From the Publisher

From the Publisher Larry J. Wagenaar This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of The Michigan Historical Review (MHR). Originally published as the Great Lakes Review and published at Northeastern Illinois University, it moved to the Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University (CMU) in 1986. After thirty-five years at the university, the Historical Society of Michigan (HSM) took over publication of the journal in 2021. HSM is deeply committed to ensuring that MHR continues to be successful, growing its reach along with publishing top-notch academic scholarship. We also benefit that long-time editor Lane Demas, a member of the history department at CMU, has continued as the editor of the journal. Looking back, it is hard for me to believe that my own involvement with MHR goes back nearly thirty years itself. I was appointed to the journal's board of editors in 1995 when I was a relatively young archivist—only in my early thirties—and a recent addition to HSM's board of trustees. From the onset, I knew the publication to be a blend of outstanding articles and editorial leadership coupled with financial struggle. In the mid-1990s, HSM was floundering near bankruptcy; at the same time, it was distributing around 90% of the printed copies of the journal to its members. Electronic access was still a few years off. Despite the financial challenges of the time, the HSM board remained committed to supporting the important scholarship of MHR. As the Society dug out of its financial malaise over the next decade, the Clarke Historical Library worked with HSM to allow us to make payments on each issue over several months, making it possible to ensure the printed copy would continue. Nearly two decades on from those hard times, HSM is proud to be able to ensure that MHR will continue and flourish. In addition to our work to expand our footprint in academic and public libraries as well as among our household members, we are also starting to partner with Michigan institutions which have a vested interest and want to see the journal succeed. Several leading Michigan universities and public libraries have agreed to financially sponsor the publication, and they are listed here in the front matter. I want to personally thank our sponsors for their investment, which will play a key role in the next half century of MHR's success, along with HSM's financial investment and our readers' support. We could not do it without you! [End Page vii] Larry J.