Lansing, Michigan – November 5, 2015 – A special exhibit at the Michigan Historical Museum in downtown Lansing looks at the origins of our love for outdoor recreation through the life and times of the Upper Peninsula’s greatest inventor most have probably never heard of – Webster Marble. It also gives visitors a chance to examine their own outdoor experiences and allows children an opportunity to experience life in the Michigan woods 100 years ago. “Inventing the Outdoors” opens Saturday, Nov. 7. The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and there will be no admission charge, on opening day.
The exhibit takes visitors on a journey beginning in the late 19th century, when a rapidly urbanizing America began to seek wild and beautiful places for recreation and rejuvenation. At the same time, Webster Marble – a timber cruiser who had spent 20 years working in Michigan forests – started a company in Gladstone, Michigan, that would become an outdoor powerhouse, outfitting legions of hunters, anglers, campers and hikers.
The exhibit explores Marble’s genius for innovation, experimenting and improving upon tools that didn’t meet his needs as an outdoorsman, and for marketing his creations across the globe. Marble would eventually own more than 60 patents for outdoor products. Explorers from Robert Perry and Teddy Roosevelt to Charles Lindbergh depended on the absolute reliability of Marble’s products. By the time Henry Ford rolled his first Model T off the assembly line, Marble was a household name and his company was outfitting millions of outdoor enthusiasts with Michigan-made products. His designs for products including knives, compasses, match boxes, axes and gun sights set the standard for the 20th century in the outdoor goods market and are still influential today.
“Inventing the Outdoors” includes interactive opportunities for visitors to get creative with activities such as building a lean-to, telling stories around a fire pit, giving shape to their ideas at a “makers” innovation table, and sharing their outdoor experiences through drawing or writing.
“When Webster Marble worked as a timber cruiser, the wilds of Michigan provided mainly resources to be extracted. By the start of the last century, we began to see things differently, to manage them differently, and to promote them differently,” said Sandra Clark, director of the Michigan Historical Center. “That evolution has led to the ethic of leave-no-trace camping, the wisdom of scientific game management and the marketing power of Pure Michigan. It has influenced not only how we relate to the outdoors, but also how we position and promote ourselves to the world.”
Many of the artifacts on display come from a collection of Marble’s products and materials donated to the museum by Dennis Pace, who also helped curate the exhibit.
“As we enter the woods today with our breathable synthetic clothing, smartphones, GPS units, lightweight packs, butane stoves and every imaginable kind of gadget, it’s instructive to remember that it wasn’t long ago that the simplest items were survival necessities,” said Pace. “A reliable compass, a well-designed knife or a waterproof matchbox could all be lifesavers. It’s fascinating to relive that time and to understand that Webster Marble perfected and manufactured the best of these products right here in Michigan.”
Among the special artifacts included in the exhibit are Marble’s safety folding axes, many models of unique hunting knives, automatic fish gaffs, and the famous Game Getter gun.
The second Saturday of every month – starting Nov. 14 with “Build It Better – Outdoor Exploration!” – the Michigan Historical Museum will feature family-oriented activities related to innovation. For more information on the popular “Second Saturdays” program, go to www.michigan.gov/museum.
The museum and visitor parking are on the north side of Kalamazoo Street, two blocks east of M. L. King Jr. Boulevard. Weekend parking is free. General admission fees for the Michigan Historical Museum are $6 for adults 18-64, children through age 5 are free, youth ages 6-17 are $2, and seniors 65 and up are $4. A Michigan Historical Center membership includes an annual pass, and there is no admission charge on Sundays.
The Michigan Historical Center is part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Its museum and archival programs help people discover, enjoy and find inspiration in their heritage. It includes the Michigan Historical Museum, 10 regional museums, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve, and the Archives of Michigan. Learn more at www.michigan.gov/mhc.
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