I just found you here after losing track of your work when I (we?) left Twitterland. My siblings and I were born and raised in MC. After high school our mother worked in bookkeeping at Josam (probably ~1945-47). Though I moved away, I still take great delight every time I spy “Josam” cast in the center of a drain cover, usually from a pensive position in a restroom. We drove past Josam on Hwy 12 to get to our grandmother’s home (where now a casino parking lot sits). The stink that came from the plant was awful but also comforting in its consistency, a reassurance that things would always be just as they were (until they weren’t, see above).
When I took a tour of the West Virginia Penitentiary, we asked if you could get a good deal on a house next to the prison. The tour guide and former guard said that 9 out of 10 escapees headed straight for the Ohio River as it complicated the manhunt as soon as you got another state involved. I guess the same would apply here.
No mention that it's on Lake Michigan? It is for unique for that. It has a beautiful beach and lakefront park, called Washington Park. They are developing the old business district based on the lake proximity with new residences and an expanded marina. Did you get down there?
My dad worked for Tonn & Blank Construction in Michigan City and liked to pick up hitchhikers to & from work. My mom, a Hammond City School teacher, thought it would be the death of him.
The Michigan City Zoo "monkey tower", which overlooks half the city is as delightful as the coal tower. The Michigan City Railroad bridge is a goddamn marvel. I'd love to see you photograph it. And the monkey tower.
Lovely writing. You make the son of a Hammond School teacher and Michigan City accountant (later for the Gary United Way), who grew up along the South Shore railroad (Ogden Dunes stop) feel like royalty.
If you want a good time, get yourself a KMart raft. Trace any Northwest Indiana waterway 5-10 miles upstream. Drop it in and paddle to Lake Michigan. You will see some things. We did all of them between Michigan City & East Chicago. Maybe I should make a blog for that.
I once took 30 days leave and spent it in Michigan City with my buddy who was getting out of the Army. I had a great time. The people were great and you're right, even in 1993 it was just so normal.
My favorite thing, however, was this house I kept passing between my friend's house and his girlfriend's house that had the 82nd Airborne flag flying. I was in the 82nd, so eventually I mustered up the courage to go knock on the door. The little old lady (from the perspective of a 24 year old paratrooper, anyone over 40 was "old") heard me say "I'm in the 82nd Airborne" and nearly dragged me inside to meet her husband. He would be so exited to meet me, she said. And then, right before she pulled me into his study she said, rather casually, I thought, "He's blind. He was shot in WWII."
And there I was, face to face with a no-shit, WWII veteran, who'd been shot in the head and blinded after a combat jump in Operation Market Garden. Now each of those drop zones on Ft Bragg weren't just names. They were literally places this guy had exited an aircraft in fright, and had fought his way across. He had come into Normandy as a replacement and then had jumped with the Division after that.
Craziest of all, he acted like I was somehow his equal. He was absolutely certain had I, an E4 in the 1990's version of his beloved Division, would have done at least as well as all his buddies and he had done. He'd helped make history, and I was just some dumb kid who was marginally capable of making it through my day without getting yelled at by my platoon sergeant, but he was sure I could have done as well as he did. American soldiers are so much better trained now, he explained. Better weapons, better equipment, smarter and stronger and better educated. But I wasn't entirely sure I was worthy to be living in a country he'd stopped a bullet for, much less to serve in the Division he'd fought in.
He'd lived in darkness for nearly 50 years by the time I'd met him, and was happy he'd been able to come home, get married, and have a life afterwards. And he was just some guy who lived in Michigan City.
Who knows what other treasures that "normal" town concealed.
I love that you ran into someone who founded a paper football league! I saw the photo of the phone first, before reaching that part of the post, and thought "Can that be the same game that we used to play at school?..." Great to think back to some childhood memories.
I grew up in a similar town as Michigan City, but a few hours north in the actual state of Michigan. Then I spent five years in New England, and had a similar feeling that my midwestern hometown was just more "normal". But to be more precise, I think it is partly that New England has noticeably higher socioeconomic inequality. Part of it is the estates that you mentioned, but also Midwestern cities tend to have good (and sometimes great) public schools, and the beaches are almost always open to the public.
That’s so great. Yes, I thought the same thing about the paper football league. Also, the Midwest is really growing on me because of that lack of inequality
I don’t know what exactly is the reason (lack of extreme wealth? Or less universities?), but it definitely feels less unequal
I love wandering around industrial estates! So much poetry in the names and places. Really enjoyed this quiet appreciation of an average city - a wonderful antidote to all the online craziness.
That is an impressive array of commercial enterprise for a town with a population of 31K. A golf partner in Iowa was the daughter of an Iowa farmer. When their parents retired, her sister took over the truckline they ran out of their basement. It's a $50 million a year operation...out of the basement of an Iowa farmhouse. My golf partner indicated there were dozens of similar operations all over the state. Who knew? Certainly, no coastals recognize the entrepreneurial strength and prosperity of the country surrounding the cities.
Great story. If only someone would make a tv series: quiet reflections on normal life.... We have Simon reeves in the UK who does this a bit but each segment normally ends with all the bad stuff politics has caused, global warming etc and steamrolls over the local day to day story
There’s a side, a dimension to Michigan City that you didn’t write about which is for the best in terms of your narrative that captures the core of what the place is. The lakefront is beautiful with great parks and beaches and contains a seasonal community of Chicagoans and other midwesterners that have taken their families there in the summer for generations. The beaches are some of the nicest in the world for the 3 months the lake is warm enough to swim in. There’s little interaction between the lakefront community and the rest of Michigan City which is literally on the other side of the tracks aside from the beach itself. Both are great in their own ways. I’ve spent many summers there and I love to cycle all over both the city and its neighborhoods then out to the beautiful countryside farm roads. Michigan City is my favorite summer place. It has a vibe to it that grows on you as you so well describe.
I just found you here after losing track of your work when I (we?) left Twitterland. My siblings and I were born and raised in MC. After high school our mother worked in bookkeeping at Josam (probably ~1945-47). Though I moved away, I still take great delight every time I spy “Josam” cast in the center of a drain cover, usually from a pensive position in a restroom. We drove past Josam on Hwy 12 to get to our grandmother’s home (where now a casino parking lot sits). The stink that came from the plant was awful but also comforting in its consistency, a reassurance that things would always be just as they were (until they weren’t, see above).
Loved this
A 1978 Town Car?!? Amazing. Hope you bought it. The fact it likely runs well says a lot about that town.
When I took a tour of the West Virginia Penitentiary, we asked if you could get a good deal on a house next to the prison. The tour guide and former guard said that 9 out of 10 escapees headed straight for the Ohio River as it complicated the manhunt as soon as you got another state involved. I guess the same would apply here.
No mention that it's on Lake Michigan? It is for unique for that. It has a beautiful beach and lakefront park, called Washington Park. They are developing the old business district based on the lake proximity with new residences and an expanded marina. Did you get down there?
My dad worked for Tonn & Blank Construction in Michigan City and liked to pick up hitchhikers to & from work. My mom, a Hammond City School teacher, thought it would be the death of him.
The Michigan City Zoo "monkey tower", which overlooks half the city is as delightful as the coal tower. The Michigan City Railroad bridge is a goddamn marvel. I'd love to see you photograph it. And the monkey tower.
Lovely writing. You make the son of a Hammond School teacher and Michigan City accountant (later for the Gary United Way), who grew up along the South Shore railroad (Ogden Dunes stop) feel like royalty.
If you want a good time, get yourself a KMart raft. Trace any Northwest Indiana waterway 5-10 miles upstream. Drop it in and paddle to Lake Michigan. You will see some things. We did all of them between Michigan City & East Chicago. Maybe I should make a blog for that.
I once took 30 days leave and spent it in Michigan City with my buddy who was getting out of the Army. I had a great time. The people were great and you're right, even in 1993 it was just so normal.
My favorite thing, however, was this house I kept passing between my friend's house and his girlfriend's house that had the 82nd Airborne flag flying. I was in the 82nd, so eventually I mustered up the courage to go knock on the door. The little old lady (from the perspective of a 24 year old paratrooper, anyone over 40 was "old") heard me say "I'm in the 82nd Airborne" and nearly dragged me inside to meet her husband. He would be so exited to meet me, she said. And then, right before she pulled me into his study she said, rather casually, I thought, "He's blind. He was shot in WWII."
And there I was, face to face with a no-shit, WWII veteran, who'd been shot in the head and blinded after a combat jump in Operation Market Garden. Now each of those drop zones on Ft Bragg weren't just names. They were literally places this guy had exited an aircraft in fright, and had fought his way across. He had come into Normandy as a replacement and then had jumped with the Division after that.
Craziest of all, he acted like I was somehow his equal. He was absolutely certain had I, an E4 in the 1990's version of his beloved Division, would have done at least as well as all his buddies and he had done. He'd helped make history, and I was just some dumb kid who was marginally capable of making it through my day without getting yelled at by my platoon sergeant, but he was sure I could have done as well as he did. American soldiers are so much better trained now, he explained. Better weapons, better equipment, smarter and stronger and better educated. But I wasn't entirely sure I was worthy to be living in a country he'd stopped a bullet for, much less to serve in the Division he'd fought in.
He'd lived in darkness for nearly 50 years by the time I'd met him, and was happy he'd been able to come home, get married, and have a life afterwards. And he was just some guy who lived in Michigan City.
Who knows what other treasures that "normal" town concealed.
Manufacturing. I love it!
I love that you ran into someone who founded a paper football league! I saw the photo of the phone first, before reaching that part of the post, and thought "Can that be the same game that we used to play at school?..." Great to think back to some childhood memories.
I grew up in a similar town as Michigan City, but a few hours north in the actual state of Michigan. Then I spent five years in New England, and had a similar feeling that my midwestern hometown was just more "normal". But to be more precise, I think it is partly that New England has noticeably higher socioeconomic inequality. Part of it is the estates that you mentioned, but also Midwestern cities tend to have good (and sometimes great) public schools, and the beaches are almost always open to the public.
That’s so great. Yes, I thought the same thing about the paper football league. Also, the Midwest is really growing on me because of that lack of inequality
I don’t know what exactly is the reason (lack of extreme wealth? Or less universities?), but it definitely feels less unequal
What a wonderful post. Thank you.
I love wandering around industrial estates! So much poetry in the names and places. Really enjoyed this quiet appreciation of an average city - a wonderful antidote to all the online craziness.
That is an impressive array of commercial enterprise for a town with a population of 31K. A golf partner in Iowa was the daughter of an Iowa farmer. When their parents retired, her sister took over the truckline they ran out of their basement. It's a $50 million a year operation...out of the basement of an Iowa farmhouse. My golf partner indicated there were dozens of similar operations all over the state. Who knew? Certainly, no coastals recognize the entrepreneurial strength and prosperity of the country surrounding the cities.
Great story. If only someone would make a tv series: quiet reflections on normal life.... We have Simon reeves in the UK who does this a bit but each segment normally ends with all the bad stuff politics has caused, global warming etc and steamrolls over the local day to day story
Chris, now you are writing about my home town. Next time you are there, be sure to walk to Washington Park on the lake!
There’s a side, a dimension to Michigan City that you didn’t write about which is for the best in terms of your narrative that captures the core of what the place is. The lakefront is beautiful with great parks and beaches and contains a seasonal community of Chicagoans and other midwesterners that have taken their families there in the summer for generations. The beaches are some of the nicest in the world for the 3 months the lake is warm enough to swim in. There’s little interaction between the lakefront community and the rest of Michigan City which is literally on the other side of the tracks aside from the beach itself. Both are great in their own ways. I’ve spent many summers there and I love to cycle all over both the city and its neighborhoods then out to the beautiful countryside farm roads. Michigan City is my favorite summer place. It has a vibe to it that grows on you as you so well describe.
I enjoyed what you wrote about Michigan City, especially the next to last paragraph. Thank you!