  Hardhat Member Username: Hardhat Post Number: 261 Registered: 10-2003 |
I'm curious, what's on the battlefield site today? NATIONAL PARK SERVICE TO STUDY RIVER RAISIN BATTLEFIELD IN MICHIGAN FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Patty Rooney Public Affairs Specialist National Park Service, Midwest Regional Office Phone: (402) 661-1532 E-Mail: patty_rooney@nps.gov Wednesday, October 08, 2008 OMAHA, Neb.- The National Park Service has been directed by Congress to study the eligibility of the River Raisin Battlefield in Monroe, Mich., for inclusion in the National Park System. The study team -- consisting of archeologists, historians, planners, and managers of current units of the National Park System -- began this Special Resource Study (SRS) this past spring and anticipate concluding the process in 2010. Public involvement is a critical part of this SRS. The first public meetings will be held at Monroe County Community College, in Monroe, on Tuesday, October 28, and Wednesday, October 29, from 6-8 p.m. each night. The battles of the River Raisin were fought nearly 200 years ago. More than 400 Americans, British, Canadians, and Indians gave their lives in a fight over land in a town then known as Frenchtown (today Monroe) along the River Raisin. In this fight, which played out over four days, January 18-22, 1813, American forces suffered one of the worst defeats of the War of 1812. After the battles had ended, some of the Indian participants who were British allies killed wounded Americans, mostly members of the Kentucky volunteer militia, who had been taken prisoner. That incident, coupled with the failure of the British commanders to ensure the safety of prisoners of war, so enraged Americans that the phrase "Remember the Raisin" became a rallying cry for future engagements in the war. The event still stands as the bloodiest conflict ever fought on Michigan soil. The River Raisin SRS will include an evaluation of the significance of the Battlefield and its suitability and feasibility for inclusion in the National Park System. Assessing the national significance of the Battlefield involves applying an established, rigorous evaluative process, the same process used to determine whether or not an historic property qualifies as a National Historic Landmark (NHL). In fact, an NHL nomination is also being prepared for the Battlefield at this time; the SRS and the NHL nomination process are being coordinated. To be determined suitable for inclusion in the National Park System, an area must represent a theme that is not already adequately represented in the system or already protected by another agency. Feasibility factors include land ownership, acquisition costs, costs of staffing, threats to the resource and local interest in long-term preservation. In addition to evaluating national significance, suitability, and feasibility, the SRS will also evaluate alternative ways of preserving and interpreting the Battlefield. Public comments on the general scope of this SRS and ideas for management alternatives may be offered at the public meetings, in writing through the study website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov, or in the mail to Ruth Heikkinen, Project Manager, National Park Service, Midwest Regional Office, 601 Riverfront Drive, Omaha, NE 68102. The study website also offers more details on the study. Comments received by December 5, 2008, will be taken into consideratoin before the study team begins to develop a range of potential management alternatives in January 2009. | ||
Mikeg Member Username: Mikeg Post Number: 1928 Registered: 12-2005 |
quote: River Raisin Battlefield Driving Tour Brochure (PDF) River Raisin Battlefield Visitor Center | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 5326 Registered: 06-2004 |
It's great that this is finally underway. They've been lobbying for it for quite a while with John Dingell's support. It will make a nice complement to Fort Meigs in Perrysburg, OH and Fort Malden, on the site of the original Fort Amherstburg in Amherstburg, ON. | ||
Texorama Member Username: Texorama Post Number: 296 Registered: 12-2006 |
There are scattered sites, but no connected park, as outlined in Mikeg's links. It's a good deal for the area. | ||
Alan55 Member Username: Alan55 Post Number: 2259 Registered: 09-2005 |
A battlefield park for essentially a skirmish? Kind of watering down the word "battlefield". | ||
Gambling_man Member Username: Gambling_man Post Number: 1112 Registered: 11-2003 |
The battlefield site used to be covered by several paper factories, long since closed and mowed down. There is currently a stone marker on the site. It is vacant land, on the corner of Elm Ave and Dixie Highway. When i was on City Council in Monroe, we gave the land (about 2 acres) to the Historic Commission. | ||
Busterwmu Member Username: Busterwmu Post Number: 550 Registered: 09-2004 |
The battlefield site includes that of the original Monroe predecessor, Frenchtown, which was settled along the River Raisin. So it wasn't just the site of a battle, but a historic settlement as well. | ||
Crystal Member Username: Crystal Post Number: 295 Registered: 05-2007 |
There still exist remnants of an old corduroy road, Hull's Road, off of Jefferson near Campeau. I highly recommend a trip to view it, or even stand on the actual road! The best place to park is probably at the Silly Goose Inn, a bar, and walk down the shoulder of the road. Be careful when standing on the logs! They can be really slippery even when they appear dry. The road was discovered only a few years ago, when the Great Lakes water levels started to lower. | ||
Lilpup Member Username: Lilpup Post Number: 5327 Registered: 06-2004 |
and really the massacre after the battle is what it's known for as it served as the rallying event for the Americans (who were getting butt-kicked until then) | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 7362 Registered: 08-2004 |
As has been alluded to, there are several varieties of sites within the National Park System. The top designation being a National Park. There are also National Lakeshores (such as Sleeping Bear Dunes up near Traverse City), as well as National Monuments and National Battlefields. | ||
Detroitplanner Member Username: Detroitplanner Post Number: 1952 Registered: 04-2006 |
I visited this site a few years ago. They have a pretty good display that tells about the battle. In addition the docent had me try on a buckskin jacket and some funky head dress. once I got the nasty old thing on my head she told me it was made from a bears head. EW! Needless to say those who participated in the Docent's tour had a good laugh. Well everyone but me! Gistock, there are also National Historic Sites. These include the Ford Theatre and the house where Lincoln died. NPS also runs National Recreation Areas. Until recently the Cuyahoga National Park was a National Recreation Area. | ||
Kennyd Member Username: Kennyd Post Number: 54 Registered: 04-2008 |
I've been meaning to stop down there and see the River Raisin area. Battlefields of losing battles weren't always automatically preserved. I spent some time in Nashville this summer and wanted to see a Civil War battlefield. Franklin was the closest, but there is no Battlefield Park there. They are now trying to buy or otherwise obtain a country club there which is some of the only "undeveloped" land on the actual battlefield. We should buy Zug Island and build a facsimile of Fort Detroit to celebrate our conquered French heritage - ;o) (Message edited by kennyd on October 10, 2008) | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3747 Registered: 01-2005 |
Nuts. There's not enough money in the parks budget to properly maintain the current number of National Parks. And they are raising entry fees constantly on something that should be free and open to the taxpayers to start with. I don't blame the Park Service. I blame the idiots in Congress. | ||
Patrick Member Username: Patrick Post Number: 5679 Registered: 10-2003 |
http://www.emich.edu/focus_emu /051308/peoplecolumn.html |
