Michigan History Magazine

From July 9 through July 26, the “Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation” traveling exhibition will be hosted at The Henry Ford in Dearborn to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding! Will you be making a trip to see the documents in person?

The exhibit features several founding era U.S. documents provided by the National Archives, including the 1783 Treaty of Paris, George Washington’s 1778 Oath of Allegiance, and the 1774 Articles of Association. The Henry Ford is one of eight venues from across the country selected for the exhibit, which will be free and open to the public.

Keep up with all sorts of Michigan historical news in Michigan History magazine and Chronicle, HSM’s membership magazine! Learn more at https://hsmichigan.org/read

Would you say that many, if not most, fishing enthusiasts have a story about “the one that got away?” William Maxey, the author of this issue’s Remember The Time section in Michigan History magazine, shares his story of the one that got away in the Porcupine Mountains in 1962:

“After finding a place among the trees and shrubs to flip my lure into the clear water, I soon hooked a big, beautiful steelhead that my little Mepps No. 2 spinner had tricked into striking. I had that l***y trout firmly on as it circled the large pool a couple of times. I did my best to steer him away from the many roots around the edge. Then, on the next circuit, he jumped fully clear of the water directly in a shaft of bright sunlight, right in front of the small waterfall at the head of the pool. At the height of that magnificent arc, he spit that Mepps spinner right straight at me, then arced gracefully down and disappeared into the depths, no doubt fully satisfied that he had beaten me…I can see that picture in my head as clear as if it were yesterday, rather than more than 60 years ago, on a bright autumn day, in the beautiful Porkies.”

Thanks for sharing your memory, William! Read the full article—including the author’s photos from the trip!—and enjoy all the special sections Michigan History magazine has to offer at https://hsmichigan.org/read/michigan-history

Jane Irene Cutler’s life changed forever on February 15, 1932. The 57-year-old housewife had just lost her husband, Berrien County Sheriff Fred Cutler, ten days earlier after a sudden illness. Now, in an extraordinary transition, she was appointed as his successor, becoming the first and only woman to serve in that post in Berrien County.

As Sheriff, Fred Cutler dealt with some very high-profile cases, including the trial of Fred “Killer” Burke and the arrest of notorious gangster Gus Winkeler, who was wanted for the largest bank robbery in history to that date. After Fred’s shocking death, the Berrien County community rallied to nominate Jane Cutler as the successor to her husband’s office. She served an eleven-month term and handled a record number of inmates—totaling 1,234—that year. See her pictured below on the right with inmates of the Berrien County Jail in 1932.

To learn about how Cutler obtained confessions using a motherly disposition, why one inmate chose to stay in the jail under Cutler after his sentence was up, and more, read the FULL ARTICLE “Madam Sheriff: The Unlikely Stry of Jane Irene Cutler” for free athttps://hsmichigan.org/sites/default/files/2026-05/PUB-MHM-Sample%20Story%20-%20MayJun26.pdf