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'Lake Effects' exhibit at Michigan Historical Museum looks at history, science of Michigan's weather

Contact: Sandra Clark, 517-373-6362 or Ed Golder, 517-335-3014
Agency: Natural Resources

This lightning rod was once on top of the Traverse City State Hospital.

Sept. 25, 2013

A special exhibit exploring the history and science of Michigan's weather will open on Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing. "Lake Effects" highlights significant weather events in our state's past and gives visitors a look into the science of Michigan's weather.

The exhibit is in the first-floor gallery of the museum, located at 702 W. Kalamazoo St. in downtown Lansing.

"We talk about the weather almost every day," said Sandra Clark, director of the Michigan Historical Center. "This exhibit triggers memories of great and not-so-great weather, as it examines the science of Michigan weather and the influence of weather on inventions, crops, work, recreation and everyday life."

The exhibit has artifacts related to living with Michigan weather, including:

  • A lightning rod from the Traverse City State Hospital.

  • A small child's sleigh made in 1910 by an employee of the Durant-Dort Carriage Company in Flint for his grandson.

  • A 1950s snow scoop used at Lake View Cemetery in Calumet.

  • An improved alidade developed by the Michigan Department of Conservation (the forerunner of today's Department of Natural Resources). It was a device used in fire lookout towers to pinpoint the location of smoke seen by the spotter.

  • Relics from the ship The Rockaway, which sank in November 1891 off of South HavenArtifacts from the Rockaway, which sank in November 1891 off South Haven. It was hauling lumber from Ludington to Benton Harbor; all hands were rescued.

  • A shelter that protected thermometers used by a West Michigan volunteer observer for the National Weather Service.

Among the historic weather events that will be featured in the exhibit are:

  • The Storm of 1913, like Hurricane Sandy, was the "perfect storm" of its day - with two separate low-pressure systems converging to cause hurricane conditions with snow and ice instead of rain. The storm affected all of Michigan's Great Lakes, but was especially disastrous on Lake Huron, where eight large freighters sank, accounting for most of the 251 recorded storm deaths.

  • The Heat Wave of 1936 remains one of the hottest summers on record. It hit Detroit particularly hard, with 364 deaths in the city (more than 500 statewide) attributed to the high temperatures. In the era before air conditioning, homes and workplaces became virtual furnaces, with many people cooling off in lakes and sleeping outdoors. Before 1936, there had never been two consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures recorded in Detroit.

  • The Flint-Beecher Tornado of 1953 on June 8 touched down in Genesee County at 8:30 p.m. and continued on a 27-mile path, causing 116 fatalities and more than 900 injuries. The tornado, an F5 on the Fujita Scale, was one of eight tornadoes that touched down the same day in eastern Lower Michigan and northwest Ohio.

small child's sled made in 1910 by an employee of Durant-Dort Carriage Company in FlintThe Lake Effects gallery encourages younger visitors to offer a weather report or forecast at a magnetic weather map or dress a magnetic figure for actual or hoped-for weather. The museum also invites the public to share photos of their own Michigan weather experiences on its Flickr page by sending them to icy27ran@photos.flickr.com.

The exhibit will also extend into the museum's long-term exhibit galleries, with special labels pointing out the role of weather in Michigan history from pre-historic times to the 1970s.

Lake Effects will be part of Michigan Archaeology Day on Oct. 12, when Wayne Lusardi, maritime archaeologist for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve in Alpena, shares the stories of ships that were lost 100 years ago in the Storm of 1913. He will speak at 2 p.m.

Family programming related to weather and the science behind it will start in December at the museum and continue through next summer. For more information on the popular "Second Saturdays" program, go to www.michigan.gov/museum.

The museum and visitor parking are on the north side of Kalamazoo Street, two blocks east of M.L. King Jr. Boulevard. Weekend parking is free. General admission fees for the Michigan Historical Museum are $6 for adults 18-64, children through age 5 are free, youth ages 6-17 are $2, and seniors 65 and up are $4. Annual passes are available, and there is no admission charge on Sundays.

The Michigan Historical Center is part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Its museum and archival programs help people discover, enjoy and find inspiration in their heritage. It includes the Michigan Historical Museum, 10 regional museums, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve and the Archives of Michigan. Learn more at www.michigan.gov/michiganhistory.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.

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