Lanstories

Boustrophedonical – Part Two Part two of a two-part episode, on this edition of Lanstories, host David Siwik continues his exploration of the namesake of Meridian Township, the land survey of Michigan conducted during the territorial and early statehood period of Michigan history. In this part two, Host Siwik takes a deep dive into the methods by which early land surveyors conducted their craft an...

Part one of a two-part episode, on this edition of Lanstories, host David Siwik explores the namesake of Meridian Township - the land survey of Michigan conducted during the territorial and early statehood period, centered around the Meridian survey line, and the establishment of the boustrophedonical section number system. Topics covered include an overview of the establishment of the Northwest T...

In this third part of a three-part episode, Lanstories host David Siwik concludes his look at Lansing during the childhood of Malcolm X in the 1920s and 1930s. Topics discussed include housing discrimination, foster care, the death of Malcolm X's father and the threats the Little family faced from the state authorities and local white supremacist terrorist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and the B...

In part two of a three part episode, host David Siwik continues the exploration of Lansing, Michigan in the 1920s and 1930s, with a consideration of Malcolm X’s childhood and the broader socioeconomic dynamics of a black family living in a northern city during these years. Specific episode topics include historical housing discrimination, the growth of Lansing neighborhoods and the establishment o...

In part one of a three part episode, host David Siwik discusses life in Lansing in the 1920s and 1930s as the childhood home of Malcolm X, with a focus on broader socioeconomic realities in the city and elsewhere at the time. Siwik discusses the arrival of the Little family into Lansing in the 1920s and the broader cultural dynamic their arrival into a growing industrial city with strained race re...

On this episode, show host David Siwik interviewed John Beck of the School of Human Resources & Labor Relations at Michigan State University to discuss Lansing as part of the MotorCities National Heritage Area, an ongoing project of the US National Park Service. Focusing on Beck’s role in leading the Lansing chapter of the MotorCities National Heritage Area, and some of their work in preservin...

Michigan Capitol Tour Guide and historian Jerry Benson joined host David Siwik to discuss Zachariah Chandler, one of the Michigan’s most important leaders of the 19thcentury. Jerry Benson is an expert on Chandler and has done extensive research on Chandler’s connections to the mid-Michigan area, including the Chandler-Marsh farm in Clinton County. Tags/Keywords: Zachariah Chandler, Jerry Benson, M...

Matt VanAcker, Director Capitol Tour, Education & Information Services, Director/Curator-Save the Flags for the state of Michigan, joins host David Siwik to discuss Lansing’s role in the Civil War, and the book Matt recently published of the same title. This episode focuses primarily on the folks from Lansing who contributed to Michigan’s effort to save the Union. Topics discussed also include...

In this episode, guest Daniel Siwik joins host David Siwik to discuss the former YMCA building that once stood at the corner of Lenawee and Townsend Streets in downtown Lansing. In particular, this episode focuses on the architecturally significant elements of the former building and the restoration/repurposing of the building sign, now located on the campus of Lansing Community College. Tags/keyw...

In this episode, host David Siwik continues his look at 20th century businessman John McGoff and his Panax corporation. The episode beings by discussing the premise behind a 1986 Vice Presidential visit to Lansing for fundraising, then examines the connections the Panax Corporation made to the South African Government at a time when economic sanctions where being imposed upon the nation by the Uni...

In this episode, host David Siwik uses the 1986 fundraising visit by George H.W. Bush to local business magnet John McGoff as the premise for a deep dive into the Panax Corporation, and accusations leveled against it of illegal activity involving the South African government. Topics Siwik covers include McGoff’s biography, the growth and eventual liquidation of Panax, and the Vice Presidential vis...

This episode of Lanstories delves into the historical significance of the Michigan Vietnam Veterans Memorial, dedicated on November 11, 2001, just two months after the harrowing events of September 11. We explore the context surrounding the memorial's creation, emphasizing its role as a poignant commemoration of the sacrifices made by Michigan veterans during the Vietnam War and examine the broade...

In this episode, host David Siwik discusses the Kerns Hotel Fire of December 11, 1934. Topics discussed include the hotel, fire, and aftermath, as well as the history of the Lansing Box 23 club. Keywords: Lansing, Lansing History, Michigan, Michigan History, Kerns Hotel, Building Construction, Early-20th Century History, Lansing Fire Department, Mount Hope Cemetery, Fire Alarm Box 23, Box 23 Club

Subject matter expert Daniel Siwik, a professional sign maker currently practicing his trade in Lansing, joined host David Siwik for a wide-ranging discussion of unique signs around Michigan’s capital city. This is a follow-up to an earlier episode, with host and guest expanding the connections between historic signs in Lansing and broader social, economic, and political trends. Keywords, Tags: Si...

In this episode, Siwik interviews lifelong Lansing resident Timothy Bowman. Bowman is active in the Historical Society of Greater Lansing and shared with host David Siwik some of the research he has done on local history. Siwik and Bowman discussed sources and the plethora of local history resources to be found in the Lansing area. Keywords: Lansing, Michigan, Regional History, Local History, Hist...

Daniel Siwik joins host David Siwik to examine the art, science, and cultural considerations of signs in Michigan's capital city. Keywords: Lansing, Michigan, Lansing Michigan, History, Signs, Communication, Daniel Siwik

Historical Society of Greater Lansing President Bill Castanier joined host David Siwik to discuss By the Yard: MIchigan in Panoramic Photography , an exhibit of historic panoramic photos. Consisting largely of photos from the Dan Barber Collection, Michigan State University Museum, Library of Congress, and other archival sources, the exhibit is on display through the Winter 2023. Bill and David di...

This episode explores the Ransom Eli Olds and automobile production in Lansing through the filmmaker's lens with Michael Rodriguez, PhD, a Michigan State University professor who wrote and produced R.E. Olds and the First Auto City, released in 2019 as part of the Biddle City Project. Topics covered include Lansing automobile production, manufacturing processes and innovation, and telling the stor...

A continuation of a look at the Paving the Way project, exploring the social impact of the destruction of the neighborhood for the construction of Interstate 496. Siwik interviews Bill Castanier, President of the Historical Society of Greater Lansing, and Patrick Sambaer, historian who worked on the project. The host and interviewees discuss aspects of the history project, including its inception,...

In this story, Lanstories explores the history of Interstate-496 through the Paving the Way: I-496 Project , an endeavor of the Historical Society of Greater Lansing, funded in part through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Patrick Sambaer appears as a guest to discuss the project and his work transcribing some of the interviews conducted as part of the project. Paving the Wa...

In this follow-up to episode 10, Lanstories continues the exploration of Lansing baseball teams in the early days of the professional and semi-pro game. This episode considers more aspects of the Lansing Senators and examines the development of the Lansing Baseball Association, Lansing’s city league that formed in the 1920s and had a major presence in the city. Cultural and social aspects of baseb...

This episode explores the history of baseball in Lansing, focusing on the late-1800s to early-1900s time period. The Lansing Senators were a professional baseball team that played in a minor league known as the Michigan State League. The Senators were notable for having the first professional Black baseball player in the United States, Bud Fowler. The Senators played in several locations around th...

The third in a three-part series, this episode concludes our look at the historical background behind the Lansing Community College Land Acknowledgement statement. Part three explores how the lands formerly held by the Potawatomi and other Anishinaabeg came into the possession of Euro-Americans, with a focus on tribal sovereignty, land cession treaties and the forced removal of indigenous peoples...

The second in a three-part series, this episode continues to examine the historical background behind the Lansing Community College Land Acknowledgement statement by considering how the lands formerly held by the Potawatomi and other Anishinaabeg came into the possession of Euro-Americans. With a focus on the changing political, geographic, and economic circumstances following the American War of...

The first in a three-part series, this episode examines life in Mid-Michigan for the indigenous Anishinaabeg. Part one explores life in the Great Lakes region millennia ago and the cultural differences between the Anishinaabeg and later European colonizers. Content includes a focus on what is known and not-known of the centuries of human existence that pre-date European and Euro-American interest...