Welcome 2012 Ice Tree and the New Year!

A quick update for Ice Tree lovers... as of today, the 2012 tree is growing. It's not too sparkly yet, but give it a few icy days. It should be gorgeous by the weekend, just in time for the 42nd New Year's Eve Fun Run, and for the New Year's Day 3 pm champagne toast at the Detroit Boat Club. It's a great opportunity to see a grand old building.

I'm also excited to see what happens with the Belle Isle Conservancy in 2012!

For more information on the Ice Tree, check out the drive-by guide.

The bridge to Belle Isle

Hidden Within at Scarcyny Garden

There were so many exciting events going on in the city today. It was hard to decide what to do first, but I started with this one, the grand opening of Scarcyny Garden in southwest Detroit.

Back in the spring, the owner of the Ideal Group, Frank Venegas, decided he wanted to do something with the vacant lots that bordered his business on the old Clark Street Cadillac plant property and partnered with Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision and several other neighborhood groups to make it happen.

Chris, who came up with the name for the garden, draped in ribbon from the opening ceremony

This guy named the garden. He lives around the corner, and started coming by to work on it. While doing some homework, he stumbled across a word (or maybe made it up, it doesn't seem to be googleable) that he says means "hidden within". For him, and for the other people working on the garden, this summed up all that they wanted to do with it... reveal the potential for beauty and community hidden within our city.

Before the ribbon cutting, there were a few different stories told by garden volunteers. Park Ranger Steve (in the white hat at left), who has lived in a house overlooking the vacant lots for 40 years, spoke of watching the initial garden clean up from his back porch. He wondered what was going on, wandered over to find out, and soon gained his official park ranger title from 6 AM plant waterings and eagle-eyed 24 hour lookout duty.

There is a Buddhist monastery across the street, and the monks have taken on cleaning and maintaining the lots on the other side of the street. They also inspired a meditation corner in the garden, with comfy chairs and the respite of shade.

Pinatas, face painting, and a potato sack race were all part of the opening day festivities.

The garden and park were designed by my friend Sarah Clark from Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision. The garden is a series of interlinked circles, with sections for native plants, low-maintenance shrub roses, plants for birds and butterflys, and the beginnings of a planned fruit orchard and raised bed vegetable garden. The park has a soccer field and a small hill for winter sledding so far. The park is located off Junction at Merritt, halfway between the thriving commercial district along Vernor and St. Hedwig, so it is ideally located to be an island linking those areas together.

As metaphors go, this is a pretty good one for what's right and hopeful in Detroit. I can't wait to see what it looks like in the spring.

Can Anything Gold Stay In Scripps Park?

I am a huge fan of Access Arts and their projects, having enjoyed their exhibitions on Belle Isle immensely. They branched out this spring to partner with Forward Arts and the Woodbridge Neighborhood Development Corporation to clean up Scripps Park and present a show there. 

They included a "student artist" component to the show as part of their mission to create opportunities for  youth arts education. The piece above was my favorite of the student entries, with its description below:

 This edge of the Woodbridge neighborhood is a point of contact between two Detroits.... one of homelessness, joblessness, lack of education and skills, sometimes mental illness, and soul-sucking poverty; and one of hopefulness in the form of a relatively stable neighborhood core, and a cadre of energetic, idealistic and determined students, artists, activists, and residents young and old... I hate to use the word hipsters because it can be hard to see the individuals past the word, but sometimes the shoe does seem to fit.

I am very interested in points of contacts like this to find ideas on how (as we try to build the city back up) we can "gentrify" without "disenfranchising". I put those words in quotes because I think they're both loaded with heavy baggage.

The people behind the show, who worked so hard on cleaning and fixing up the park and creating the installations, have been a little discouraged and dismayed by some events of the past weekend. Whole exhibits and improvements to the park made of materials as precious as plastic shipping crates, tires, and plastic bags were rearranged and even removed.

The day the show opened, the park was filled with people picnicking, walking their dogs, and generally enjoying their day. Maybe nothing gold can stay, but the golden glow of that day returns, again and again, in every creative act it inspires. Rising from the ashes, right?

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf,
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day
Nothing gold can stay.
Robert Frost

Horses of Many Colors

Today was the Michigan Black Horseman's Association Trail Ride on Belle Isle. I only caught the tail end of it (no pun intended), but it was so much fun to see the horses, worn out from their adventure on the island.

The horse's history on Belle Isle predates the establishment of the park. Horses were used on the island to haul blocks of ice when ice harvesting was big business, and for moving supplies and equipment around the island when the marshes were being drained to establish the park.

There were two stable complexes on the island, one for the general riding stables (now removed to Greenfield Village, to be rebuilt someday), and one to house the workhorses of the island (designed by Mason & Rice, now the island's maintenance complex).

The riding stables (above, in their original incarnation) were built from Detroit's old central market, located where Cadillac Square is today, in 1894.

The maintenance complex stables (old entrance, above) are planned to be the next big project that the Belle Isle Women's Committee undertakes.
A more current view of them...

I wish you could have seen the horses flying in full gallop across the meadows of Belle Isle today. The riders and horses were colorfully attired and in high spirits, waving and strutting for passers-by.

Historical information on the stables comes from Janet Anderson's book, Island In the City, and the Friends of Belle Isle website. Old photos from the Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library.

A Little Less Conversation**

When I started writing this blog, it was actually to help me learn how to use my new laptop and to learn Web 2.0 kinds of things. I hoped but didn't really imagine that other people would read it. It has been a gratifying and enlightening experience.

I started writing the blog from a place where I was standing on the sidelines, observing the happenings around town and getting to know my city better. The creative people and amazing places I've gotten to know through the blog have inspired me, gradually, to move off the sidelines and back into the thick of things (or at least the version of it that I am suited for).

I started grad school last week. Since I decided to go to grad school sort of last minute (like, the end of January), time for the blog has been shanghaied by various applications, tests, and technology interventions that I needed to perform on myself to get up to speed.

I also have started trying to put my time where my mouth (or my keyboard) is, and I'm putting in a little time in a small way with some groups that do things that are close to my heart... historic preservation and community development.

This is a roundabout way of saying, "Guys, I want to keep up the blog, but posts will be shorter and less frequent." I feel like I have built something here that I don't want to quit on, but at least until I get my sea legs in school, I may have to do "Belle Isle Home Lite".

I hope you still enjoy it. Thanks for reading, especially to those who noticed I was in absentia.

Warm regards,
Belle

** Thanks to Elvis, too.

Et Tu, Belle Isle Home?

My esteemed blog friend at The Night Train: Detroit asked on her facebook page (probably jokingly) what I thought about the idea floated by a guy at Tech Town to put a vineyard on Belle Isle. Be careful what you wish for, TNT. Since the island is so near and dear to my heart, I'll give it a shot. It sounds like this is just a fledgling idea for now, not really thought-out and with few details attached. However, we recently saw a tweet go from a far-fetched crazy idea to an actual statue in the making pretty quickly (the Robocop statue). If the vineyard thing turns out to be a serious plan that may actually happen, I have some questions, and I hope other people that are smarter and more influential than me do, too.

The guy who has the vineyard idea, Randal Charlton, suggests putting a vineyard on 10 "vacant" acres of land near the lighthouse. I don't think of the land he suggests as "vacant" at all. I consider it to be the most serene, peaceful, and scenic part of the island, with trails along the river and the Blue Heron Lagoon. Last time I checked, having open green space was an important thing in a park. On any given summer day, there are people using the "vacant" land to walk, fish, jog, play football, picnic, bike, read, meditate, do yoga, take pictures, or just sit and watch the boats go by.

Belle Isle is unarguably Detroit's finest public park. Is it a good idea to sell or lease part of it off to a private company? What parts of it are people willing to turn over to a private company? I'll agree that parts of the island are underutilized or not used at all... a section of the old golf course and the closed zoo come to mind, and there certainly could be more of an effort to develop the island into a winter attraction. If we're talking about redeveloping the island, is there a master plan and how does a vineyard fit into it? How would the private company's vineyard benefit the island as a whole?

How would having a vineyard in this area impact public access? Would this private company be able to fence off their "property"? Cut off access to the water? Charge admission to this part of the island?

Before we dive in head-first on this vineyard thing on Belle Isle, I'd like to see a conservancy established to run the island, like the conservancies that successfully run Central Park in New York, and Campus Martius and the RiverWalk here. With a conservancy in place, I would feel more confident that a vineyard plan or any other plans for the island would have safeguards in them to make sure that Detroit's  public playground and park doesn't get chopped up into a bunch of private parks that benefit their private owners, while making it harder for us regular folks to enjoy the river.

Although I'm not so sure about a vineyard on Belle Isle, I actually do like the idea of a riverfront winery. Since we're tossing around ideas here, what about using some city-owned land along the riverfront that IS vacant and needs to be redeveloped for a vineyard? There is talk of the West Riverfront, when it is developed, cutting a much wider, deeper swath along the river. Would a vineyard fit in to this part of the riverfront? If we're talking about a vineyard and winery being a big draw for visitors, why not use it as an anchor for redevelopment somewhere that doesn't already get thousands of visitors a day, like Belle Isle does? What about vacant city land adjacent to Fort Wayne? Fort Wayne has incredible potential for being a significant tourism draw. Wouldn't a winery along the water be a great fit there, on the bluffs overlooking the river?

I'm clearly no expert on any of this, and I don't have any answers. Maybe this is a really cool idea and I have just been drinking the kool-aid about people trying to steal Detroit's precious jewels for too long.  But if Detroit really does have any precious jewels left to steal, surely Belle Isle is one of them. Can we please not screw this one up?

Spay/Neuter, It's Cuter

In honor of Spay Day USA today, I am going to write one of my rambling, takes-a-while-to-get-to-the point posts. This one is best read with a cat, like Links, above, sitting on your lap.

I have been shirking my regular blog writing for the past week or so in favor of a side project, a little blogsite for some friends of mine, Tigerlily Cat Rescue. They're an all volunteer group, like so many pet rescues, and amazing people. While I'm out and about with my dogs on Saturdays, they're at Petsmart hosting adoption events. While I'm at home after work snuggled up with my MacBook, they're answering phone calls and emails from people who are often desperate and sometimes getting rid of their cats with the flimsiest of excuses. They drive their foster pets to the vet. They spend their free time taking pictures of the homeless cats for Petfinder. They visit caring shelters and soul-sucking animal control buildings alike, making heartbreaking decisions about which cats to save, because right now there are far too many without homes to save them all.

They dream of being out of business, of having to finding another hobby. The solution sounds so easy.. if more people spayed/neutered their pets, the generous, caring folks at Tigerlily would, well, probably not play golf, or take up knitting. I guess they'd have to move on to world peace, or something like that.

So in the interest of putting them out of business (I know it's unfortunately not likely to happen soon), I'd like to point out an upcoming event they are funding, from their new site:

Bacon says "No more kitties until me and all my friends have a home, please!"

   Do you have friends, relatives, or neighbors who are having a tough time financially? Who have cats that haven't been spayed or neutered? Please let them know about our upcoming clinic Sunday, March 20th, 9-12am, at the Oakland Pet Adoption Center! Maybe you could even offer their kitty a ride to the clinic!
   We are partnering with the Oakland Pet Adoption Center by sponsoring a low cost spay/neuter clinic for low income Oakland County and Sterling Heights residents. The $20 fee includes spay/neuter, distemper shot, and worming. Space is limited, and you need to call first to see if you qualify. Call the OPAC at 248-391-4100 weekdays between 10am-5pm to schedule an appointment.
   Several of our volunteers will be helping out that day... want to help out and hang out with fellow cat lovers? Shoot us an email at tigerlilyrescue@gmail.com.
   Click here for the facebook link for the event.

And if you are thinking of getting a cat or know anyone who is, or you have an extra $5 left over from funding the Robocop statue, I hope you'll keep them in mind.

If you don't qualify for this event, another great resource for low-cost vaccinations and spay neuter is:

All About Animals

Located in Warren, this rescue group runs a low-cost spay/neuter and vaccinations clinic year-round. 

Both photos courtesy of Ranee Rose Taylor, who is one of Tigerlily's many devoted volunteers.

Urbex For Tots

Come out to the island and play.

I have been working feverishly all weekend on the next installment of Gracie Krum's story, and just as I was nearing the end of editing, I accidently deleted the whole thing. And then in trying to retrieve it, I deleted the back-up draft. Phooey. So I give up for today and we will visit the great kids playground instead. Ok? Happy Valentine's Day

"Shiver"-ing

At "Shiver on the River" today, the Coast Guard gave a demonstration worthy of the Indy 500 with its ice boat, throwing blizzards of snow hundreds of feet in its wake. (more on the air boat at the end of this post)

There were several groups of skiers on the island.

The sudden snow squall might have kept a few people from heading to the island, but it was such a pretty whiteout....

...unless you are very short, like the fluffy one, and you are a bedraggled, snowy hot mess, tired of defying gravity, bounding blindly through ear-deep drifts, and you finally refuse to get out of the car, preferring to watch Smart, who is never tired, from the driver's seat.

I was quite enthralled with the Coast Guard demo and the air boat, so I dug up a little more info..... Here's a video of a sister boat in action:

Here's a link to some information about air boats and their use in ice rescue, and here's a link to the official Coast Guard Station Belle Isle page.

Silver And Gold

I like the city at its most deserted, so when everyone else was rushing out to beat the storm, the dogs and I headed to the Riverwalk.

You know those classic movies from the forties, where the leading ladies are filmed to look luminous and a little fuzzy? It was like that.

Just taking a little library break...we'll be back to the ladies of Brainard Street soon enough.

The Young Ladies Of Brainard Street-The Librarian's Sister

Last month, while writing about a turn-of-the century Detroit woman painter, I became intrigued by several other unknown women, a tightly woven circle of historians, friends, and librarians, connected by their common interests. For more than twenty-five years, one of these women, Gracie Brainerd Krum, had the title of "Chief" of Detroit's history.

When I wrote about the painter, I was lucky to find that she and all her relatives were prolific letter writers, from prominent families. Troves of letters had been saved, full of detail, with no thought of whether they would be reread by strangers.

Writing about these women who are librarians and historians seems different. In reviewing their papers, one senses they've already edited what's left behind in the dusty boxes. They have chosen what they want remembered, without thinking of themselves as an important part of the story. For them, I wade through sheaves of official correspondence, intricate genealogies, and painstaking copies they made of other people's lives, but their quirks, their sense of humor, their uniqueness... they hover in the shadows. This makes the personal papers Gracie B. Krum saved especially poignant.

One the greatest assets of the Detroit Public Library is its Burton Historical Collection. Gracie grew up in the shadow of the Burton Historical Collection. From 1897 till 1905, she lived at 25 Brainard Street, next door to Clarence M. Burton, businessman and famed collector of manuscripts and documents relating to early Detroit. He would go on to write a history of Detroit that is an indispensable starting point for any researcher. Long before the stately, monumental Detroit Public Library that we know today was built in the new cultural center, Burton had a fire-proof room built in his home on Brainard to protect his collection. His daughter, Mary Agnes, the less known historian in the family, worked night and day editing all of her father's works, and writing books and articles on her own. Mary Agnes was just about the same age as Gracie.

In the photo above, Gracie is 23 years old. Her family had just moved to Detroit from New York the previous year. Her father founded what would become the Detroit Rubber Company, wholesalers of new-fangled rubber footwear. He is standing at the foot of the porch, to our left. Her grandfather is on the right, and her mother is on the porch in front of the window.

The little girls are her sister Elsie, and and a girl named Juliet (next to the sled). It is February 22, 1898.

After this photo, Gracie taught in the Detroit Public Schools, became a librarian at the DPL, began to assist Mr. Burton and Mary Agnes with their collection, and then, from 1916 till 1941, was in charge of the Burton Historical Collection in its new home at the grand building on Woodward.

But Gracie's accomplished future awaits. Today, the Krum family has just recently enjoyed their first Christmas in Detroit. Elsie wrote a letter to Santa.

Read the book that she wanted,"Elsie At Home", here.

As I was opening the letter from Santa, a slip of paper slid out and landed to the side. After reading the letter, I turned over the slip of paper.

I do not know how she died. Gracie's papers say no more on the subject, but I still have Alburn and Ethalind's papers to read.

Next week, Gracie becomes a librarian, and the other Burton historian.

Photo and documents, Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library.

Other resources:

Parnassus on Main Street, a history of the Detroit Public Library, by Frank B. Woodford, Wayne State University Press, 1965