On this day in 1972, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore became the first of its kind, showcasing 73,000 acres of stunning natural beauty in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. In 1983, Michigan House Republican James Dressel introduced the state’s first bill to protect sexual orientation under civil rights law, a bold move that ultimately cost him his seat.
TRANSCRIPT
It has 73,000 acres of multicolored sandstone cliffs, beaches, sand dunes, waterfalls, inland lakes, wildlife, and is a destination for hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. And while Congress authorized it originally in 1966, today in 1972, the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula became the first of, so far, only four National lakeshores and is managed by the National Park Service. The streaks of color come from groundwater seeping through and interacting with various minerals in the rockface.
And today Michigan’s first bill to protect sexual orientation with Civil Rights was put forth in 1983, by a Michigan House Republican. James Dressel, from Ottawa county put forth House Bill 5000, which though defeated, and would cause the three-term politician to lose reelection, it was still a headline making attempt at advancing in Gay Rights.