History and Culture   

This presentation looks at heritage tourism at sites associated with the "Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. First published in the 1930s and 1940s, the “Little House” books have sold millions of copies in dozens of languages and for many readers, they have come to define the American pioneer experience. Today, thousands of "Little House" fans visit small towns and isolated locations throughout the American Midwest and upstate New York where Wilder and her family once lived. McClellan will discuss how this tourism illuminates (and sometimes obscures) complicated connections among fiction, biography, and history. She will also explore how these communities have incorporated their “Little House” connection into their present-day identity.

Michelle McClellan's childhood fascination with the "Little House" books inspired her to become an historian. She has taught history and worked in museums and historic preservation. Today she is an archivist at the Bentley Historical Library, part of the University of Michigan.

Among the rich culinary holdings of the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive are several dozen handwritten recipe books from the 19th-20th centuries. These cookbooks for personal use offer intriguing glimpses not only of food preparation, but of women’s selection and curation of their private recipe collections. Join Special Collections Research Center Curator Juli McLoone for a short introductory lecture, followed by hands-on exploration and an opportunity to practice reading and transcribing manuscript recipes.

Juli McLoone is a Curator in the University of Michigan Library's Special Collections Research Center, where she curates post-1700 print materials, including the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive (JBLCA). Containing more than 15,000 items, the JBLCA documents American foodways over more than 200 years through cookbooks, menus, and advertising ephemera. Through the culinary archive one can explore changing attitudes towards diet and health, homemaking, commercial dining and the industrialization of food production.

Please join me in exploring Ann Arbor’s SmartTours which celebrates the Bicentennial of the founding of Ann Arbor in 1824. In all, there are 15 tours of Ann Arbor with 177 tour sites. Each tour site includes a photograph and narrative describing its significance to Ann Arbor. In this study group we will attempt to cover 5 of these walking tours. Instead of trying to read your smartphone as we walk these tours, I will provide the narrative and point out the building /site that is being referenced on the tour. Please join me as we walk around Ann Arbor and understand the significance of buildings that we have passed by many times. You should be capable of walking a minimum of two miles before embarking on these tours. *Note - the class meets in a classroom for only the first class. Be prepared to walk the first day of class. These will include previous walks as well as new walks.

Will Hawk retired from the information technology industry after 35 years. At present, Will serves as a very active volunteer for OLLI and enjoys using technology to assist seniors with everyday tasks. As a lifelong learner, Will has many interests including hiking and yoga.

We will read the book Overground Railroad, The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America, by Candacy Taylor, to learn about the evolution of the Green Book. We will also learn about Idlewild, MI, a black resort, and sundown towns.

Susan Doyle retired from academia after 17 years as an academic advisor at UM. Her Ph.D. is in African American literature, and she is still learning about aspects of the black experience in America.