Michigan War Monument: Why It Could Be Move From Detroit to GR

In a city of monuments the Michigan Soldiers and Sailors memorial in Detroit may stand out among them. Sitting at the south end of Campus Martius Park the monument commemorates those how served and lost their lives in the Civil War. It was erected in the late 1860s as the war ended and officially unveiled in 1872.

While there are many similar Soldiers and Sailors monuments throughout the state, the one standing in Detroit is intended to be a statewide memorial.

Get our free mobile app

And that's why it could be moved out of Detroit.

The obscure little bit of history about the memorial is buried in the 1865 campaign to erect the statue. The governor at the time decreed the statue would be placed in Detroit, the largest city in the state.

The 1865 Decree: A Stipulation for Displacement

However, it the monument is ever displaced, then Detroit loses it to the state's second largest city, Grand Rapids. That almost happened in the 1930s. HistoricDetroit points out:

Under a plan discussed before the city's Common Council in 1938, Gratiot Avenue would have been widened between Brush and Randolph Streets. But that would have required moving the Soldiers and Sailors Monument and, as state property, would have required it be moved to Grand Rapids, as was stipulated when it was erected. It stayed put.

It's interesting that there's this Grand Rapids stipulation to the state's Soldiers and Sailors Memorial considering that there's a local Soldiers and Sailors memorial already in place in the city.

The statue is the Kent County Civil War Monument and sits in Monument Park were Fulton, Division and Monroe Center meet downtown.

👇🏼BELOW: These are Streets Named After Michigan in Major Cities Across America + The Largest Cities in Michigan Without a Nickname👇🏼

So should the unlikely but completely possible scenario that sees the state's Soldiers and Sailors monument leave Detroit, there's a waiting home in Grand Rapids.

These are Streets Named After Michigan in Major Cities Across America

A major American city has hundreds of streets to name. Not suprising, many get named after the states. Here are several street scenes from roads named Michigan in major cities across the country.

Gallery Credit: Eric Meier

These Are the Largest Michigan Cities Without a Nickname

Many Michigan cities carry well known nicknames like Motown for Detroit. But many of the state's largest cities have no nicknames at all. Here are the largest cities in the state without a nickname.

Gallery Credit: Eric Meier