Letter from Henry's Mother to Henry Van Riper, March 29, 1865

Letter to Henry from his mother, in it she asks that he takes care of himself and be careful to not get sick and discusses other family matters

Letter from Henry Van Riper to "Dear Father," March 6, 1865

Letter from Henry to his father, in it he discusses sickness spreading at camp and leaving for Chattanooga

Letter from Mary Van Riper to Henry Van Riper, March 22, 1865

Letter from Mary Van Riper to Henry Van Riper discussing school life and acquaintances.

Letter from Henry Van Riper to Joshua Giles Benster, January 10, 1864

Letter from Henry Van Riper to Joshua Benster describing school life.

Letter from Willis E. Van Riper to "Dear Brother"

Letter from Willis Van Riper to his brother Henry in which he updates him on acquaintances and asks about his health.

Letter from Jennie Benster to Henry Van Riper, March 24, 1865

Letter from Jennie Benster to Henry Van Riper thanking him for his letter and updating him on her family.

Uppermost Canada: the Western District and the Detroit frontier, 1800-1850

The publication of this volume in a freely accessible digital format has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Mellon Foundation through their Humanities Open Book Program.

Birth of a notion, or, the half ain't never been told: a narrative account with entertaining passages of the state of Minstrelsy & of America & the true relation thereof (from the ha ha dark side)

The electronic version of this item was provided by the Wayne State University Press.

An American map: essays

"This title features meditative travel essays by Michigan author Anne-Marie Oomen that explore new landscapes across America. In "An American Map", Anne-Marie Oomen, award-winning writer and self-confessed northern Michigan homebody, chronicles her recent travels across America, in essays that span rediscovered landscapes, wild back roads, vital cities, and everything in between. Oomen takes both a wide and narrow lens to her destinations, giving readers a vivid sense of each locale while findin…

Independent man: the life of Senator James Couzens

First published in 1958 by Charles Scribner’s Sons, Independent Man is the only book-length biography of one of Michigan’s most remarkable men. His many careers embraced both the business and political spheres.

All-American anarchist: Joseph A. Labadie and the labor movement

All-American Anarchist chronicles the life and work of Joseph A. Labadie (1850-1933), Detroit's prominent labor organizer and one of early labor's most influential activists. A dynamic participant in the major social reform movements of the Gilded Age, Labadie was a central figure in the pervasive struggle for a new social order as the American Midwest underwent rapid industrialization at the end of the nineteenth century.

This engaging biography follows Labadie's colorful career from …

The iron hunter

Originally published in 1919, The Iron Hunter is the autobiography of one of Michigan's most influential and flamboyant historical figures: the reporter, publisher, explorer, politician, and twenty-seventh governor of Michigan, Chase Salmon Osborn (1860-1949). Making unprecedented use of the automobile in his 1910 campaign, Osborn ran a memorable campaign that was followed by an even more remarkable term as governor. In two years he eliminated Michigan's deficit, ended corruption, and produced t…

Maurice Sugar: law, labor, and the left in Detroit, 1912-1950

It was Maurice Sugar, labor activist and lawyer for the United Auto Workers, who played a key role in guiding the newly-formed union through the treacherous legal terrain obstructing its development in the 1930s. He orchestrated the injunction hearings on the Dodge Main strike and defended the legality of the sit-down tactic. As the UAW's General Council, he wrote the union's constitution in 1939, a model of democratic thinking. Sugar worked with George Addes, UAW Secretary-Treasurer, to nurture…

American salvage: stories

The electronic version of this item was provided by the Wayne State University Press.

Dennis Glen Cooper Collection

Dennis Glen Cooper (1905-1995) was a photographer, filmmaker and Detroit television host (Realm of the Wild) whose films were familiar to many Detroiters in the 1950s-60s. This collection consists of 35mm and lantern slides, drawn from a broader collection that also includes documents, 16mm films, and more. The collection spans the 1920s-1960s and includes coverage of Isle Royale, urban Saginaw, as well as the National Parks and the Caribbean. Cooper’s time as an Air Force captain in the Pacific…