The Great Lakes resemble a tundra in the winter, spawning a unique culture native to the region.
From hiking across a frozen-over Lake Erie to centuries of ice skating on the Maumee River, a temporary micro exhibit at the National Museum of the Great Lakes showcases more than 100 years of making the best of freezing weather.
On display in Frozen Fun — Recreation on the Icy Great Lakes are artifacts like early 20th-century ice skates, a bamboo fishing pole owned by Capt. Thomas G. Simmons, and an early 20th century ice saw.
Modern hobbies started as survival techniques during harsh times, said Carrie Sowden, director of archaeology and research at the museum.
In southeast Michigan, many Catholics still eat muskrats during Lent. In the 1780s, local waterways froze over, prompting Detroit St. Anne pastor the Rev. Gabriel Richard to lobby for a special dispensation from the Pope, which was granted.
“The ice was so thick they couldn’t get through it, so they couldn’t eat seafood,” Ms. Sowden said.