Detroit Finds
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The Grid Part I: The Survey of Michigan
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Shane KimbroughIt's no accident that Metro Detroit--a region historically apathetic to organized urban planning--ended up with a neat grid of roads set one mile apart. But there is a deeper order and complexity to the system beyond a convenient grid. Its origins lie deep in the early history of the United States, and is one of the boldest utopian social engineering experiments ever proposed by its founders.
The US Public Land Survey System
When the United States gained independence in 1783, the new republic was in debt, and the Continental Congress did not have the power to impose taxes. The federal government's only source of capital was the millions of acres of Native American land west of the Appalachian Mountains that Britain no longer protected. The Continental Congress appointed a committee, chaired by Thomas Jefferson, to devise an efficient system for dividing and selling this land, as well as outlining the process by which new states could be carved out of the territory. This committee's recommendations became, after a few alterations, the Land Ordinance of 1785--the foundation of the US Public Land Survey System.
The system would work like this: Once a treaty extinguished Native American ownership of a given area, the land was to be surveyed. A surveyor would begin by establishing a "Point of Beginning" or "Initial Point" in a more or less arbitrary location in a new territory. From there, a Meridian (running north-south) and a Baseline (running east-west) would be drawn, becoming the axes along which square townships were to be established. Jefferson believed that these surveys should follow a new system of measurement using "geographical miles" (one second of one degree of the Earth's circumference, or 6,086.4 feet), and laying out townships measuring ten geographical miles on a side. But the final version of the Land Ordinance codified townships measuring only six miles on a side, and that conventional measurements would be used. Finally, each township was subdivided into thirty-six "sections" measuring one square mile each.
Beginning in 1796, the following scheme was adopted to number each square-mile section within every new township:
Bureau of Land ManagementThese townships covered large swaths of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana according to various baselines and meridians before finally coming to Michigan.
The Treaty of Detroit
The 1795 Treaty of Greenville excluded all Native American ownership of land within six miles of the Detroit River. Even before the First Nations were pushed farther west, the US government began to contemplate a survey of Michigan, knowing that more treaties were inevitable. Jared Mansfield, Surveyor General of the Northwest Territory from 1803-1812, drew the sketch pictured below, showing how Michigan's baseline and meridian should be situated. It was included with a letter to Albert Gallatin, written in May of 1807, in which he suggested that the territory's baseline be run "a little North of Detroit."
Hathi TrustThe Treaty of Detroit was signed several months later, ceding most of southeast Michigan to the US government, aside from a few designated Indian reservations. Native Americans were permitted to hunt and trap on this land until it was sold to private owners.
Before this tract could be surveyed, the government first had to settle all claims of private property within it. Most of these private claims were the "ribbon farms," surveyed by Aaron Greeley between 1808-1810. Another postponement of the public land survey resulted from the War of 1812 and its aftermath. Work would not begin on the public survey until eight years after the signing of the Treaty of Detroit.
The Military Bounty Land
In late 1811 and early 1812, Congress passed laws that promised 160 acres of land to soldiers who would serve in the military for five years. On May 6, 1812, an additional law was enacted that required that two million acres of this land be located in Michigan. The surveys were delayed by the War of 1812, which broke out just weeks after the passage of this legislation.
Edward Tiffin, Surveyor General of the Northwest Territory from 1815-1829, entered into a contract with surveyor Alexander Holmes on April 18, 1815, to establish the Michigan Baseline "due West from a point above Detroit." Holmes received permission to split the contract with his brother, Samuel. Tiffin also contracted with surveyor Benjamin Hough on April 28, 1815 to lay out "a true meridian line from Fort Defiance," which was also the beginning point of the Treaty of Detroit land cession. The Michigan Meridian was to coincide with the western boundary of the federally owned land.
Holmes' and Hough's contracts also specified how the military bounty land should be laid out. It would consist of ninety-six townships arranged in a rectangle measuring twelve townships tall by eight townships wide, centered directly over the baseline. Holmes was to outline the east forty-eight townships, and Hough had the west forty-eight. Other surveyors were contracted to subdivide the townships into one-mile sections.
These plans were all well and good, but government officials had apparently forgotten that the US was still at war with the First Nations who fought against it in the War of 1812. Although the US entered a peace agreement with Britain on December 24, 1814, the Native American tribes had never signed any such treaty. Alexander Holmes attempted to establish the Michigan Baseline in May 1815, but his work was cut short when the Native Americans he encountered in the field immediately sent him back to Detroit. The surveyors were forced to suspend all work for several months until peace could be made.
The Survey Begins
A truce with the local tribes finally came on September 8, 1815 with the signing of the Treaty of Springwells. By this agreement, everything more or less went back to the way it was before the War of 1812. Past treaties were recognized, and any chiefs who participated in the war were pardoned.
Hough and Holmes, whose contracts required them to finish their work by January 1, 1816, had to move quickly. Rather than survey the baseline and meridian separately as originally planned, they teamed up at Fort Defiance to begin work on the meridian, with the intention of splitting up and focusing on their respective tasks upon reaching Michigan's interior.
The surveyors and their crews arrived at Fort Defiance, Ohio in late September 1815. Their first task was to carefully observe the movement of the North Star in order to calculate the exact deviation between magnetic north and true north, which was found to be 4°39' east. They also had to determine, then and there, how far north the Michigan Baseline should be. In order to ensure that the military bounty land was not interrupted by Lake Erie or the Ohio border, the surveyors calculated that the baseline should run seventy-eight miles north of Fort Defiance. In other words, the spot where they began the survey of the Michigan Meridian at Fort Defiance was the southwest corner of the (theoretical) thirteenth township south of the baseline.
This process, of course, was utterly backwards, working in reverse toward a theoretical Initial Point. Because of this process, one could think of Michigan's true Point of Beginning as lying at the confluence of the Maumee and Auglaize Rivers in Ohio, where Fort Defiance once stood.
The first page of Hough's field notes, at the genesis of the Survey of Michigan, begins:
Friday September 29th 1815 - West boundary T.13 R.1 South
Commenced the Meridian, or Indian boundary line, Beginning at the Mouth of the Great Auglaize river, and run by the true meridian due North (the Variation being 4°,39' East) crossing the Miami of Lake Erie
Archives of Michigan
Photograph by the authorConfluence of the Maumee & Auglaize Rivers, as seen from Fort Defiance.
Photograph by the authorThe surveyors worked their way north, using a Gunter's chain, a rod, and a theodolite to establish the meridian. Each surveyor required several assistants, including chainmen, an axman, a rodman, a counter, and a cook. The surveyors marked every half mile with a wooden post set firmly in the ground. Every tree close to the line was marked with a "blaze"--a smoothed area made by chipping away bark. Trees standing directly on the line were marked with deep horizontal hacks. And the entire process was carefully documented in the surveyors' field notes. These notes also included the locations of bodies of water, Indian paths, and other landmarks, as well as descriptions of the soil, topography, and vegetation.
Bureau of Land ManagementBlazed and hacked trees along a survey line.
Tuesday Johnson's Historical IndulgencesSurveyors and their tools, circa 1850.The First Township
It was on or about October 9, 1815 when the surveyors struck the southwest corner of the military bounty tract. At this point, the various teams began to split up. Holmes continued running the meridian with the intention of reaching the Initial Point, and from there running the baseline toward Detroit. The rest of the group headed east along the southern border of the military land.
After just three miles, they came to Posey Lake. Establishing a theoretical line "through" the lake entailed moving around it along a carefully measured path and running calculations--a time-consuming process known as "meandering." As Hough approached the sixth mile east of the meridian, surveyor Thomas Evans stayed behind to begin subdividing the very first township of this tract, now known as Rollin Township, into one-square-mile sections. Evans later described this township as "very swampy and tedious to survey," and that, if the rest of the land was similar, "I shall not be able to finish it this Season." On the following day, Hough and his assistant, Allison Looker, separated in order to begin surveying the first and second range lines simultaneously.
When Hough began the survey of the north border of Rollin Township, he ran into an even larger body of water, Devil's Lake. In a letter to Tiffin he complained that this second lake
detained me another full day in going around it—This lake is from half a mile to 3/4 of a mile wide, and about 3 or 4 miles long, but the difficulty in meandering round those lakes is beyond any thing you can conceive—From what I have seen this country is in no ways inviting—It is true there is some good spots; but a large proportion is either useless swamps, or poor and barren—From there, the surveyors' experience did not improve. Because they did not realize that 1815 had been a particularly rainy year, they were led to believe that Michigan was mostly covered in swamps.
Starting the Baseline
Holmes continued the meridian north, closing in on the calculated Initial Point. However, his path was cut short just over seven miles from his destination by the Portage River, which was too flooded to cross. Being short on time and supplies, Holmes decided to descend to a point twelve miles south of the Initial Point and run a township line east and parallel to the baseline, rather than meander around the flooded river. He began this line on October 13, 1815, and ran it for forty-two miles in just five days.
On the sixth day, October 18, he continued the line east for only two miles, crossing the Great Sauk Trail less than half a mile before stopping on what is now the border between Canton and Van Buren townships. At this point there is a six-day gap in the field notes. Holmes probably followed the Sauk Trail to Detroit, where he and his men rested and stocked up on supplies, and where his brother, Samuel, was waiting to rendezvous with him.
On October 23, Alexander and Samuel Holmes returned to the field to continue the survey. Samuel began at the post set by Alexander at what is now the southwest corner of Canton Township, and began running a range line north. Alexander resumed exactly where he left off, two miles east of Samuel's starting point. He continued to the southeast corner of Canton Township, then turned north, outlining the eastern edge of the military bounty land.
The following day, October 24, witnessed an important event in the urban planning history of Detroit. This was the date when both Samuel and Alexander Holmes, while surveying their respective range lines northward, set the very first monuments on the Michigan Baseline. Alexander met the baseline at the exact corner where Farmington Hills, Livonia, Northville Township and Novi meet. The post set by Samuel now marks the intersection of Napier Road and Eight Mile Road. Eight Mile Road, of course, coincides with the Michigan Baseline, and in many places is called Base Line Road.
The exact spot where Alexander Holmes set his first post on the baseline is still marked on the median in Eight Mile Road between Haggerty Road and I-275.
The original wooden post is long gone, but this location has been carefully maintained for more than two centuries, having been replaced at times with monuments of other materials. Today it is marked by a length of 5/8"-diameter rebar driven into the earth topped with a brass cap. This marker is protected by a cast iron cover called a monument box. Even if you haven't noticed them before, monument boxes can be found every half mile on paved roads that follow lines of the US Public Land Survey System. They are easiest to find in the middle of the intersection between two of these roads.
The Holmes brothers spent several weeks outlining townships in the northeast corner of the military bounty reserve. Alexander's group met the baseline again on November 13, at what is now the southwest corner of South Lyon. He finally began his survey of the baseline itself from this spot the following day. The team hacked their way eastward through half-frozen swamps until November 18, at a point a little more than one mile past the Saginaw Trail. Alexander Holmes' field notes indicate that a half-mile post was set at what today would be halfway between Hilton and John R Roads on the border between Detroit and Royal Oak. He then wrote, "We have been wading in ice & water for three days and are completely worn out -- quit and went to Detroit which is situate [sic] a little E. of South and about nine miles distant."
Archives of MichiganAlexander Holmes withdrew from the survey and rested in Detroit for a week and a half. "We have suffered almost every hardship, and encountered almost ever[y] difficulty that could be expected of mortals to endure," he wrote to Tiffin while recuperating in Detroit, "but amidst all have been bless'd with good health.—It is my intention not to quit until I finish, which I hope to accomplish before the 20th of next month."
Lines surveyed by the Holmes brothers between Oct. 23-Nov. 18, 1815.
Alexander Holmes did not complete the baseline to Lake St. Clair, but returned to the military bounty tract on November 27. Although the Holmes brothers continued to work through mid-December, Hough departed for his home in Ohio some time prior to November 24. On November 30, Tiffin reported to Josiah Meigs, Commissioner of the US General Land Office, "The surveyors who went to survey the military land in the Michigan Territory have been obliged to suspend their operations until the country shall be sufficiently froze so as to bear man and beast." He noted that the surveyors had
continued at work, suffering incredible hardships, until both men and beasts were literally wore down with extreme sufferings and fatigue. The frost set in early, and the ice covered nearly the whole country, but broke through at every step, and the pack horses could not be got along with them.
Setting the Initial Point(s)
The land was adequately frozen by February 1816 when surveyor Joseph Fletcher arrived at Detroit to lay out the Ten Thousand Acre Tract as well as assist with the public land survey. Fletcher completed Hough's assigned portion of the bounty tract, but it is not clear whether Fletcher subcontracted the work from Hough, or if Hough simply quit.
In either case, Hough did return (at least briefly) in early 1816 to complete the few lines that included Michigan's Initial Point. Because of the flooding of the Portage River, he couldn't directly carry the meridian north to that location, but instead had to backtrack westward along the baseline. The point where Hough set a post in the earth to indicate the center of the survey of Michigan is today marked by a concrete monument and bronze marker.
Photograph by the author.This is the precise spot where the baseline--running from Lake St. Clair and through Eight Mile Road--intersects the meridian, which began at Fort Defiance.
Photograph by the author.Eight years after Hough established this point, surveyor Joseph Wampler was tasked with beginning a survey west of the meridian, after that land had been obtained from the First Nations. He began on the meridian twelve miles below the Initial Point and headed north. However, unlike his predecessors, he was able to cross the Portage River and continue along the meridian directly. In doing so, he found that Hough had made an error when locating Initial Point. Hough's post was 935.88 feet north of where it should have been. In the map below, notice that the survey lines based on Wampler's work (on the west) and the lines based on the work of Hough and Homes (on the east) tie in to one another south of the Portage River, but not north of it.
For reasons that will forever remain a mystery, Wampler decided to set a second initial point rather than tie his survey into the true point of beginning set by Hough. Therefore, Michigan has two Initial Points, the only state in the union to hold such an honor. Like the East Baseline, the West Baseline is marked by a monument and bronze disc. These sites are open to the public at Meridian-Baseline State Park.
Photograph by the author.
Photograph by the author.The West Baseline terminates at Lake Michigan in the City of South Haven.
"Not more than one acre out of a hundred"
By the early spring of 1816, the townships comprising the military bounty lands were outlined and many were subdivided, albeit hastily. Below is a map showing all exterior township boundaries surveyed that season as determined by examining the surveyors' field notes, preserved by the Archives of Michigan and available to view on SeekingMichigan.org.
Click here for a larger version.
On November 30, 1815, when this survey was only half finished, Edward Tiffin made a report to Commissioner Meigs on the condition of this land. His summary is based on the incomplete information given to him by the disgruntled Benjamin Hough and Alexander Holmes. Tiffin described the territory as swampy and worthless. "The intermediate space between these swamps and lakes," he wrote, "which is probably near one-half of the country--is, with very few exceptions, a poor, barren, sandy land, on which scarcely any vegetation grows, except very small, scrubby oaks." His report famously concluded: "there would not be more than one acre out of a hundred, if there would be one out of a thousand, that would in any case admit of cultivation."
Tiffin's report led to a law passed by Congress in April 1816 substituting land in Illinois and Missouri to be used for military bounties instead.
This vast surveyed tract was simply to be sold to the public at a later date. But with Tiffin's damning report and the isolation of these two million acres in the middle of the peninsula, it seemed unlikely that the struggling territory could attract the settlers it needed.
* * * * *To be continued...
Click here to read The Grid Part II: The Survey of Metro Detroit.
Source: http://detroiturbanism.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-grid-part-i-survey-of-michigan.html
Sacred Heart Parish, Grosse Ile
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The first Church of the Sacred Heart was built in 1915, on the eastern shore of Grosse Ile.
A bell mount stands outside the chapel; the bell is engraved with “S. Davis”, “Detroit”, “1889”.
A cemetery stands immediately behind the chapel.
Construction on the current Sacred Heart Church began in 1968, around the corner from the chapel and cemetery.
Cardinal Dearden dedicated the church on June 14, 1969. A large vestibule was added in 1990.
A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary stands outside the church, surrounded by Stations of the Cross.
Sacred Heart of Jesus stands in front of the church; the Holy Family hangs in the vestibule.
The parish offers Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every Tuesday and again on First Fridays.
Sacred Heart Parish currently has 890 registered families. Fr. Mike Molnar has been pastor since July, 2008, and is assisted by Sr. Helen Therese Bodziak, Pastoral Associate.
Saturday Vigil Mass is at 5:00pm while Sunday Masses are at 8:30am and 11:00am.
For more info: parish website
More photos: AOD Film Services
Source: http://detroitchurchblog.blogspot.com/2019/01/sacred-heart-parish-grosse-ile.html
Leyland: Go Green, roster probably set Saturday
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HOUSTON -- The Tigers are sharing their Houston hotel with the Michigan State Spartans this weekend, and Jim Leyland said he had a nice phone conversation with Tom Izzo last night.
"I gave him some last-minute tips,'' Leyland joked.
In all seriousness, Leyland said he was "pulling like crazy'' for Michigan State to beat Memphis tonight.
As for his own team, Leyland said it's now unlikely the Tigers will acquire anyone from outside the organization before opening day. He said there's a good chance the Tigers will set their roster before they leave Houston Saturday afternoon.
Leyland still hasn't said who the 25th player will be, but with no further moves, it's almost certain to be outfielder Clete Thomas (with Dane Sardinha going to Toledo).
Also today, Mike Hessman cleared waivers and was outrighted to Toledo.
Hessman is among the minor leaguers that the Tigers brought to Houston. Leyland said he would use his major-league relief pitchers tonight, then have the minor-league pitchers follow Nate Robertson on Saturday.
The minor leaguers on the trip are pitchers Francis Beltran, Jeremy Johnson and Preston Larrison, infielders Henry Mateo, Derek Wathan and Hessman, and outfielder Timo Perez.
Source: http://blog.mlive.com/tigersinsider/2008/03/leyland_go_green_roster_probab.html
2014 Sweet Juniper Holiday Card by. . . sweet Juniper
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This year our daughter asked if she could draw the family portrait for our holiday card. She worked very hard and we're proud as heck to share the result.
Top Ten Tigers Center Fielders
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(Photo credit: Britannica.com)
Today, I am presenting the list of top ten center fielders in Tigers history. Other installments in this series can be found at the following links.
Catchers
first basemen
Second Basemen
Shortstops
Third Basemen
In the previous articles, I discussed the criteria for my rankings in detail. Let's review the ground rules here:
- A player must have played at least half their games with the Tigers as a center fielder or played center field more than any other position.
- A player must have played at least two full seasons as a center fielder with the Tigers.
- Only games played with the Tigers are considered.
- If a player played other positions with the Tigers besides center field, his hitting performance in those games does count.
Ty Cobb 1016
Chet Lemon 102
Ron Leflore 84
Heinie Manush 65
Curtis Granderson 54
Jimmy Barrett 51
Barney McCosky 47
Hoot Evers 44
Austin Jackson 36
Johnny Groth 20
By this measure, Cobb is more than 900 runs better than Lemon! Speedy Ron Leflore ranks higher here thanks largely to 34 base running runs. Heinie Manush also does much better on this statistic than he does on WAR where he is dragged down by his poor defense (He became a left fielder later in his career.). On the other hand, Austin Jackson who excelled defensively does not fare as well on ABR. Stanley falls off the charts with -24 ABR.
In order to compare the batting excellence of players with different career lengths, we can use OPS+:
Ty Cobb 171
Heinie Manush 120
Chet Lemon 117
Jimmy Barrett 117
Curtis Granderson 114
Hoot Evers 112
Barney McCosky 110
Ron Leflore 108
Johnny Groth 107
Austin Jackson 105
On this list, Leflore drops to #8 (because OPS+ does not include base running) and Austin Jackson is now as low as 10th. Stanley is nowhere to be found here as his 90 OPS+ leaves him behind.
Now for the final top ten:
1. Ty Cobb (1905-1926 145 WAR 1,106 ABR 171 OPS+)
Ty Cobb is the easiest choice for number #1 of any position. Much has been said about his character flaws and there are debates about whether he was truly a bad person or just a product of his time period. It's probably some complex combination of both, but there are no doubts about his talents as a player as he is inarguably at the top of the list of the game's all-time greats. He is 4th in lifetime WAR behind Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds and Willie Mays and second in Offensive WAR behind Ruth. He led the American League in batting average twelve times, slugging eight times, OPS ten times and the list goes on and on.
2. Chet Lemon (1982-1990 31 WAR 102 ABR 117 OPS+)
Chet Lemon was acquired from the White Sox for left fielder Steve Kemp in 1981 and became one of the important pieces of the successful Tigers teams of the 1980's while Kemp's career was marred by injuries. Lemon was known to do some odd things on the bases like frequently diving head first into first base, but he more than made up for questionable base running with above average offense and excellent defense. In nine seasons with the Tigers, Lemon reached 2+ WAR eight times and 3+ WAR five times. His best year in Detroit was the 1984 championship season where he had a 135 OPS+ and 6.2 WAR.
3. Curtis Granderson (2004-2009 21 WAR 54 ABR 114 OPS+)
Curtis Granderson is the best home-grown Tigers position player since the 1980s and was a big fan favorite during his time in Detroit. He went out of his way to connect with fans as much as any player since I became a fan in 1968 and he was also talented. He was an above average hitter, fielder and base runner and was 3+ WAR in each of his four full seasons with the Tigers. His best year was 2007 when he was 7.6 WAR and one of only five players ever to achieve the quad twenty - 20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.
4. Barney McCosky (1939-1946 13 WAR 47 ABR 110 OPS+)
Barney McCosky was a lead-off hitter and strong defender who had a .384 OBP and 3.4 WAR as a rookie in 1939. He had an even better year in 1940 batting .340 with a league-leading 19 triples and 4.0 WAR in helping the Tigers to a pennant. He was 2+ WAR in each of his first four years as a Tiger before missing three prime seasons serving in World War II from 1943-1945. If we assume conservatively that he was 2 WAR in each of those three seasons, he would have been 19 WAR as a Tiger. So, he gets a bump on this list for that.
5. Ron Leflore (1974-1979 14 WAR 84 ABR 108 OPS+)
Ron Leflore did not begin playing baseball until he was 22 and in the State Prison of Southern Michigan in Jackson, a maximum security facility where they send the worst criminals. He was so talented that a fellow prisoner with connections to Tigers manager Billy Martin helped get him a try out. According to Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia by David Pietrusza, et al, Leflore was a given a tryout at Tiger Stadium while on a 48-hour furlough in June, 1973. A year later, he was in the majors and he soon became one of the more exciting players in the game. In 1976, he batted .316 including a 30-game hitting streak and stole 58 bases. The speedy Leflore led the league with 68 steals in 1977. He was 3+ WAR each season from 1976-1979, but was traded to the Expos for pitcher Dan Schatzeder because he became a clubhouse problem.
6. Austin Jackson (2010-2014 20 WAR 36 ABR 105 OPS+)
Austin Jackson came to the Tigers along with pitchers Max Scherzer, Phil Coke and Daniel Schlereth in a seven player three-team deal which also saw Granderson go to the Yankees. Jackson was primarily a defensive outfielder but was an average hitter and good base runner. He averaged 4.7 WAR from 2010-2013 (FanGraphs WAR is a little less generous at 3.7 per year due mostly to a different fielding statistic). His best season was 2012 when he had a 129 OPS+ and 5.5 WAR.
7. Jimmy Barrett (1901-1905 14 WAR 51 ABR 117 OPS+)
Jimmy Barrett was one of the players that hazed and infuriated Ty Cobb in his early days as a Tiger. Barrett also wasn't on the best of terms with his manager Edward Barrow. In Barrow's autobiography My Fifty Years in Baseball, he writes that Barrett said to him: "Mr. Barrow, your methods take all the individuality away from a player" Barrow responded: "Young man, if you ever speak to me that way again, I will take more than your individuality away from you. I will knock your block off." So Barrett was not the easiest guy to get along with but he was a solid player both offensively and defensively. Barrett was the Tigers first star in their opening season in 1901 with a 108 OPS+, strong defense and 2.7 WAR. His best season was 1903 when he led the league with a .407 OBP and had an OPS+ of 144.
8. Hoot Evers (1941-1952, 1954 14 WAR 44 ABR 112 OPS+)
According to Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia, Walter Arthur Evers got his nickname because he "hooted" as a baby. Hoot averaged 3.2 WAR and a 125 OPS+ between 1947-1950. His best season was 1950 when he batted .323/.408/.551 with a 141 OPS+.
9. Heinie Manush (1923-1927 11 WAR 65 ABR 120 OPS+)
If you think that Heinie Manush is a great name, Hollywood agrees with you. In the 1942 movie Obliging Young Lady, actor Edmond O'Brien repeats "Heinie Manush" to the rhythm of the motion of the train he's riding and gradually the other passengers begin to repeat it as well (IMDB.com). If Henry Emmitt Manush had played his entire career with the Tigers, he would be a high ranking left fielder with a .330 lifetime batting average and 46 WAR. Instead, he is a low ranking center fielder who could hit, but played the position poorly. Heinie's best season was 1926 when he led the league with a .378 batting average and had a 154 OPS+.
10. Mickey Stanley (1964-1978 17 WAR -24 ABR 90 OPS+)
Fan favorite Mickey Stanley was the opposite of Manush in that he was a very good fielder, but a below average hitter. He accumulated 17 WAR but it took him 13 years to do it. His claim to fame was that Mayo Smith played him at shortstop in the 1968 World Series with little previous experience at the position. The move was made because the Tigers had four good outfielders with Al Kaline returning from an injury and notoriously weak hitting shortstop Ray Oyler. Stanley held his own at short and the Tigers won the Series. Stanley's 1,175 games in center field was second most to Ty Cobb in franchise history.
Note: Most of the data for this post were abstracted from Baseball-Reference.com
Source: http://www.detroittigertales.com/2019/01/top-ten-tigers-center-fielders.html
Blake's Hard Cider
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Maritime Monument
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On the eastern side of Boblo Island is a monument that still stands as a tribute to sailors and maritime interests on the Great Lakes, long after the amusement park has closed.
It was unveiled in the late fall of 1909 and erected by the employees of the Detroit, Belle Isle & Windsor Ferry Co. (DBIC).
It is a 14-foot-tall concrete pedestal measuring 18 feet by 24 feet at the base and weighing 125 tons. A large chain surmounts the large block and leads to a full-size anchor that is 10 feet from fluke to fluke and 16 feet tall. It weighs about 3,000 pounds. The anchor was recovered from the four-masted, accident-prone steam barge City of Cleveland. The Cleveland was part of the Bradley Transportation Co. of Cleveland, which was launched in 1882 and had a tendency to ground herself — apparently one too many times.
After the barge was wrecked for the last time — on Sept. 17, 1901, at Cove Island in the Georgian Bay in Lake Huron — the anchor came into the possession of Capt. H.W. Baker, “Detroit’s noted wrecking master,” the Detroit Free Press wrote in its Nov. 19, 1909, edition. The DBIC acquired it from Baker for the “tribute to the lake sailor and the inland marine,” the Free Press added.
The monument was designed in the offices of the DBIC and built by its employees, who used 25 tons of cement and 250 loads of sand and gravel to create it.
A plaque on the monument reads:
“Dedicated to 134 years of American-Canadian friendship across 4,500 miles of unfortified border, protected only by the mutual respect and understanding one nation holds for the other.
“Presented in the name of the border cities of Detroit, Windsor, and Amherstburg.
“Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Bob-Lo Excursion Company and the 50 years of Canadian-American use of Bob-Lo Island as an International recreation area
June 18, 1898 – June 18, 1948″
Source: http://historicdetroit.org/building/maritime-monument/
