Traveling in Lansing
The capital of Michigan is one of those cities that I don’t think most Americans outside the state know anything about. I figured Lansing would be a small and quiet city, but to my surprise there is a bit more going on here than I had expected. Like always, I usually start my travels in visiting the capitol building. It seems half of the state capitol buildings in the United States have been burnt down by fires or destroyed during the civil war. This one was built in 1873 and seems to be one of the few original buildings still in use.
Right outside the Capitol Building is a memorial dedicated to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Since the Pentagon in Virginia is so close to Washington DC most memorials are dedicated to DC and New York. Since I’m a native of Virginia, that usually annoys me and this is one of the few memorials I’ve seen that got it right.
Next I explored a bit in the downtown area. I’ve been to the smallest state capital which is Montplier, Vermont. I thought Lansing would be slightly larger but it’s actually got a population of over 100,000 people, and that exceeds half a million when you include the entire metro area. The photo above is from one of the major streets in the city center. The photo below looked to be the tallest building in the city.
Above and below are some photos from the downtown area’s business district. Here were small shops and cafes that lined both sides of the street. I visited in early October and got a little bit of some light rain, but it wasn’t cold enough to keep me from staying outside. You can see the leaves are already changing color since I was so far north.
Michigan’s Grand River runs through Lansing’s city center. This photo above was taken outside the city limit, where there is the popular Lansing River Trail. The river trail is about 13 miles (21 kilometers) in length and links Dietrich Park in the norther part of the city to Michigan State University.
The photo above shows the Grand River as it passes through the city. I actually took a stroll through the tunneled bridge where I took the photo below. This area of Lansing seemed to have some of the best commercial and real estate in the city.
Another neighborhood within the capital that is also located along the Grand River is Old town Lansing. Here is where the city’s life began when the first home was built in 1843. Today old town Lansing is a center for restaurants and cultural events. Above and below are two photos from Lansing’s old town.
Without question, the highlight to Lansing is definitely their massive Michigan History Center. I had never heard of it until I actually arrived to the capital, but it’s a pretty large complex that covers Michigan’s history from the ice age all the way to the present. Above is a photo of the History Center which also is the home of the state library.
You can find lots of art work that depict life in life in Michigan before it was even a state. This painting above shows Native Americans gathering in front of a large European fort. The exhibit below goes back thousands of years earlier. These life sized creations shows Native Americans living during the ice age.
Since this museum is so massive, there’s no way I can show all the photos I took from my visit. After the ice age and colonial era there were sections of the museum that show the early 19th century and large exhibits on Michigan’s mining days. Some show events that didn’t take place in Michigan, such as this Civil War battle. Michigan was far from the battles of the war, but sent thousands of troops down south to support the union. President Lincoln was hopeful to get just a couple regiments from Michigan, but when he received seven he remarked, “Thank God for Michigan”.
Some exhibits were pretty simple, such as this painting of a ship in Lake Superior. I’m not sure what time period this painting was created, but I liked it enough to throw it on my website. I actually found this painting to be my favorite in the museum!
The museum also had a large World War II section. Michigan actually played a unique role supporting World War II. Because of the state’s large manufacturing infrastructure thanks to Ford, Michigan produced thousands of tanks and aircraft. Had the Nazis and Japan somehow had access to the state’s northern borders, Michigan would have been a valued target for them. Above is a photo of bombers being assembled that would later be sent to Europe and the Pacific.
Lastly I’ll share a recreation of a Michigan town in the 1950’s. I think this exhibit shows how much effort they put into the museum and its exhibits. Like I mentioned before, there were plenty of other sections that I had to leave out altogether. The 50;s area was pretty large and also included a big display on Motown. Motown was a record label created in Detroit that inspired a cultural revolution in the entire country. I have more information on this on my Detroit page!
