Entrance to the Museum! – HFM, photo by MikeRyu
Lish Dorset of The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn writes on the Pure Michigan Blog that although summer is always a busy time at The Henry Ford, this summer is shaping up to be especially busy as they celebrate what would have been the 150th birthday of founder Henry Ford. She writes:
We’re celebrating Henry’s legacy all year at The Henry Ford, whose birthday is July 30. Starting in June and running through August, pay a visit to Miller School in Greenfield Village and step back in time to the days of Henry’s youth as he experiments with clock parts, machines and principles that challenged him.
You can also visit Henry’s T, a 15-minute dramatic play and hear how this ultimate maker was inspired to build his universal car. Follow up the play with a visit to Henry Ford Museum and learn how to build a Model T yourself.
Both Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village are offering guided tours to guests with an emphasis on Henry’s work.
Check out HenryFord150.com for a timeline of the legendary automotive pioneer, and you can also read more about events at the Henry Ford and keep up with everything on their Facebook.
Mike took this shot on an Exposure.Detroit photowalk at The Henry Ford. Check it out on black and see more in his Henry Ford Museum slideshow.
Also see the Henry Ford Museum slideshow in the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr for over 400 more photos from The Henry Ford!
No Deliveries Today
January 28, 2013
IMG_1436, photo by flickaway1
Most of Michigan is waking up to some rough weather that’s definitely not this idyllic – stay safe if you have to go anywhere!
Brent’s photo is currently the cover photo on the Michigan in Pictures Facebook. If you want to share pics you can of course use the Absolute Michigan pool, but I made a new Michigan Cover Photos Group for folks who wanted to share them on our Facebook cover.
Check Brent’s photo out background bigtacular and see more in his Snow Scenes slideshow.
More winter wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.
NAIAS: 2013 Detroit Auto Show roars into town
January 16, 2013
LFA by JSFauxtaugraphy, photo by JSFauxtaugraphy
Snapshots from the 2013 North American International Auto Show aka NAIAS 2013 aka the Detroit Auto Show started yesterday for media & industry. The public show runs Saturday, January 19 through Saturday, January 26. Here are a few quick hits:
- At $12 per person and $6 for seniors and youth, the tickets seem like a pretty great deal.
- It’s once again at the Cobo Center after a number of years at the Renaissance Center. Detroit Auto Show, 1960 is stunning shot at Cobo from Michigan in Pictures that captures the glamor the show once had. I’d be interested in what anyone who has attended in the 60s and recently has to say about the feel of the show.
- They have a Facebook page, but then again is there anyone or anything at this point that doesn’t? They are giving away tickets and posting some nice photos like this birds-eye view of the show floor.
- Concepts? They have concepts, though Jason from Jalopnik says that the Tesla Model X is the only car that really feels like it’s from the future. (I think it’s the doors)
- There’s plenty of green machines at NAIAS 2013, but the International Business times wonders why there’s just one using hydrogen fuel cell technology. Unlike batteries, fuel cells take minutes to recharge and offer greater range.
- Being an off-election year, there are not many politicians to be found, unlike years ago. Danny Glover however, is in Detroit talking about unions.
- Much more coverage of the 2013 Detroit Auto Show at mLive, the Detroit News and the Freep.
Check this out background bigtacular and see more in Joseph’s NAIAS 2012 slideshow.
More NAIAS on Michigan in Pictures.
Start your (lake effect snow) engines?
August 15, 2012
Parked for the Season, photo by Rudy Malmquist
Jennifer Kalish of the Great Lakes Echo writes that our summer heat could produce more winter snow:
The record high temperatures this summer could mean some Great Lakes coastal residents will get buried in snow this winter.
“There’s certainly a lot of evidence to suggest that we will go into this fall with warmer than normal lake temperatures,” said Jeff Andresen, state climatologist for Michigan. “That could lead to an increase in the amount of lake-effect precipitation we see, but it isn’t certain.”
Lake-effect snow happens when cold dry air that moves south over Canada meets the warm waters of the Great Lakes, Andresen said.
The cold air picks up moisture as the warm water evaporates from the lake, forms into clouds and then dumps snow onto nearby cities and towns, Andresen said. The greater the difference in temperature between the warm water and cold air, the more snow will fall.
That means the warm summer is only part of the recipe for lots of lake-effect snow.
Check this photo out bigger and see more in Rudy’s snow slideshow.
The Ford 999
July 30, 2012
Henry Ford and Barney Oldfield and the Ford 999 in 1902, photographer unknown (via Wikimedia)
Henry Ford, founder and namesake of the Ford Motor Company, was born on July 30, 1863. He’s shown above with early racing great Barney Oldfield and the Ford 999. The Motorsports Hall of Fame says:
The oldest vehicle in the Motorsports Hall of Fame is the famous Ford 999 racer from 1902. Although it is not the first race car ever built, it is certainly the first car to rise to the status of legend.
Always seeking publicity, Barney Oldfield dubbed the car 999 after the feats of the record-holding New York Central locomotive.
Although the car is equipped with only one seat, a “Mechanician” was often kept busy oiling bearings and making adjustments while the car was being driven! The role more closely resembled that of an active sidecar acrobat than that of a riding mechanic.
The sister car of the 999 was the Arrow. It was a rebuilt Arrow that Henry Ford drove to 91.37 mph on frozen Lake St. Clair in January of 1904, for the new automotive World Land Speed record. After Ford set the record, his racing partner, Tom Cooper, sold both the 999 and the Arrow. The Arrow was renamed the New 999 by the new owner.
…Shortly before his death, Henry Ford is said to have remarked to Barney Oldfield: “You made me and I made you.” Oldfield shook his head and replied “Old 999 made both of us.”
You can see a great gallery of photos of early Ford race cars that includes shots of Ford and his mechanician and a modern photo of the 999 from The Henry Ford Museum on Flickr. The Henry Ford is located in Dearborn and they (of course) have a ton of information about Henry Ford.
More cars on Michigan in Pictures!
Take a drive this holiday weekend…
June 29, 2012
amphicar, photo by northernlightphotograph
Gas prices are at an astonishing low – $2.99 at the Lambertville Kroger – and the weekend weather looks hot but amazing. It’s probably time to make a trip to one of Michigan’s great parks or beaches. While I’m guessing that most of you don’t have a sweet boat car like this, it’s a great weekend for boating too!
Check this photo out bigger and in Tim’s 2012 Bay Harbor Car Show slideshow.
April 20, 1909: The World’s First Mile of Concrete Highway
April 20, 2012
Paving Woodward Avenue in 1909, photo courtesy Woodward Avenue Action Association
On April 20, 1909,construction of the world’s first mile of concrete highway was begun in Detroit. The History of the World’s First Mile of Concrete Highway from the Wayne County Road Commission begins.
The year was 1909, and it was a big year in Detroit. Ty Cobb led the Detroit Tigers to a League Pennant at Bennett Park, Henry Ford introduced the Model T and J.L. Hudson was scouting out a location at Woodward and Farmer for his department store’s new location.
Also that year, the Wayne County Road Commission introduced the world to a new kind of road: Concrete. The only place it could be found that year was Woodward Avenue between Six and Seven Mile Roads in Greenfield Township, which is now northwest Detroit.
Roads up to that point – if they were paved at all – had been built with brick, cobblestone, or a material called macadam, which was not much more than stones sprayed with a tar to form some kind of wear resistant surface. Unfortunately, brick and cobblestone were uneven and labor intensive, while macadam didn’t last long.
Read on for more about this Michigan first, from the creation of Michigan’s first road commission in Wayne County in 1906 (Henry Ford was a charter member) to the details of this and other transportation innovations from the Motor City. They also have the facts about that first mile including the cost ($13,492.83) and daily pay of workers.
See more photos from the Woodward Avenue Action Association and read a whole lot more about the history of Woodward Avenue.
Pride and Joy at the Woodward Dream Cruise
August 16, 2011
Pride and Joy, photo by country_boy_shane.
The annual Woodward Dream Cruise is the is the world’s largest one-day automotive event, drawing 1.5 million people and 40,000 classic cars. It takes place this Saturday (August 20, 2011) and has come a long way since August 1995, Nelson House and a group of volunteers looked to relive and recreate the cruisin’ heydays of the 50s and 60s.
The one day cruise is paired with the Ferndale Woodward Dream Cruise which happens August 18-20 and has many special exhibitions and musical performances.
More about the Woodward Dream Cruise on Michigan in Pictures.
Check this out background big and in Shane’s Woodward Dream Cruise 2008 slideshow. You can also get your own copy from Shane Gorski Photography!
Want more? Have a look at the Woodward Dream Cruise Group on Flickr!
Back To the Bricks in Flint!
August 12, 2011
Back To the Bricks: Flint Michigan, photo by maryn0503.
The annual Back to the Bricks Cruise Weekend takes place August 16-20 in Flint. Vehicle City goes back to its roots as around 25,000 show car owners and hundreds of thousands of car fans celebrate classic cars and car culture with a rolling cruise, car show and many more events.
One of the coolest things is that the showing and cruising are free, so if you have a car that meets their criteria, you can just head over! Check backtothebricks.org for all the details.
Check this out big as the 70s and in Mary’s Back to the Bricks slideshow.
For even more, see Back to the Bricks 2010 slideshow from Flint Foto Factory.
Super A, Model A
July 14, 2011
Wikipedia says that the “letter series” from Farmall was introduced in 1939 by International Harvester. Reading about these affordable vehicles that put tractors within reach of small farmers all across the nation put me in mind of another vehicle series that catered to the mass market, Henry Ford’s Model T, Model A and Model B.
That in turn reminded me of a recent feature on Absolute Michigan about a Michigan man who is driving a Model A for 365 days and blogging about it.
Check it out bigger and in her Super A slideshow.
