River Raisin battlefield in Monroe hosts a colonial breast cancer history talk Sunday and a free Michigan history film Nov. 8

MONROE, Mich. — Two history programs for America’s 250th birthday are coming to the River Raisin National Battlefield Park visitor center, a short drive from Bedford Township, this fall.

The first is Sunday, Oct. 18, at 2 p.m. “Before the Ribbon: Four Women’s Stories from the 18th and 19th Centuries” is presented by Dr. Robert Satonik, a park volunteer, as part of the River Raisin National Battlefield Park Foundation’s America 250 programs, according to the foundation. Timed to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the talk grew out of Satonik’s research into early surgery for breast cancer in colonial America. The women include George Washington’s mother and John Adams’ daughter, the foundation says.

The program is in the theater inside the visitor center, 333 N. Dixie Highway, and information from related organizations will be available, according to the event listing.

On Sunday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m., the visitor center will show “Frontier to Freedom,” a documentary that follows the region from a wilderness home to Indigenous peoples in 1600 to Michigan’s admission as the 26th state in 1837. The film runs 1 hour and 58 minutes, and a roundtable discussion follows the screening, the foundation says.

Admission is free, but seating is limited and guests must register online to reserve a seat, according to the listing. DTE Energy, La-Z-Boy Inc., Monroe Community Credit Union, the Wyandotte Nation, The Youth Connection and Doug and Diane Chaffin are covering the cost.

The film comes from Manitou Films of Grand Rapids. “Our goal is to reinspire patriotism and civic engagement in generations of Michiganders by telling the origin story of our great state in a bold and truthful documentary,” writer, director and producer Keith Patterson says in material posted by the foundation.

The visitor center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and the battlefield trails are open from dawn to dusk, the foundation says. The foundation’s calendar also lists French Noel, a holiday program, on Dec. 12. More information is available at 734-243-7136.

Sources:
River Raisin National Battlefield Park Foundation, “Before the Ribbon: Four Women’s Stories from the 18th and 19th Centuries,” event listing, https://thebattlefield.org/event/breast-cancer-in-colonial-america-program/
River Raisin National Battlefield Park Foundation, “‘Frontier to Freedom’ Historical Documentary Screening,” event listing, https://thebattlefield.org/event/frontier-to-freedom-historical-documentary-preregistration/
River Raisin National Battlefield Park Foundation, events calendar and visitor information, https://thebattlefield.org/events/
Photo: TheCatalyst31, “New visitor center, River Raisin National Battlefield Park.jpg,” May 12, 2024, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), cropped and color-adjusted; derivative under the same ShareAlike license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_visitor_center,_River_Raisin_National_Battlefield_Park.jpg

Bedford Township

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