Michigan State Capitol

Lansing was an unusual choice for the capitol when the decision was made by the legislature to move it from Detroit to a more central location. For one thing, it’s hard to determine what is “central” in a state shaped like Michigan. It appears they more or less discarded the Upper Peninsula in the determination and made the population rather than land mass the predominant factor. There wasn’t much to Lansing before the Capitol moved in, and even today its business is primarily the government of Michigan. Most people consider Lansing a “non-destination” in Michigan, with so many other great aspects of Michigan to enjoy. However, we found it had several hidden treasures.

The building we toured was the third Capitol of Michigan; it was built in 1879, and its builders indulged in all the Victorian decorative splendor of the era. A little over a hundred years later, it was worn and shabby, and discussions began whether to tear it down and replace it with something modern or to renovate it. It took only one corridor being restored to its original Victorian deco  (and likely a hard look at the comparative costs) for the decision to be made. The Capitol you see today is as close as possible to the 1879 original, while still providing for modern elements like air conditioning and electronics. Like most capitols, it draws primarily from the state’s resources for building materials, in Michigan’s case, wood. However, Michigan pine has been stained and painted to mimic both walnut and marble and look remarkable real.

Next we toured the State Historical Museum, a massive building filled with artifacts ranging Native American history (lots of pelts from fur-trading times) to all the marvels of the automotive era. We enjoyed an excellent exhibit of the Civil War from the Michigan perspective; while many Michigan troops engaged in battle, Michigan’s principal contribution was its engineering expertise for the quick construction of pontoon bridges, roads, forts, and railroads. Mining displays also detailed the live of the miners who brought the copper, iron and salt out of the earth into the economy. There was way too much to take it in in one day; definitely this museum is worth a return trip.

Finally, we couldn’t go through Lansing without taking in the R.E. Olds Museum, which is a kind of home-grown family museum dedicated to one man and his automotive creations. Ransom Olds originally designed stationary engines, and in the early 1900’s began designing trucks and then cars under the brand REO and the Curved Dash Oldsmobile. Eventually his company became part of General Motors and his original designs continued to be develop into the Oldsmobile line. This tiny museum is packed with several hundred vehicles of nearly every year of the REOs and the Oldsmobile. It is also peppered with little video stations where you can learn about all the many facets of R.E. Olds, a man who enjoyed his work, but enjoyed his time with family and friends even more. He and his wife Ursula were also major philanthropists in the Lansing area.