Clarke Historical Library

Clarke Historical Library Official page of the Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University -- a library and archives with Michigan/CMU history and children's literature.

Each year since 1973, the campus of Central Michigan University welcomes thousands for the Special Olympics Michigan Sta...
05/29/2026

Each year since 1973, the campus of Central Michigan University welcomes thousands for the Special Olympics Michigan State Summer Games. Athletes and their families from across the Great Lakes State are in Mt. Pleasant this weekend to share in the empowerment, joy, and camaraderie that the SOMI State Summer Games provide.

Pictured here are photos from 20 years ago, in 2006, showing the athletes, supporters, and volunteers during the opening ceremonies, torch lighting, volleyball, and bocce events!

In late 2025, the Michigan legislature passed a law to honor the men and boys who fought as part of Company K First Mich...
05/27/2026

In late 2025, the Michigan legislature passed a law to honor the men and boys who fought as part of Company K First Michigan Sharpshooters. Company K was made up primarily of Odawa and Ojibwe men and boys from northern Michigan, like William "Chid" Duvernay, pictured here, who was actually part of Co. B. of the First Michigan Sharpshooters. The 2025 law renamed a stretch of M-22 in Leelanau in honor of Company K, and today was the dedication ceremony.

The text of the law is below:

"Michigan Compiled Laws: 250.1108 'Company K Indian Veterans 1st Michigan Sharpshooters Civil War Memorial Highway'.

"Sec. 108.

"The portion of highway M-22 in Leelanau County beginning at the intersection of highway M-22 and North Stallman Road and continuing north to the intersection of highway M-22 and North Putnam Road shall be known as the 'Company K Indian Veterans 1st Michigan Sharpshooters Civil War Memorial Highway'."

Our friends at WCMU Public Media have a new episode of with David Nicholas that you will want to listen to!Carrie Mars...
05/21/2026

Our friends at WCMU Public Media have a new episode of with David Nicholas that you will want to listen to!

Carrie Marsh and Bryan Whitledge of the Clarke joined David in the studio for the first episode of a multipart series about Dr. Robert "Bob" Kohrman's world-class collection of books, periodicals, art, and more about angling, sporting, and conservation That collection is now part of the Clarke's holdings, making the Clarke a premier destination for those interested in the history of angling, fish culture, outdoor sports, and conservation.

Dr. Kohrman passed away in April, and this remembrance recounts the first question that sparked his interest and led to his decades-long quest to collect rare sporting books and periodicals--Why is the city of Grayling named Grayling if there aren't any grayling fish there?

Read or listen to the story on the WCMU site:
https://www.wcmu.org/show/central-focus/2026-05-20/central-focus-remembering-robert-kohrman-part-1

Are you curious about what was happening around , Mich., back on Friday, May 15, 1914? We've got the answer from :Cheb...
05/15/2026

Are you curious about what was happening around , Mich., back on Friday, May 15, 1914? We've got the answer from :

Cheboygan was going to get a local "salting station" plant of the Budlong Pickle Company (carrying on the tradition of Michigan being the leading pickle state in the country!). And the boys on the high school basketball team were going to receive their "Block C" that afternoon.

https://digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=CheboyganCD19140515-01.1.4&e=-------en-10--1--txt-txIN----------

Get all of the latest (well, the latest back 112 years ago) news from across the state of Michigan on the Digital Michigan Newspapers site.

The latest issue of "Lookout Network" (publication of the Forest Fire Lookout Association (FFLA), Vol 37.1 for Spring 20...
05/12/2026

The latest issue of "Lookout Network" (publication of the Forest Fire Lookout Association (FFLA), Vol 37.1 for Spring 2026) features an article by Anne Millbrooke, "Ready-Cut Home and Lookout Cabins: Aladdin Company, Western Division, Portland, Oregon."

Millbrooke offers an excellent history of Bay City's Aladdin Co. and their operations in Portland, Ore., especially the company's efforts to construct small cabins for fire lookouts out west.

Who knew that the standard L-4 kit used for lookout cabins across western states in the 1930s was affectionately known as "an Aladdin"--even when the kit was made by another manufacturer?!

Check out the latest issue of ""Lookout Network" for the whole story.

This weekend, Central Michigan University will recognize the accomplishments of thousands of graduates. They now join th...
05/09/2026

This weekend, Central Michigan University will recognize the accomplishments of thousands of graduates. They now join the ranks of of 130 years of CMU alumni who have been fired up to walk across the stage in their maroon and gold!

Central Michigan University Alumni Association

Photos:
6 graduates pose for a photo (1896),
Graduate-degree commencement with speaker Dr. Robert Kohrman (2014),
A couple of graduates (and a future graduate) all dressed up for the occasion (ca. 1950s),
Commencement procession walking down the sidewall to the Warriner Hall auditorium (1942),
A group of mortar boards (1980),
Graduates at commencement in Rose Arena (2003)

This month, the Clarke is joining a nationwide effort to raise awareness and visibility for Missing and Murdered Indigen...
05/06/2026

This month, the Clarke is joining a nationwide effort to raise awareness and visibility for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP). Indigenous people, particularly women and girls, experience disproportionately high rates of disappearances and murder compared to the national average.

Stop by our showcase in the Park Library hallway during the month of May to view the red dresses on display and learn about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIW) movement. Ours is one of several such displays throughout the CMU and Mount Pleasant communities, including our friends at Museum of Cultural and Natural History and Indigenous Affairs- Central Michigan University.

It's time for tip-off of the Eastern Conference semifinals and, even though there isn't anyone around to hear it, Isaac ...
05/05/2026

It's time for tip-off of the Eastern Conference semifinals and, even though there isn't anyone around to hear it, Isaac Fancher just yelled "Deee-troit Basketball."

Among the honorees of this year's Central Michigan University Libraries Book Recognition was former Clarke Historical Li...
05/04/2026

Among the honorees of this year's Central Michigan University Libraries Book Recognition was former Clarke Historical Library director Frank Boles, who was recognized for his book, "Visiting Mackinac: 150 Years of Tourism at Michigan's Fabled Straits."

If you are gearing up for some late spring and summer travels to the , this book might be the ticket for you.

Address

250 E. Preston Street
Mount Pleasant, MI
48859

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+19897743864

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