thank you for joining me today, and I wish you a very merry Christmas, and a happy, safe, and blessed New Year!

“A Visit From Saint Nicholas”

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,    

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danc'd in their heads,
And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap —
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,
Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below;
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and call'd them by name:
"Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer and Vixen,
"On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Donder and Blitzen;
"To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
"Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys — and St. Nicholas too:
And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound:
He was dress'd all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnish'd with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys was flung on his back,
And he look'd like a peddler just opening his pack:
His eyes — how they twinkled! His dimples: how merry,
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry;
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face, and a little round belly
That shook when he laugh'd, like a bowl full of jelly:
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laugh'd when I saw him in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And fill'd all the stockings; then turn'd with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
He sprung to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew, like the down of a thistle:
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight —
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

—Clement Clarke Moore

_______________________________________________

Michele is an amateur historian/genealogist and writes Historical, Romantic Suspense. She is working on her third novel titled, The Manhattan Solution.