A National Moment

Article published at MonroeNews.com on Oct 22, 2010

A national moment

The River Raisin Battlefield in Monroe now is America’s newest national park.

The park was dedicated Friday in a ceremony befitting a watershed event that will preserve a historic legacy for generations to come.

“It is an enormous achievement for this community to have positioned itself so that the United States Congress would, by law, and the President would acquiesce to, the creation of this national park,” said Thomas Strickland, assistant secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, during the dedication in the Meyer Theater at Monroe County Community College’s La-Z-Boy Center. “These things don’t happen very often. We’ll do our very best to take care of this treasured landscape.”

National Park Service officials later said an official NPS arrowhead sign soon will go up at the existing River Raisin Battlefield Visitor Center on E. Elm Ave. near a 45-acre site that was the scene of the bloodiest battle of the War of 1812 and subsequent slaughter of survivors. Work also will begin in earnest on a plan to further develop the park land, a one-time industrial site.

“The engagements between American and British forces at River Raisin was one of those rare times in history where a terrible defeat laid a foundation for eventual

victory,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said from Washington. “I am proud that we are now able to honor the brave soldiers who fought and gave their lives to preserve our nation by adding this battlefield to the National Park System.”

A host of local officials and dignitaries attended the star-spangled ceremony, which included period music from the 1st Michigan Colonial Fife and Drum Corps, and the Monroe College/Community Symphony Band under the direction of Mark Felder.

The event, emceed by MCCC President Dr. David Nixon, included a ceremonial transfer of “sacred soil” from the battlefield to the National Park Service. Monroe Mayor Robert E. Clark handed a sample of the soil in a measuring cup to three NPS officials, saying, ”It’s my honor and privilege to transfer this sacred soil to your responsible hands and entrust the River Raisin Battlefield to the United States of America.”

William H. Braunlich, president of the Monroe County Historical Society, commended all those who contributed to the effort, but said it would not have happened without the dedication of two “powerhouse champions” in Congress – Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, and Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn.

The two pushed through federal legislation enabling creation of the park.

Sen. Levin spoke about the importance of the battlefield and the battle cry of “Remember the Raisin” that inspired American troops in victories to come.

“How appropriate it is that we gather here today to dedicate this battlefield park. How fitting it is we preserve the history they made here so that future generations will not only “Remember the Raisin” but be inspired by those memories.”

The senator credited the “Dingell magic” in the House with getting the enabling legislation, calling him “the father of this park.” He also said the legislation would not have gotten through the Senate had Jim Bunning, a Republican senator from Kentucky and former Detroit Tigers pitcher, not been persuaded to co-sponsor the bill, primarily because Kentucky militiamen had played a major role in fighting the battle.

Rep. Dingell, who also got federal funds to help clean a vacant paper mill that was on the battlefield site, commended the community for its determination.

“Congratulations, Monroe, we’ve come a long way,” Rep. Dingell said. “This is the culmination of a great partnership – one that coalesced around a great idea. This community dared believe that a moment of profound and historical importance can be resurrected from industrial ruin.”

“The commitment of our people here in Monroe never wavered,” he said. “You were resolute and today we rejoice at the rewards of a job well done.”

He commended everyone for their efforts over the years, including Richard Sieb, a former Monroe mayor, who was instrumental in developing the battlefield visitor center as well as former mayors John Iacoangeli, C.D. (Al) Cappuccilli, Mark G. Worrell and current Mayor Robert E. Clark for their commitments to the project. “They had the vision to look beyond the rubble and see something so much greater,” he said.

“For over two decades, Monroe County has operated the museum and interpreted with reverence this important chapter in our history,” said William Sisk, chairman of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners. “However, this story never belonged to Monroe County alone. The Battle of the River Raisin is unquestionably a chapter in America’s history, and we now rightly honor the national importance of this battle.”

Among those in the audience was Dr. G. Michael Pratt, now a dean at Miami (Ohio) University, who has done much archeological research at the site and surrounding area over the years. He said the significance of the site was befitting that of a battlefield park. “It’s a great day for Monroe and a great day for the people of the United States,” he said.

The ceremony concluded with the college band playing “America the Beautiful,” which ended with a cascade of colored balloons on the stage.

Those attending also received a commemorative poster of an oil painting created by Michigan artist Tim Kurtz, depicting the battle as it might have occurred on Jan. 13, 1813. Mr. Braunlich said the artist was inspired by stories of the efforts to create the battlefield and the artist subsequently donated the panoramic painting to the visitor center.

National Park Service Deputy Director Dan Wenk said the agency expects to name a permanent superintendent for the park by mid-January and the management plan for development of the park will be completed in about 18 months.

He added that a sign bearing the familiar “arrowhead” National Park Service logo will go up at the visitor center “very, very soon.”

“I would guess we’re going to get a sign on that as soon as we possibly can,” he said.

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