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The Michigan Historical Collections Topical Photograph Collection offer a broad and varied glimpse into nearly one hundred years of Michigan history, from the 1860s into the 1950s. The provenance of most of the photographs has been lost and therefore these images have been grouped together by subject into an artificial accumulation. Subjects depicted range from industry and transportation to clothing styles and social customs.

The photographs in this collection were received from various sources. Subjects include carriages, automobiles, Great Lakes shipping, railroads, and mass transit, especially street railroads. There are also images documenting activities within the mining, forestry, and lumber industries, mostly in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Also included are photographs of various ethnic groups and their societies, notably of Native Americans (1870s-1930s) of the Manistee and Ludington, Michigan, areas. Some of the images are street views and private residences in various Michigan towns and cities. Of interest are photographs of Michigan units taking part in the Spanish-American War and the "Polar Bear Expedition" of World War I. There is also a series of bookplates, [acquired from?] William H. Bicknell, many of which relate to the University of Michigan.

Republican governor of Michigan, 1969-1982. Papers include governor's office correspondence, administrative and subject files, staff files, materials relating to his campaigns for governor and Republican Party affairs, and a limited amount of photographs and sound recordings.

The William G. Milliken Papers is the most important source available for the study of Michigan's state government from 1969-1982. The collection currently measures 1478 linear feet and includes correspondence, memoranda, reports, agenda and minutes, briefing books, press releases and public statements, legal briefs and decisions, legislative bills and bill analyses, clippings, and printed works that pertain to Milliken's years as governor. Half of the papers arrived at the Bentley Historical Library in December 1982, from State Record Center retirement. Another portion came directly from the Capitol Complex at the end of Milliken's term. Several hundred feet arrived in 1983 from the governor's Traverse City office. Smaller accessions related to politics and political appointments were received in the late 1980s.

Materials in the collection concern the official conduct of state government including the governor's role in legislative activity; the interface of state-federal jurisdictions; and the administration of the executive office, departments, commissions, and regional offices. The papers provide a rich resource for the study of executive response to concerns such as economic development, hazardous wastes, civil rights and affirmative action, labor, energy, minority populations, education, urban development, sex discrimination, and regional issues. As the governor remained active in the Republican party and sought election three times, the collection also includes materials on political matters. Files created by Milliken while Lieutenant Governor appear as well.