Chief Noonday (aka Noahquageshik or Nawquageezhig), 1755 - 1855 or 1770 - 1840

His history is as murky as the dates he lived and there are no known photos of him. There is no disagreement that Noonday was the Chief of the Grand River Band of the Ottawa Nation, spending most of his life in what is now Yankee Springs Township in Michigan. He may have allied with Tecumseh during the Battle of the Thames in the War of 1812. It seems likely that he was converted to Christianity, and Noonday did establish trade with early European settlers/colonizers. 

As part of the Grand Rapids Community Legends series, the city erected a seven foot statue of Chief Noonday on the west side of the Grand River in front of the GVSU Eberhard Center by the Blue Bridge. The statue was sculpted by Antonio Tobias Mendez and was installed in 2010. The details of the sculpture are impressive, especially considering the details of Noonday's life are so lacking. 

Last winter we found the Chief's gravesite on Cressey Road (8839-8601) in Plainwell,

Rest in peace, Chief Noonday.

Underground Railroad Sculpture, 256 W Van Buren, Battle Creek MI ~ May, 2021

Our first attempt to see the sculpture took place last February 😊

We returned last May and had a much better visit.

Erastus and Sarah Hussey were Quakers and abolitionists who started hiding escaping slaves in 1840. Their home became one of the main stations on the Underground Railroad in Battle Creek. Erastus and Harriet Tubman are featured on the front of the monument. There is no evidence Tubman ever set foot in Michigan but the contributions of the "Black Moses" are well-known and made her a national hero. 

One side of the monument depicts the Husseys helping escaping slaves into their home, and the details of the entire sculpture are impressive.

Harriet Tubman is shown on the other side leading slaves to their freedom.

The sculpture is 14 feet tall land 28 feet long and is the largest Underground Railroad Sculpture in the U.S. It was designed by Ed Dwight and dedicated in 1993. Besides being a well-known sculptor, Dwight was an air force jet pilot in 1962 when President Kennedy nominated him as an astronaut trainee. Dwight would have been the first African-American astronaut. After Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, NASA dropped Dwight from the program. 

Ed Dwight has two other well-known sculptures in Michigan: Rosa Parks in Grand Rapids and another Underground Railroad sculpture in Detroit.

Ed Dwight may not have made history with NASA but he's doing his part to help us remember our history.

Woodlawn Cemetery, 19975 Woodward Avenue, Detroit ~ September 1, 2021

Established in 1895, the cemetery holds many prominent Michigan citizens. Rosa Parks rests in the lovely chapel that now bears her name.

A short hall leads into the chapel.

At the rear of the chapel is a wall of urns.

Rosa lies to the right of the pulpit.

A code is necessary to enter the chapel so stop at the nearby office beforehand for a cemetery map and the code.

Aretha Franklin reposes in the main mausoleum.

Her father is nearby.

The Dodge brothers, Horace (1868-1920) and John (1864-1920), rest here along with other family members.

John Lord Booth (1907-1994) founded one of the first FM radio stations in the country.

The Grinnel Brothers music company produced pianos and other music related items. 

Ernest Kanzler was a Vice President at the Ford Company and was close with Edsel Ford and his family. Ernest's wife, Josephine was a sister of Edsel Ford's wife, Eleanor.

Edsel Ford and his family can be found across from the Main Mausoleum.

To see the names and dates, you have to walk behind the sarcophagi.

Edsel and Eleanor

Edsel's son, William, is here but William's wife, Martha Firestone, born in 1925, is still alive. William was Henry Ford's last surviving grandchild.

Edsel's son Benson and his wife Edith.

We had only about an hour to spend here today and would love to return and explore more. It's a beautiful setting and its 140 acres are home to many Motown musicians as well as other well-known Detroit people.