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Emmet County was formed April 1, 1840, from Mackinac County. It was first named Tonedagana County and renamed Emmet County on March 8, 1843. Emmet County remained attached to Mackinac County for administrative purposes until county government was organized in 1853. The county was named for the Irish patriot Robert Emmet, who was hanged as a traitor to the British government at the age of 23.

Source : Emmet County Wikipedia entry.

Throughout much of the early 1800s, it was common for young Irish men and women to leave Ireland in search of opportunities elsewhere. Ireland lacked a middle class, most natives were poor farmers and those who were educated and ambitious had limited opportunities to advance.

Charles M. O’Malley was one of those young Irishmen who sought an avenue to advance by leaving his village of Derradda in County Mayo. Charley was educated – he had finished his regular schooling and then enrolled in Maynooth Seminary to study for the priesthood. He interrupted his seminary studies to leave Ireland, never to return. He immigrated to Canada in 1834 with his younger brother Tully and the pair landed in Montreal. Both became affiliated with the University of Montreal, with Charles teaching mathematics for a brief period.

But the two were restless and anxious for more adventure than university life could provide. They soon left the urban center of Montreal for the wild and unsettled area of northern Michigan. They ended their westward journey in Mackinaw in 1835 and happened upon another ambitious man, John Jacob Astor. Astor was just then in the midst of building his fur trading empire, and he hired the pair to serve as clerks in his growing enterprise.

Neither man stayed with Astor very long although their employment must have been profitable because Charlie soon opened his own mercantile business on the island with the help of young Tully. Mackinac Island was a busy place. The fur business required the warehousing and movement of large stores of trade goods and furs. The island village was host to traders, Indians, and businessmen of all types who were regularly coming and going and visiting the row of stores that fronted the busy waterfront area.

O’Malley was described as an honest and industrious merchant. His financial success and generosity enabled his helping other Irish emigrate from their homeland to the U.S. both before and during the Irish potato famine. One of those who came was O’Malley’s sister, Margaret, who promptly married another Irishman named Chambers.

Another of O’Malley’s sponsored immigrants was his niece, Bridget. Bridget also married an Irishman on the trip to America. The pair settled in Mackinaw and ultimately built the Cloghaun Bed & Breakfast on Mackinac Island after raising enough capital by fishing and exporting salted fish.

Charlie’s success in business provoked his entry into politics where he was also successful. He entered local politics first and then succeeded to state-wide office becoming Mackinaw’s representative to the State legislature in 1846, 1847 and 1849. In 1849, Charlie’s peers elected him as Speaker Pro Tem in a show of their admiration.

Not everyone was happy with Charlie, however. One of Charlie’s jobs was in jurisprudence, as he became a judge while brother Tully became sheriff of Mackinaw County. Mackinaw was the political center of northern Michigan and the pair were involved in several disputes. By 1850 Charlie had developed a reputation of being an irascible sort who was given to impulsive decisions.

Two examples of Charlie’s decisions are illustrative: the Michael Dousman case and that of “King” Strang. The wealthy Dousman was being sued in O’Malley’s court and the judge objected to Dousman’s testimony as being too personal. The two men had a chance meeting sometime later and their quarrel took on a physical aspect with both men using their fists. Charlie was bested. He promptly returned to his court and wrote an order demanding Douseman’s arrest and imprisonment on the charge of contempt of court.

Charlie gave “King” Strang the same treatment. [Strang took the name “King” to indicate his exalted status as king of the Mormons who resided on Beaver Island.] Charlie had no particular respect for Strang and he demonstrated his opinion by sentencing Strang to life imprisonment for contempt of court after Strang had given testimony in court that Charlie didn’t like. The charge was later reduced to one year in jail. By the way, Strang also represented Beaver Island in the state legislature proving that Charlie believed in uniform treatment regardless of one’s station in life.

Charlie left Mackinaw for a time when he moved to Escanaba. It was reported that both he and Tully dabbled in the lumbering business in the Upper Peninsula while maintaining their primary interests on Mackinac Island.

In addition to the naming of several Michigan counties, Charlie’s most lasting legacy was the building of the Island House Hotel in 1852, the first hotel on Mackinac Island. The hotel still proudly stands along the shore of the Island bearing testimony to the work and success of Irish immigrant Charles M. O’Malley, he who named Roscommon County, Michigan in honor of his Irish homeland.

Sources:

Charles O’Malley: Mackinac Island’s Legendary Legislator, MIRS, September 20, 2013.

W. E. Tudor, “The Story of Charlie O’Malley“, Houghton Lake Resorter, April 26, 2012.

Michigan Maps in the 1840s

Born in Michigan and raised in St. Johns by his father after his mother was killed by a runaway horse, Philip Orin Parmelee (8 March 1887 – 1 June 1912) was an American aviation pioneer trained by the Wright brothers and credited with several early world aviation records and “firsts” in flight. He turned a keen interest in small engines into employment with the Wright Company in its early years and was one of several young pilots hired by the Wright brothers to demonstrate and publicize the capabilities of their airplanes. Because of his youth, blond good looks, and daring reputation, Parmelee had the nickname “Skyman” attributed to him.

Among the feats credited to Parmelee are the first commercial flight of an airplane, establishing a world cross-country speed record, holding the world flying endurance record, piloting the first aircraft to drop a bomb, conducting the first military reconnaissance flight and piloting the first aircraft involved in the world’s first parachute jump.

Parmelee was killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting at an exhibition in Yakima, Washington, when turbulence flipped the airplane upside down.

An historic marker to Philip O. Parmelee, erected in 1978, is displayed at the Lansing Capital Region International Airport terminal in DeWitt Township, Michigan.

Parmelee appeared in an early silent film A Dash Through the Clouds directed by Mack Sennett and starring Mabel Normand. In the film Parmelee plays a pilot called ‘Slim’ and flies Mabel around in his Wright B aeroplane. Parmelee completed this film and it was released two weeks after his death on June 24, 1912.

Sources:

Philip Parmalee wikipedia entry

On March 8,  1918 at Ft. Custer, the army issued two dog tags to each of 30-thousand draftees, with instructions that they wear one around their neck and the other around their wrist “to make identification certain in case of explosion where portions of the body might be blown to pieces!”

Source : WAKV (Plainwell, MI) : The Memory Station Facebook Page

Sarah Sicard, “A Brief History of the Dog Tag“, January 15, 2016.

History of Dog Tags

On March 8, 1927, the cornerstone was laid for Olympia Stadium, the future home of the Detroit Red Wings, the Detroit Pistons for a time and a plethora of concerts (including the Beatles), wrestling matches and other events.

Source : Detroit Historical Society Facebook Page

For more information see Detroit Olympia Wikipedia Entry.

Casmer P. Ogonowski (March 4, 1923 – January 10, 2012) was an American politician.  Born in Detroit, Michigan, Ogonowski served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1969 until his resignation in 1982. He was a Democrat.

In March 1982, Ogonowski resigned from the Michigan Legislature after pleading guilty to extortion in the United States District Court so that the Michigan Legislature would not be able to expel him.

Sources:

Wikipedia entry.

“House Breathes Sigh of Relief As Ogonowkia Quits“, Ludington Daily News, March 6, 1982.

‘Ogonowski quits,’ Marshall Daily Chronicle. March 9, 1982, pg. 2

Emily Lawler, “”Death, Drugs, and Skullduggery: A Brief History of Michigan Political Scandals“, MLive, August 21, 2015; updated August 24, 2015.

Oz the Great and Powerful, which received financial support from the State of Michigan and which was filmed in 3D at Raleigh Michigan Studios in Pontiac, Michigan, was released nationwide on this day.

Ten drummers from the MSU Drumline played vintage-style drums in the movie. Wearing Winkie uniforms, they were part of an Emerald City scene requiring tons of pageantry.

Trailer

Sources :

Julie Hinds, “Spartan Raimi puts MSU in ‘Oz'”, Detroit Free Press, March 7, 2013.

Official Disney website

Gilda’s LaughFest 2018 is scheduled for March 8-18.

Gilda’s Club is named for Saturday Night comedian Gilda Radner, who wrote the book “It’s Always Something.” After Gilda died of ovarian cancer in 1989, her husband, comedian Gene Wilder, and cancer therapist Joanna Bull started Gilda’s Club to support people afflicted with cancer. Attendees can enjoy the hilarity of the comedians while supporting a good cause. Proceeds from LaughFest, which has averaged 55,000 attendees per year since its 2011 inception, go to support the free cancer, grief and emotional health programs offered through Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids.

For a number of years, the Grand Rapids LaughFest set out to grab Guinness World Records as part of its festivities.

LaughFest opened in 2011 with a rubber chicken toss in downtown Grand Rapids. A total of 925 faux fowl were thrown, shattering ring the previous record of 265 set near Boston. That record has since been surpassed.

In 2012, 607 people wore chicken beaks and performed the chicken dance to set the record for the greatest number of people wearing animal noses at once. LaughFest still holds that record.

In 2013 1,532 people donned fake mustaches to smoke the previous 648 set at an event sponsored by the St. Louis Rams. That record was soon surpassed.

In 2014 LaughFest set a new record for the most people wearing sunglasses in the dark with 1,675 certified participants.

In 2015 the attempt at the most people wearing paper crowns failed because cold weather forced the event indoors.

In 2016 the festival again tried to break the record for tossing rubber chickens.

More recently, Gilda’s LaughFest has also been sponsoring a FunderWear Run. This unique race invites participants to wear their finest (and funniest!) underwear over their running clothes in support of Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids! So forget black tie, there is a NEW dress code in town for fundraising events-underwear! Help us bring laughter and awareness of emotional health to the streets of Grand Rapids. Hey, when else can you run (or walk!) around in your underwear and NOT have it end with a ride in the back seat of a fancy car with flashing lights?

For more information, see LaughFest

For an article, see Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk, “LaughFest 2015 plans crowning achievement to set new Guinness World Record”, MLive, February 24, 2015.

Nate Reens, “Festival kicks off Thursday with world record attempt”, MLive, March 2, 2016.

LaughFest on Facebook