Belgians in Michigan

Bernard A. Cook, who began his teaching career at Northern Michigan University, is Provost Distinguished Professor of History at Loyola University New Orleans. He has directed Loyola University's summer study program in Leuven, Belgium since 1993. He is the author of Belgium: A History, and edited Europe since 1945: An Encyclopedia, and Women and War: A Historical Encyclopedia from Antiquity to the Present.

• Contents Preface . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Belgian Immigration. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 3 A Short History of Belgium . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 5 The Earliest Belgians in America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Belgian Emigration to Michigan, 1830¿1870 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 17 Belgian Immigrants in Michigan, 1860¿1930 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 The Social World of the Belgians in Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Flemish Culture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 61 Leading Belgian Families in Michigan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Belgians in Michigan Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 sidebars Belgian National Anthem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 The First Belgian to Reach Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Getting to Detroit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Belgian-American All-American Athlete. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Belgian Horses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 ¿Buffalo¿ . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Pigeon Racing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 The Belgian National Holiday and Flag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 vii Camille Cools, Founder of the Gazette van Detroit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Mussels and Beer at the Cadieux Café . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Jazz Accordionist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 The Flemish Lion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Congressman Rabaut¿s Speech on Behalf of Inserting ¿In God We Trust¿ into the Pledge of Allegiance. . . . . . . . 71 appendices Belgian Food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Bien (A Card Game) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Ethnic Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 89 For Further Reference . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103