Published by The History Press
Charleston, SC
www.historypress.net
Copyright 2017 by Norma Lewis
All rights reserved
First published 2017
e-book edition 2017
ISBN 978.1.43966.240.3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017940943
print edition ISBN 978.1.46713.769.0
Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
For David, Rhonda, Pat, Shelby and Shane, with love
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The first thank-you rightly goes to Julie Tabberer, Jennifer Payette Andrew and the staff at the Local History Department of the Grand Rapids Public Library, including Ruth Van Stee, now retired, who has always shown enthusiasm for my projects and for this one directed me to Elizabeth Eaglesfield. This library has an amazing collection of Grand Rapids and Michigan history conveniently housed in one space. You all have patiently answered my questions, steered me in directions I would not have thought of on my own and in so many other ways made this a really fun project. So many times, with your help, I found something better than what I thought I was looking for.
I cant say enough good things about the Library of Congress and the Bentley Historical Library of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Thank you for assembling your fantastic collections and your generosity in making them available to the public. You have extensive collections and user-friendly digital databases on which to find specific subjects as well as simply browsing to see what might show up.
Thanks, too, to Angela Reidel at the Michigan Womens Hall of FameLansing for locating images. What fun to browse your gallery of the women who had a hand in making Michigan the great state it is today. Other sources of images in this book are Nathan Kelber of the Detroit Historical Society, Brien Boyea at the Racing Hall of Fame, Wikimedia Commons, Janelle Martin at the Lapeer District Library, Loutit District Library, Benton Harbor Library and Solweig Hommema at the Bissell Home Care Company.
As always, Im deeply indebted to the great folks at Arcadia/The History Press. First to Krista Slavicek, with whom I started this journey, and to Candice Lawrence, who made the transition seamless following Kristas departure. Thanks, too, to Hilary Parrish for her great copyediting skills during the final process and to Natasha Walsh for a terrific cover. Another huge thank-you goes to all of you behind-the-scenes people at The History Press for making the finished product a book to be proud of. That includes Magan Thomas and the marketing team that does such an awesome job of publicizing the books you publish.
Last, but never least, thank you to my granddaughter, Shelby Ayers, for her assistance. I couldnt do it without you, Sweetie. Also, thanks to all my family and friends who keep me energizednot always an easy task.
INTRODUCTION
Of all the wild beasts of land or sea, the wildest is woman.
Menander (342?291? BC)
Has that changed since Menander wrote those words so long ago? Lets hope the women found in these pages are proof that at least in Michigan, feistiness, boldness, wildness or whatever we choose to call it is still alive and well.
Michigan womens achievements reach far beyond the states borders. In entertainment and sports alone, look at Madonna Louise Ciccone (aka Madonna), the Supremes, Gilda Radner, Gillian Anderson, Ellyn Burstyn, Julie Harris and blues great Sippie Wallace. Detroit was the birthplace of the Motown sound, bringing the city fame and fortune. Lets not forget sports legends Marion Ladewig, Julie Krone and Serena and Venus Williams.
Those are names we all know. In these pages, you will also meet some of the lesser-known women in history who pioneered change and expanded womens roles in the state and beyond. Some of their actions made them seem wild during the times in which they lived, but most were more feisty than actually wild. These ordinary women rose above their circumstances to live extraordinary lives. You will find some notable exceptionsa few who would be considered wild at any time, along with a smattering of blatant scofflaws.
Madame LaFramboise, the wife of a French fur trader, worked alongside her husband and took over his trading post on the Grand River after his death. Not only was she a woman but an Ottawa Indian as well. Pauline Cushman defied her parents and became an actress, a profession that no doubt came in handy in her offstage role of Civil War spy.
There were, of course, the usual rabble-rousers in the form of abolitionists, temperance workers, union agitators and suffragettes. Some of the latter didnt just want to vote; they wanted women to be voted for. Early officeholders blazed the trail for former governor Jennifer Granholm, former and current Michigan secretaries of state Terri Lynn Land and Ruth Johnson and United States senator Debbie Stabenow. Candice Miller served first as secretary of state and, in the 1998 election, won in every county, beating her opponents by a million votes, the largest margin of any candidate in a state election. She went on to represent Michigans Tenth District in the United States House of Representatives.
What would a book about wild women be without a few criminals and, arguably, the wildest of the wild, the soiled doves? Michigan had and still has its fair share of both.
Chapter 1
THOSE GUTSY PIONEERS AND THE NATIVE
WOMEN WHO WELCOMED THEM
The dogma of womans complete historical subjugation to man must be rated as one of the most fantastic myths ever created by the human mind.
Mary Ritter Beard, 1946
It wasnt easy to be wild back in the territorys earliest days, but neither was it impossible. Though men definitely sat in the catbird seat, their wives found subtle ways to rebel. Like Elizabeth Babcock. When her husband forbade her to bring her good china to Michigan, Elizabeth hid it in flour barrels. That Me Tarzan, you Jane attitude still prevailed in 1921 when, to their shame, Michigan Supreme Court justices ruled that a man is the master of his wife whenever he is home. No wonder those ladies rebelled. Cant you see them breaking into a happy dance each time the door closed behind their lord and master?
MARIE-THERESE GUYON CADILLAC
The French Guyon family had settled in Quebec in 1634, when Quebec was called New France. Marie-Therese was born to Denis and Elizabeth Guyon in 1671. Her mother was distantly related to French royalty. That was meaningless to young Marie-Therese, whose childhood experiences in the fur-trading community imbued her with a business sense that helped greatly when she found herself in Fort Ponchartrain. She had grown up playing with children of the Algonquin, Huron and Iroquois tribes, enabling her to move easily among Michigans tribes without fear or prejudice.
