Category Archives: Adventures in history

‘Tomatoes & Eggs’ Part I: Slavery at Grosse Ile, Michigan

Posted on February 9, 2013 by admin

Inventory of slaves in Detroit, Michigan. Joel Thurtell photo of record in Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library By Joel Thurtell Just as I predicted in a January 2007 Detroit Free Press story, Grosse Ile’s historians changed history. But not … Continue reading →

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Lowell’s oddball bridge

Posted on November 18, 2012 by admin

By Joel Thurtell LOWELL, Mich. — It doesn’t attract as many tourists as Italy’s Ponte Vecchio, but Lowell’s Main Street Bridge bears a certain similarity to that 14th-century pedestrian span over the Arno River in Florence. Lowell’s bridge, barely 100 … Continue reading →

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Little brown jug o’ lakes

Posted on October 28, 2012 by admin

By Joel Thurtell The football rivalry between the Wolverines and the Golden Gophers over the little brown jug isn’t the only bone of contention between Michigan and Minnesota. [The game will be played at noon Eastern time Saturday, November 3, … Continue reading →

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My Tarascan Project

Posted on September 30, 2012 by admin

Here is a summary of the methods, goals and findings since December, 2012, when I re-commenced work on my old PhD dissertation on history of 17th century Tarascan Indians in western Mexico: By Joel Thurtell When I began doing research … Continue reading →

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Electric history

Posted on September 23, 2012 by hro50ta1

  Electric History: Detection and Measurement of Human Behavior Through Quantifiable Historical Records By Joel Thurtell Ever hear of an “electric historiscope”? Nor had I until I began thinking about history in a new way. “Electric historiscope” is my offbeat … Continue reading →

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A gender-sensitive surname transmission system among Tarascan Indians in colonial Mexico

Posted on September 11, 2012 by hro50ta1

Readers of joelontheroad my be surprised to learn that during the same time that I’ve been publishing blog articles about abuses in school finance in Michigan 19 years ago and in California right now, I’ve also been conducting research into … Continue reading →

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Me & Jimmy

Posted on August 27, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Joelontheroad.com had its debut on Sunday, December 9, 2007, the same day I was featured on E! Entertainment as an “expert” on labor history and the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa on E! Hoffa show. Two years later, … Continue reading →

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Letter to Times: Those independent Tarascans

Posted on August 15, 2012 by hro50ta1

Guess I’m just not on the radar at The New York Times. The latest of my unpublished letters to The Times: To the Editor: I was not surprised to learn that the people of Cheran in western Mexico expelled police, federal … Continue reading →

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‘Confusion’ about War of 1812

Posted on March 2, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell “There’s lots of confusion about the War of 1812.” And a recent book review in domemagazine.com complaining about the “confusion” further muddies the water. Several distortions or misstatements in the review raised my hackles, and I’ll write … Continue reading →

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Tomatoes & Eggs II: Erasing slavery on Big Isle

Posted on March 1, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell During the long-ago historical period when I was a grad student in history, my faculty adviser warned me that contemporary history can be a time of troubles for historians. Too many living parties with stakes in yet-to-be-played … Continue reading →

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