Michael Baldridge
Title
Michael Baldridge
Description
Micheal Baldridge had just finished high school in 1967 and remembers the impact the summer had on the community of Brighton, Michigan.
Publisher
Detroit Historical Society
Date
04/28/2017
Rights
Detroit Historical Society, Detroit, MI
Format
Text
Language
en-US
Type
Written Story
Text
My long awaited summer vacation had just started following graduation from Lamphere High School in Madison Heights. After completion of the backyard celebrations, myself and two graduate friends headed to Island Lake in Brighton, 50 miles NW of Detroit. Our destination was the seldom used family summer cottage owned by one of the graduate friends. This was a BIG adventure for the now independent, free, adult feeling boys that we were.
Taking on this responsibility of financial independence meant finding some form of employment for myself. This was before internet so after a few days of personal presentation searching for a place of employment, I was fortunate to land a job at the local Brighton "Stop-N-Go" similar to the "7-11" convenience stores of today.
Before the 12th Street Riots on Sunday, July 23, 1967, the small rural community of Brighton was a quiet, local living town. Only two diners catered to opposite ends of the spectrum. One in town, "The Canopy" required coat and tie while the other on the out skirts was "Mama's Chicken", come as you are. Typical of small towns you had one local Drug store, a Carpet-Tile store, your Lumber Yard near the railroad tracks and the aging Brighton Hotel with a bar and poolroom on the main floor. Finally I recall Brighton having one local establishment that sold liquor and beer.
Once the activity in Detroit escalated, curfews and the ban of alcohol sales were imposed throughout Detroit. As the weekend approached following days of riots the town of Brighton found Detroiter's traveling the 50 miles to fulfill their liquor store needs. I remember the long line down the sidewalk which residents had never seen before July 1967. While the shelves and coolers were being emptied, eventually the sidewalk lines dwindled. Now, those few days in the summer of 1967 are but memories to a few Brighton residents.
Taking on this responsibility of financial independence meant finding some form of employment for myself. This was before internet so after a few days of personal presentation searching for a place of employment, I was fortunate to land a job at the local Brighton "Stop-N-Go" similar to the "7-11" convenience stores of today.
Before the 12th Street Riots on Sunday, July 23, 1967, the small rural community of Brighton was a quiet, local living town. Only two diners catered to opposite ends of the spectrum. One in town, "The Canopy" required coat and tie while the other on the out skirts was "Mama's Chicken", come as you are. Typical of small towns you had one local Drug store, a Carpet-Tile store, your Lumber Yard near the railroad tracks and the aging Brighton Hotel with a bar and poolroom on the main floor. Finally I recall Brighton having one local establishment that sold liquor and beer.
Once the activity in Detroit escalated, curfews and the ban of alcohol sales were imposed throughout Detroit. As the weekend approached following days of riots the town of Brighton found Detroiter's traveling the 50 miles to fulfill their liquor store needs. I remember the long line down the sidewalk which residents had never seen before July 1967. While the shelves and coolers were being emptied, eventually the sidewalk lines dwindled. Now, those few days in the summer of 1967 are but memories to a few Brighton residents.
Original Format
Email
Submitter's Name
Michael Baldridge
Submission Date
03/23/2017
Files
Collection
Citation
“Michael Baldridge,” Detroit Historical Society Oral History Archive, accessed October 5, 2024, https://oralhistory.detroithistorical.org/items/show/498.