Michigan Polar-Equator Club records

Collection

Identifier: 00152

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection is organized into an administrative series, a general subject series and photographs series. The administrative series contains committee and membership materials. All correspondence has been sorted and filed by type. The general subject series has been organized into sections on associated organizations, conservation activities, general reference, the Michigan Polar Equator Trail, political activities, projects, and publications. The associated organizations subseries contains correspondence, bulletins, and newsletters as available on the listed organizations. The general reference subseries is made up of items which are not strictly germane to the normal operation of the club. The material tends to supplementary information of use primarily to individual members. There are miniseries on hunting and on miscellaneous publications. The Michigan Polar Equator Trail was a major project of the organization in which they created a trail across Michigan at the 45th parallel, and the collection contains material on the creation, maintenance, and history of the trail.

Dates

Creation: 1965 - 2000

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from this collection must be obtained from University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University.

Historical Note

In December 1964, several Michigan outdoorsmen began discussing the idea of organizing an association with the intent of promoting communication and camaraderie between those Michigan sportsmen who had hunted or fished outside the continental United States. Initially calling themselves the "Michigan Explorers," these men held a series of meetings in early 1965 to organize the club. They changed their name to "The Michigan Polar-Equator Club," and under the leadership of chairman Harold Walter and secretary-treasurer Rollin Baker, by-laws and operating policies were created. The first official meeting was held April 23, 1965, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

The club objectives are stated in the by-laws and emphasize public education in natural resource use, conservation and preservation activities, and the promotion of club-member social gatherings. Principal activities included twice-yearly publication of a newsletter called the Logbook, conservation efforts, minor political activities, social events, and the establishment of the Michigan Polar Equator Trail.