150 years of the Record-Eagle on display

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May 29, 2009

Cameras, front pages and maps tell a riveting story

FROM STAFF REPORTS The Record Eagle Fri May 29, 2009, 06:51 AM EDT

TRAVERSE CITY -- An exhibit celebrating 150 years of the Record-Eagle opens at the Grand Traverse Heritage Center Monday.

"It's our hope that once you've gone through the exhibit, you'll know the history of the paper and its owners, the history of journalism and photojournalism and also how evolving technology has driven both, said Loraine Anderson, coordinator of the Record-Eagle's project.

Items on display include a small press based on the larger workhorse presses, printer tools, early typewriters, vintage cameras, photos and historic front pages.

Timelines are used to tell the history of the paper and its ancestors since Nov. 3, 1858, when the first Grand Traverse Herald rolled off the press as well as the history of American newspapers and press technology.

"I really enjoy the maps because they show what happened here in a short span of time," said Anderson, a writer and editor at the Record-Eagle for 31 years. "There's a map of the area just before early Americans and Europeans began settling the area in the mid-1800s; a bird's-eye view of the city in 1879; and a plat map from 1895 that has locations identified and shows who owned what properties."

Heritage Center curator Dick Teubert designed and set up the exhibit, called "Strong Newspaper, Strong Community," and the Traverse Area Historical Society provided most of the old photographs.

"There have been many changes in the newspaper industry since the first newspaper rolled off a press in Boston in 1690," said Mike Casuscelli, publisher of the Record-Eagle. "The Record-Eagle has been serving our area for 150 years. The exhibit at the Heritage Center affords you the opportunity to view a little bit of the history of our paper and the relationship to our community.

"We are excited to partner with the Heritage Center in a showcase over the next few months," Casuscelli said. "Additionally, we plan to announce the publication schedule and unveil the cover of our new magazine "Reflections By The Bays."

Photos by S.E. Wait, an early city druggist, photographer and history writer, offer a visual "documentary timeline" on their own, Anderson said, giving a glimpse into life in the Grand Traverse region in the late 1800s to early 20th century.

The front pages also offer a glimpse into world, state and local history.

Two of Anderson's favorites are "Henry Ford Buys Marion Island For Summer Home" in 1917 and "Germany Licked," about the end of World War I in 1918.

The exhibit opens Monday and runs through July in the Museum of History at the Heritage Center, located in the historic Sixth Street neighborhood in Traverse City.

Hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults, $1.50 for students, and children 6 and under are free.

For additional information, or group tours, contact the Heritage Center at 995-0313 or e-mail gthc@charterinternet.com.

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Record-Eagle 150th Anniversary

After looking back, we look to the future

In this last installment of the Record-Eagle's year-long 150th Anniversary History Project series, native son Bill Milliken ponders the future, including the question: What will the Traverse City area be like in 2159?
Continued ...
Nov 8, 2009 7:14 am 9 Photos
Derek Bailey: Cooperation is key

I am excited and optimistic in thinking about my predictions for the area and Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians for the next 150 years. Clearly, we live in one of the most beautiful areas of Mother Earth. The GTB Tribal Nation has grown exponentially as an area and tribe over the last 29 years. We must now sustain and channel that growth.
Continued ...
Nov 8, 2009 7:12 am 1 Photo
George McManus: Manage resources

The Grand Traverse Region is blessed with abundant renewable natural resources, which properly managed, will remain for the next 150 years and beyond. The community of the future depends on what direction the citizenry and leadership decide to take and external influences over which they have no control.
Continued ...
Nov 8, 2009 7:11 am 1 Photo
Marsha Smith: Listen to each other

The Grand Vision has shown me that the people of this region love it here and have a commitment to building a better future. We care about what happens here and we care about the future. My main concern is that we sometimes forget about all things we hold in common and focus more on what keeps us apart.
Continued ...
Nov 8, 2009 7:11 am 1 Photo
Joe VanderMeulen: Plan for six generations

We need to look forward across six or more generations of people to see 150 years into the future. What wonderful changes there may be, if we choose wisely, just get lucky, or some of both. Of course, we face many threats to our security and survival. The risks of deadly pandemics, global climate change and unimaginable wars are real.
Continued ...
Nov 8, 2009 7:10 am 1 Photo
November 2, 2009
Women helped build Traverse City

Women helped build Traverse City's library system, schools and hospital. They lobbied for clean water and clean streets. They were concerned about the needy, child labor, reforestation, international peace and the right of women to vote. They did this largely through two local women's clubs -- the Ladies Library Association and the Traverse City Woman's Club.
Continued ...
Nov 2, 2009 6:17 am 4 Photos
TC's early women leaders

Thirteen women who influenced early Traverse City are profiled.
Continued ...
Nov 2, 2009 6:15 am
October 31, 2009
TC history exhibit visits TADL

The Record-Eagle's traveling exhibit of Traverse City and newspaper history will be on display throughout November at the Traverse Area District Library on Woodmere.
Continued ...
Oct 31, 2009 9:30 pm
October 19, 2009
Loraine Anderson: TC's 1925 earthquake

Earthquakes are rare in Michigan, but Traverse City residents definitely felt the earth move beneath their feet and watched electric ceiling lights sway overhead on Feb. 28, 1925. "EARTHQUAKE HERE FIRST EVER FELT: Dishes Rattle, Chairs Rock, Smokers 'Swear Off' and People in High Places Come Down," Record-Eagle headlines shouted after tremors rattled the city at 8:27 p.m. that Saturday night.
Continued ...
Oct 19, 2009 7:00 am 1 Photo
October 5, 2009
Water Wars: Advocating for 'public trust'

It was a busy summer on the water front for Great Lakes advocates in what environmentalists and others are calling "The Water Wars."
Continued ...
Oct 5, 2009 6:18 am 3 Photos
October 3, 2009
R-E editorial decries water diversion

Record-Eagle concern about Great Lakes water diversion dates to the early 1900s, including a Jan. 14, 1925, editorial about the U.S. governments challenge of Chicagos right to divert Lake Michigan water without consulting its neighbors.
Continued ...
Oct 3, 2009 9:55 pm
Summary of summer Great Lakes water issues

Great Lakes water issues this summer included the following.
Continued ...
Oct 3, 2009 9:55 pm
September 28, 2009
150 Years: Bay served as sewer, water supply

The Boardman River in Traverse City wasn't a pretty sight at the turn of the last century. It was a city sewer, and it flowed into West Bay, the source of the city's water supply.
Continued ...
Sep 28, 2009 7:18 am 7 Photos
August 10, 2009
150 Years: Cartographer maps settlements

Helen Hornbeck Tanner, a Beulah summer resident and historian of Great Lakes American Indians and cartography, created a new historical map of the Grand Traverse region that traces early American Indian and white settlement.
Continued ...
Aug 10, 2009 6:39 am 2 Photos
July 27, 2009
Loraine Anderson: Tracking Titus

Harold Titus has been one of my favorite Traverse City historical characters since I read "Timber," his 1922 novel, last year. He intrigues me for many reasons. Part of his mystery is that he is virtually unknown today. He is "new" local history.
Continued ...
Jul 27, 2009 8:06 am 1 Photo