Promote Michigan Blog – Page 2

Dianna Stampfler March 21, 2022May 22, 2023 black swallowtail, bugs, dragonfly, entomologist, entomology, honeybee, insects, ladybug, michigan, monarch, nature, pure michigan, state bug, state insect, vote

Have You Heard the BUZZ About Michigan’s Official State Insect?

Michigan’s first state symbol was the state flower, designated as the Apple Blossom in 1897. Since that time, 10 other symbols have been added to the list – from bird to reptile, gem to stone, wildflower to tree. A twelfth symbol is now under consideration in the legislature – Michigan’s official state insect! If members of the House and Senate can agree, the designation would leave Iowa as the only state in the Union without a state bug.

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Dianna Stampfler February 14, 2022February 27, 2022 maple, maple sap, maple syrup, michigan, michigan agriculture, pure michigan, spring

Maple Syrup Weekends Celebrate Michigan’s Oldest & Sweetest Spring Agricultural Activity

Each spring, as the days get longer and the temperatures begin to rise, Michiganders head out into the woods to take part in the state’s oldest agricultural activity…tapping maple trees for sap to be turned into mouth-watering maple syrup, candies and other sweet treats.

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Dianna Stampfler January 4, 2022February 27, 2022 anniversary, celebration, centennial, pure michigan

2022 Pure Michigan Milestone Celebrations!

Michigan was founded on January 26, 1837 as the 26th state of the United States of America…making this year our

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Dianna Stampfler January 3, 2022January 4, 2022 ancestry, archives, author, cemetery, census, college library, family tree, findagrave, genealogy, henry ford, history, library, museum, national archives, national parks, newspapers, online research, writer

Digital Treasure Hunting

As a freelance writer and author, I spend a great deal of my time doing historical online research. To be honest, it is this part of the process that I think I enjoy the most. It’s like a treasure hunt for information – to prove or refute details that tell one story, or another.

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Dianna Stampfler November 11, 2021January 4, 2022 american history, andersonville, battle creek, civil war, cold harbor, hugh matthews, michigan, michigan history, POW, the penny, veteran

Hugh Matthews Survived Civil War POW Camp, Returning to Work & Raise His Family

Throughout the pages of the recently-released historical novel The Penny by Michigan author Stewert James, readers find intertwined storylines that bring generations of families and friends together during often difficult times. One of the more compelling stories, one that warrants a more in-depth look, is Hugh Matthews – James’ great-great-grandfather.

Boss Ladies

Childhood dreams do come true. Just ask Janet (Noyes) Carrington, a seventh-generation resident of the Les Cheneaux Islands in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She was just eight years old in the late 1950s when she first laid eyes on the luxury 42-foot wooden yacht named Boss, docked at E.J. Mertaugh Boat Works in Hessel. It was love at first sight. She admired its sleek lines, rich mahogany color and unique character, and promised herself that someday Boss would be hers.

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Dianna Stampfler September 27, 2021September 29, 2021 covered bridge, frankenmuth, kal-haven, michigan, michigan nature, pierce stocking, pure michigan, sleeping bear dunes, trails, wooden bridge

Bridges to Michigan’s Past

If your interest in covered bridges dates back to the 1995 film “The Bridges of Madison County” with Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep, you’re not alone! It was shortly after seeing that romantic drama that I began researching Michigan’s historic covered bridges – of which just few still exist. Over the past 12 months or so, I made a point to visit a couple of these bridges that I had yet to see for myself (in person). It renewed my interest in these beautifully rustic structures and I am reworking my presentation of the same name to add to my portfolio and am even looking at publishing a book in the future with The History Press.

FAREWELL TO BACHELORHOOD: Ernest Hemingway’s Wedding in Northern Michigan

It should come as no surprise that Ernest Hemingway chose northern Michigan as the setting for his first wedding. This rural countryside was his first real love, so it was fitting that he and his muse would begin their marriage alongside the towering trees and flowing rivers which shaped his life. This year – September 3 – marks the 100th anniversary of the marriage between Hemingway (at the time, a life-long summer resident on Walloon Lake) and Hadley Richardson.

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Dianna Stampfler July 4, 2021April 8, 2021 detroit, father marquette, fort michilmackinac, historic cities, independence day, michigan, michigan history, sault ste marie

Michigan Cities & Sites that Pre-date the Signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776

The United States celebrates its 243rd birthday today…but several Michigan communities pre-date the historic signing of the Declaration of Independence

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Dianna Stampfler June 5, 2021 christopher reeve, dean cain, ice cream, pure michigan, strohs, superman, tom welling

Michigan’s Superman Connections

June 12 has been declared “Superman Day” – celebrating this super hero first created in 1933 by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel (writer and illustrator, respectively). Did you know Michigan has at least two connections to this long-standing franchise?

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Dianna Stampfler May 27, 2021May 28, 2021 mackinac island, mackinaw city, memorial day, memorial weekend, pure michigan, straits of mackinac

Memories of Memorial Weekend

Memorial Day has always been an important day in our family – given that my brother and me were both born on May 30 (5 years apart, 1964 and 1969 respectively). As a young child, I always felt the parade was just for us…in celebration of our birthdays.

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Dianna Stampfler May 6, 2021May 4, 2023 female, great lakes, keeper, lighthouse, maritime history, michigan, michigan history, mothers day

Mothers of Michigan’s Lights

Michigan’s many historic lighthouses were home to dozens of women who served as keepers while also raising their families in often remote locations. This Mother’s Day, we pay tribute to these “Mothers of the Lights” here in the Great Lakes State!

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Dianna Stampfler May 5, 2021May 10, 2022 abe lincoln, abraham lincoln, cemetery, family tree, hannan sammis, michigan, montague

The Mysterious Family Tree of Hannah Lincoln Sammis of Montague, Michigan

Earlier this summer, while speaking at the Montague Library in Muskegon County, I learned about one of the community’s most noted former residents – Hannah Lincoln Sammis – who was said to be a cousin of President Abraham Lincoln. The sign at the Sammis Cemetery in Montague Township, erected in 1977, even notes this designation while the City of Montague website states “President Abraham Lincoln’s first cousin, Hanna (sic) Lincoln Sammis, is buried in a little cemetery on the north side of Eilers Road, between Besser Court and Cook Street (in Montague Township).”