Ohio History Journal

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THE STORY OF THE MAUMEE VALLEY INTERNA-

THE STORY OF THE MAUMEE VALLEY INTERNA-

TIONAL HISTORICAL CONVENTION

 

By M. M. QUAIFE

 

Several years ago, Mr. George Macdonald of Windsor, Ont.,

and the present writer attended the joint historical conference of

the New York and Ontario historical societies, held at Niagara

Falls, N. Y., and Niagara Falls, Ont. The conference was a great

success, and we came home imbued with the desire to bring about

a similar gathering in Detroit and vicinity, of the historical socie-

ties and other agencies of Michigan and Ontario. Thus was

developed the Michigan-Ontario Historical Convention held June

9-11, 1938, with sessions at Detroit, Windsor, Dearborn, Amherst-

burg, and Ann Arbor. Several hundred people attended the ses-

sions, and, as earlier at Niagara, the unanimous verdict seemed

to be that the convention had been a highly pleasant and profitable

affair.

One of the hundreds who attended was Mr. Harlow Lindley

of Columbus, Secretary of the Ohio State Archaeological and His-

torical Society. In conversation with the writer of these lines the

desire was expressed that the historically minded people of Ohio

might participate with their northerly neighbors in staging an-

other historical convention on some suitable future occasion.

From this seed was developed the Maumee Valley Interna-

tional Historical Convention of Sept. 27-29, 1940. At a prelimi-

nary conference in Toledo, held in December, 1939, attended by

representatives from Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan, it was deter-

mined to undertake the holding of a joint historical gathering in

the autumn of 1940. The Ontario Historical Society cordially

accepted our invitation to participate in the enterprise, which thus

assumed international dimensions.

Only actual participation in the planning and execution of

such an undertaking would disclose to the reader the many prob-

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