ANN ARBOR ,- SUPPLEMENT Y L izftt iga" at t ANN ARBOR SUPPLEMENT ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 1953 FOUR PAGES A ARBOR LOOKS TO , ,, < 's; j r , t ; ; i 15.. i ;f ; 1. ,"Y . EXP + ,-;' Vii;, i : F'" y. ,. * * * * * * ** * * 1870-Typical of the Ann Arbor of the post-Civil War period is this street corner scene taken at the intersection of Main and Wash- ington Streets. A few boys and men, random horses and wagons made up the small town picture. 1953-The same corner 83 years later is a bustling city intersection over which pass hundreds of pedestrians and automobiles every day. The same store building is there, but it has been subjected to several "face liftings" to bring it up to date. Founders Migrate From East Coast World Events Determined Groups Which First Settled in Ann Arbor By ALICE BOGDONOFF World events in the early years of the 19th century played the dominant role in determining which groups of people were to be the founders of Ann Arbor. At this time the acts passed by Congress which forbade com- mercial intercourse with Europe worked havoc with New England's shipping and struck a severe blow at her economic life. THE PEOPLE of New York suffered similar ruin by the war of 1812. After the close of this war the people along the Atlantic sea-, board redirected their attention Close University-City Relations Maintained in 166 Year History By VIRGINIA VOSS "A quiet spot in touch with the world,' "The city"wherehcommerce and education meet", "The home of the University of Michigan"- thus past Chambers of Commerce have with variations sloganized Ann Arbor. What the slogans represent-a geographically, commercially and educationally close relationship! between city and University-has more than 100 years of mutual history to bear it out. * * * WHILE COMPETITION and co-j operation have alternately char-t acterized the relationship, thej latter feeling has profitably pre- vailed. The city grows when the Uni-j versity expands, from the initial, building campaigns of the Tap- pan administration to the past years' annexation of the North Campus. And with University growth, local real estate prospers, building and utility concerns add assets and it to the State for a University location. The Legislature took an approv- ing look at the geographically con- venient site and accepted. Educationally-minded Calvinists who had settled the Huron Valley region had already seen to it that a public school system was es- tablished and were from the first enthused about the infant Uni- versity. The local Journal followed every Regents' action with editorial comment. As explanation of the city's interest, statistics show that most of the early University grad- uates were Ann Arbor residents. Gradually student trade began to supplement agriculture, fruit farms, grain mills and related in- dustries as Ann Arbor assets. The importance of local land- lords in the second half of the 1800's is hinted in a statement from a Real Estate Exchange Journal of the time: "There are no dormitories at to unsettled parts of the United States and away from European affairs. During the decade from 1814 to 1824 an exodus to the west began,large numbers making their new homes in Michigan territory. It was in this westward move- ment that Ann Arbor had its birth. The large proportion of Ann Arbor founders were therefore from New England and New York. These early settlers, largely Cal- vinists, were enthusiastic reform- ers. The town, which has since seen many political rallies, was often the scene of join-the-church movement, crusades for temper- ance and the abolition of slavery and military and patriotic parades. * * * IN THE 1830's the immigration of the first German settlers began. By 1855 more than 5,000 Germans made their homes in and around Ann Arbor. Again political events caused this mass migration. Ger- mans poured into the United States largely to escape the acute Industrial depression and auto- arcy prevalent in Germany. Bringing with them the Ger- man culture, these new Ann Ar- borites remained socially iso- lated until the 1860's and then r the German population became only partially assimiliated with the other settlers from the At- lantic seaboard. Lutheran churches which still stand in Ann Arbor were built by the German settlers. Many of the prominant businessmen in Ann Arbor bear the names of their German ancestors who gradually began to shed their isolation and came to be some of the most im- portant and enthusiatic civic leaders of the town. Although sharp lines were drawn between ethnic groups in the very early days of Ann Arbor, the population of the city and its env- irons has become closely integrat- pd. i KAWGOOSH:-* Ann Arbor's Name Traced "Kaw - goosh - kaw - nich," the name the Indians originally gave the Huron Valley area, officially became "Ann' Arbor" by a now legendary circumstance in the the town can claim a broadening 1820's. cultural center as a drawing card Tradition has it that the quaint for prospective businesses and rLe- name was first applied to a grove sidents. between the homes of the first two Today, the city comes in for an residents to settle here, tho wives important share of University pub- of whom were both named Ann. lic relations considerations, and The spot was a convenient Regents rules protect Ann Arbor Tensplaotwasawonee merchants, who draw heavily on meetg place for theAtwo name- student trade, from excessive Uni- versity competition. Slight variations on the legend- * * ary theme caused local historians ANN ARBOR-UNIVERSITY re- to wage newspaper column war- lations got their initial impetus fare at the turn of the century. in 1836 when a member of the One researcher shattered the story Ann Arbor Land Company unfold- with the claim that one of the ed his newspaper to an item re- Ann's did not set foot within the porting that the State Legislature city until five months after "Ann was appropriating funds for Uni- Arbor" had been recorded in De- versity building construction on troit documents. an undecided site. But the old legend has persisted He was quick to prompt his and is usually credited as the true fellow real estate dealers to buy account today since no other rea- up all the land they could around sonably good explanation ever the 13-year-old village and do- turned up nate 40 acres from the heart of . C r t . t Since 1837 Ever since 1837 when the young University emigrated from Detroit to the small village of Ann Arbor, the two iristitu- tions have been growing and prospering side by side. Yetthe student who spends four years here at school seldom knows too much about Ann Ar- bor, its businesses, traditions and citizens. As the University and the city enter another period of large- scale expansion, The Daily pre- sents a special supplement tell- ing the history and potentiali- ties of the Ann Arbor area. The Daily wishes to thank staff members of the Michigan Historical Collection for their aid in compiling information for the supplement. our University. The students room and board at the homes of the citizens and thus are kept in some degree within the re- straining force of home in- fluences." By 1913 when the student body totalled 6,000, local Chamber of Commerce officials listed the fol- lowing statistics in their annual Ann Aibor booklet: 10,000 people in Ann Arbor for convention purposesj 20,000 for big games; 2,000 more for commencement 40,000 visitors in Ann Arbor each year $5,000,000 spent annually by University, its students and their visitors "This means stimulus to trade." BUT HOWEVER smooth city- University commercial relations went, those townspeople with Puri- tanical consciences soon found ob- jections to the growing student body on moral grounds. Greek letter societies originat- ing in the 1850's drew condem- nations as "iniquitous institu- tions" from the town and the administration had a serious problem on its hands. Temperance movements didn't help matters much. Some mer- chants were as willing to accept student trade in the form of black- market liquor, buying as any other, and again citizens criticized the University. Competition between City and University came first in the enter- tainment field. See UNIVERSITY, Page 3 City Schools To Be Aided By Bond Issue Recently having adopted a $7,- 650,000 bonded building program, Ann Arbor School District resi- dents look forward to alleviation of the crowded school condition that has plagued local educators in the last few years. At present the school system is comprised of eight elementary schools, two junior high schools and one senior high school. *' * * THE SENIOR high building is more than 50 years old and will be abandoned when the $5,500,000 Stadium Blvd. building is con- structed in the near future. Built for 800 students, the school now contains 1,258 pu- pils. Ann Arbor youth attend school there or at University Brown Calls Traffic Big AA Problem Mayor Outlines City Difficulties By ERIC VETTER Of the many problems plaguing cities today, Ann Arbor is faced with four which are classified as basic by Mayor William E. Brown, Jr. Heading the list is the handling and control of traffic on and off the streets. Automobile regis- tration has swelled several fold in the past year and the city arteries have not been able to handle the increase. WIDENING of several streets and resurfacing of others are steps being taken by the city to solve part of the problem. The police department has stepped up its study of needs for traffic safety devices such as stop lights, stop signs and speed zoning. In a few years, however, city officials expect the entire traffic problem to change. The Jack- son highway bypass now being built to the south of the city is expected to drain off the trouble- some through truck and auto traffic and officials expect this to greatly relieve much of the present congestion. An "offstreet" parking system instituted in 1946 has fairly well solved the parking problem in town although there is a shortage of space in the campus area. The plan provides for the reinvestment of revenue from parking meters and city owned lots into new park- ing facilities. Garbage disposal is the second major problem facing the city fathers. Past methods have cen- tered about the selling of the waste to contractors who in turn work through farmers in disposal. A proposed state law would for- bid this practice, so officials are presently seeking land to build sanitary fills for disposal. Another suggested remedy is building a city incinerator. * * * A PROBLEM basic to nearly every city today is that of revenue. Ann Arbor faces the task of pro- viding added services and solving certain difficulties without raising taxes on real estate. The final problem, peculiar to Ann Arbor, is that of maintain- ing good relations with the Uni- versity. A detailed account of this phase of city life is taken up by the story in the adjoining column. In most of the other areas STILL BLUSHING: 1864 Election Rankles County GOP UNDERSTANDING that prob- lems inherent in a rapidly grow- ing community can get out of hand if ignored too long, the plan- ning commission took up the study with the realization that the in- dustrial growth of the last de- cade will continue as an import- ant factor in the Ann Arbor-Ypsi- lanti area. The commission is also con- cerned over the manner in which this growth will take place, and hopes the area can avoid another extended wartime expansion so that controlled growth can promote a strength- ening of the economic base of the county and its governmental units. In its six-year study of the county, the group learned that more than 1,000 families per year will be added to county population with Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti be- coming parts of one large urban area. The urban community by 1970 is expected to number 172,000 peo- ple as compared with-the 1950 to- tal of 101,000, and the 1930 figure of 47,000. * * * RESULTS OF this growth, the commission found, will- be mani- Integrated Area Plan Conceived Expected Large Population Growth Results in Metropolitan Study By HARRY LUNN Like many other small cities located near large metropolitan areas, Ann Arbor has gone through tremendous changes in the last 50 years, but today the thriving community is prepared to undergo a new transition in preparation for an even larger spurt of growth. Transformed from a sleepy town of the post-Civil War era into a dynamically growing area through the advent of modern indus- trialism and commercialism, Ann Arbor and the smaller towns sur- rounding it look forward to a 70 per cent population increase by 1970. * * ~* * WITH THIS HUGE potential growth in mind the county plan- ning commission recently completed and adopted a study which out- lines the area's future expectations and requirements in terms of land usage, public services and transportation. Significantly the report is called "The Ann Arbor-tpsilanti Metropolitan Plan," for the area is rapidly assuming metropolitan proportions. Yet in recognizing the new demands which increasing population and business will place on the county, local citizens wish to maintain the pleasant residential areas and strong 'cultural traditions which have enabled Ann Arbor to retain the finer aspects of small-town life. War Housing And few would deny that the University with its many publicBr spirited instructors and adminis- trators has been a strong force in preserving the dignity and culture Area Trouble of the city. World War II brought tremend- ous industrial and population'; growth to the metropolitan area, yet the expansion turned out in some ways to be of harm rather than benefit. With the advent of a mammoth bomber plant near Ypsilanti at the war's outset, a mass invasion of production workers began which went unabetted until employment needs dwindled. STEPPING in to alleviate the tight housing situation, the federal government constructed "tem- porary" housing in a 16-mile tract to take care of the thousands of homeless workers. Thus Willow Village came into being. Surprisingly, the development failed to manifest the crime, de- linquency and juvenile maladjust- ments which have often gone along with projects of this type during wartime. When the bomber plant closed down to be replaced by Kaiser- Frazer, the "temporary" housing became home for more than a thousand University student fam- ilies, so the crowded quarters were once again full. In the last few years the con- Well-entrenched W a s h t e n a w County Republicans can look back over a 60 year chain of unbroken county presidential victories, but the legend of Washtenaw as a simon-pure GOP county falls down at several historical junc- tures. For one thing, local Republicans failed to capture the county for their presidential candidate in 41.4: a - +4- In 1868, 1876, 1880, 1884, 1888 and 1892 Democratic candidates managed to win a majority of county votes. But the McKin- ley-Bryan contest of 1896 saw Washtenaw voters swinging firmly back into Republican columns along with the rest of the nation. Thereafter the county voted straight Republican in presidential elections, even holding to the