A Better Michigan (1937 Original Black & White Film)

Step back to 1937 with this insightful documentary, *A Better Michigan*, which showcases the transformative Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects across the state of Michigan. The film highlights the WPA’s role in improving infrastructure, with county roads being graded and surfaced to enhance transportation. It also features the construction of airports in Lansing and Detroit, along with emergency landing fields, crucial for both public safety and aviation development. In the realm of education and skill-building, women are shown learning rug making and weaving, while Braille books are made and carefully proofread to support the blind community. The film also presents the construction of a new state police headquarters and dramatically illustrates the use of the police radio system to establish roadblocks and capture bank robbers. Further demonstrating the WPA’s involvement in Michigan’s well-being, the documentary depicts WPA and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) units battling a forest fire in the Upper Peninsula, constructing fire lanes and towers to protect the region. The film concludes with heartwarming scenes of nursery school activities, showcasing the WPA's efforts in early childhood education. *A Better Michigan* is a testament to the extensive impact of the WPA on the state's development and the lives of its people.

Source: National Archives. (1937). *A Better Michigan*. [Video] Retrieved from the National Archives Catalog, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/12355