Recovery In Michigan (1937 Original Black & White Film)

Step back to 1937 with *Recovery in Michigan*, a documentary that highlights the transformative Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects that helped the state recover during the Great Depression. The film opens with the cutting of timber and the laying of floors for tourist cabins near Calumet, showcasing early WPA contributions to infrastructure and tourism. In Detroit, Red Cross women are seen wrapping bandages to support relief efforts, while workers install track for the Detroit Street Railway and construct a storm sewer in Bay City. The documentary also takes us to Grand Rapids, where a municipal garage is under construction.

Reel 2 highlights the restoration efforts of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) units, who repair a fish hatchery in Grayling, digging pond beds and constructing concrete sides for the facility. In Detroit, a street is widened, and the WPA orchestra provides a soundtrack to the city’s recovery. The film also shows the construction of a Department of Public Health building in Lansing.

Reel 3 focuses on public health and infrastructure, with the removal of an old sewer system in Iron Mountain and the construction of log bridges in the Houghton Lake State Forest by CCC units. In Lansing, women are seen repairing braille books, with a blind woman proofreading braille copies, showcasing the WPA's commitment to supporting those with disabilities.

The film also features the restoration of earthworks and buildings at Fort Holmes on Mackinac Island, the construction of an airport building in Grand Rapids, and recreational development like toboggan slides at Grayling and a ski trail at Iron Mountain.

Reel 4 highlights the cleaning and rebinding of school books in Detroit, the demolition of slum buildings, and the issuance of rebound books to Detroit students. Women in East Lansing are seen preparing free hot lunches for students, while the film concludes with a visit from Eleanor Roosevelt, who greets WPA workers on a Grand Rapids building project.

*Recovery in Michigan* is a powerful testament to the wide-ranging impact of WPA projects across the state, from public health and education to infrastructure and recreation.

Source: National Archives. (1937). *Recovery in Michigan*. [Video] Retrieved from the National Archives Catalog, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/12365