Out of over 1,800 official historical markers in the state of Michigan, until September of 2023, none were dedicated to any of the state’s many Latina/o communities. While two previous markers tangentially named individuals of Latina/o heritage, a new marker in Detroit’s Mexicantown neighborhood is the first to specifically honor a Latina/o community in Michigan. Placed in the Mexicantown Community Development Corporation Plaza at the corner of Bagley and 21st Streets, the marker celebrates Texas-Mexican migration to Michigan and the vibrant musical community that these migrants forged. This article is divided into two parts: The first offers an overview of the motivations behind the marker, its content, and the dedication ceremony at which it was unveiled; the second part offers a guide for those who wish to place a historical marker in their own community.

Placing a Marker in Southwest Detroit

The effort to place a marker in Southwest Detroit was spearheaded by Frank and Anna Solis, founders (and president and vice president, respectively), of the Martin H. Solis Jr. Tejano Association, and Kevin Hill, founder and president of the Michigan Music Hall of Fame. For Solis, the marker is the culmination of his efforts to preserve the musical legacy of his late father, Martin Huron Solis Jr., who, with his cousin Willy Huron, formed one of the first Texas-Mexican conjuntos based in Michigan in the 1950s, Conjunto Los Primos. For Hill, the project fit squarely within his organization’s mission to recognize and preserve Michigan’s diverse musical heritage.

The historical marker, on one side, details the origins of Mexican and Texas-Mexican migration to Michigan, and to Detroit in particular. It then notes that migrants to the state brought with them aspects of their culture, including conjunto music, defined by the pairing of the button accordion with the bajo sexto, a Mexican 12-string bass guitar. The other side of the marker highlights the musical life of Texas-Mexican migrants in Michigan, not only in Detroit, but also in smaller cities like Adrian, Pontiac, Saginaw, and Lansing. It also names several radio stations that at one time hosted programming that catered to the musical tastes of Texas Mexicans and local record stores that stocked Texas-Mexican music, such as Roy’s Records and Texas Music Co., both in Detroit. Finally, it acknowledges Martin Solis and Los Primos, along with their musical peers, as a potent symbol of cultural identity for Texas-Mexican communities in Michigan.

The official state of Michigan marker is further accompanied by a granite monument, sponsored by the Solis family, that celebrates other pioneering conjunto and Tejano musicians in Michigan. Those named on the monument include: Raul Alafita, drummer and vocalist for Librado Rocha y Su Conjunto; George Cantú, an accordionist who played with many of those listed on the monument; Rufus DeLaCruz, a bajo sexto player who played in numerous conjuntos over his 50-year career; Willie Huron, a saxophonist and founder of Conjunto Los Primos, along with his cousin Martin H. Solis Jr.; Neto Garcia, a saxophonist who played with many of those listed on the monument; Juan Gonzalez, a multi-instrumentalist whose career began in Texas before he relocated to Michigan; Nicolás Guerrero, an accordionist who played in numerous groups including Los Tres Caballeros and Los Medicos; Frank Martinez, a bass player and singer with various groups; Joe and Rodolfo Martinez, both guitarists and vocalists who performed with Martin Solis as Trio Los Primos; Ray Martinez, a saxophonist and leader of Ray Martinez and His Orchestra; Manuel Rivera, an accordionist who played with many of those listed on the monument; Librado Rocha, an accordionist and leader of Librado Rocha y Su Conjunto; Jose Sarabia, a multi-instrumentalist who played in numerous groups, including Librado Rocha y Su Conjunto, and Rufus DeLaCruz y Los Conocidos; and Casimiro Zamora, an accordionist with Conjunto Los Primos.

The marker and monument were unveiled during a dedication ceremony held on September 29, 2023, in the Mexicantown CDC Plaza. A procession of speakers marked the historic occasion with remarks on the contributions of Mexicans and Mexican Americans to the cultural history of Michigan. Speakers included Deputy Mayor of Detroit Todd A. Bettison; the Honorable Consul Roberto Nicolás Vazquez of the Mexican Consulate of Metro Detroit and Northern Ohio; Sandra Clark, director of the Michigan History Center; Mexicantown CDC President Ray Lozano; JSRI Researcher Richard Cruz Dávila; and Frank and Anna Solis. The event was emceed by Eddie Gillis, operations manager of Third Man Pressing in Detroit, whose parent company, Third Man Records, recently released an album of formerly lost recordings of Martin Solis and Los Primos. The ceremony concluded with a dedication of the historical marker by Delia Fernández-Jones, a member of the Michigan Historical Commission and associate professor of history at MSU.

The dedication ceremony, which drew approximately 300 people, was a testament to the continued strength of the Tejana/o community of the Detroit metropolitan area. A celebratory atmosphere prevailed as attendees danced joyfully to the music of Detroit Tejano group Beto & Dos Guys, who provided live music before and after the ceremony. Speakers were met with enthusiastic applause, and friends and family cheered as the names of those included on the monument were read aloud. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the crowd gathered in anticipation to watch as veils were pulled first from the official state marker and then the monument, each unveiling met with another round of cheers and applause. The celebration continued the following night at the Prestige Banquet Hall in Allen Park, where the Solis family hosted a dance with music from another Detroit Tejano group, Grupo Vicio.

Placing a Marker in Your Community

What follows is a primer for those interested in placing a marker in their own community. For any individual or group pursuing a marker, there are a few things that are important to understand from the start. Among these is the necessity to raise funds: in addition to the $250 application fee, applicants are also responsible for the cost of the marker as well as any costs associated with installation and maintenance. At present, markers range in price from $2,330 to $4,740, depending on size and type. In addition, applicants are responsible for submitting sufficient evidence to the Michigan Historical Commission to justify the creation of a marker, the accumulation of which requires extensive historical research. These requirements perhaps partially explain why certain communities are underrepresented in the historical marker program. Intentionally or not, they may tend to favor communities with greater access to resources, including money and access to historical archives or other sources of supporting evidence, as well as the knowledge base to conduct historical research. This should not discourage any person or community from pursuing a historical marker but does highlight a need for collective effort, including resource sharing, to increase Latina/o representation in the program.

The steps to apply for and place a historical marker are detailed on the website of the Michigan History Center (MHC) (https://www. michigan.gov/mhc/historical-markers). The first step for potential applicants is to thoroughly review the criteria and guidelines for a marker. Applicants should consider if their proposed site will meet the standard of eligibility based on historical significance at a local, state, or national level, as well as if there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the subject is, for instance, “associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history,” or “with the lives of persons significant in our past.” MHC’s website further provides guidelines for markers, the most relevant of which pertain to timelines for consideration, such as 10 years after demolition if the proposed site is associated with a demolished building, 20 years after death if the marker focuses on an individual person, or for an event, 20 years after it occurred. Applicants should also review the marker price list to determine which type of marker is most appropriate to their individual project.

Applicants can then complete the Michigan Historical Marker Application, which is available on MHC’s website as a fillable PDF file. The application asks for such information as the marker topic, proposed title, address of the site where the marker will be installed, and if the marker relates to a historic person, building or site, event, or some other subject. Applicants, also referred to as “Sponsors” on the form, must indicate which type of marker they would like (i.e., small marker with one post or wall mounted, or large marker with two posts or wall mounted) and if they want the marker to have the same text on each side or different text. Having different text on each side allows for the inclusion of more information and is encouraged by the Michigan Historical Commission, but also increases the price of the marker. The form then asks for a brief description of why the proposed subject is historically significant and a summary of the documentary evidence that will be submitted along with the application—if the application involves a historic building, there is an additional section to be completed. The form also asks if there is a particular date that would be appropriate for a marker dedication ceremony but cautions against scheduling a date for the dedication until the marker has been delivered, as the entire process can take over a year. The form also includes an agreement to be completed and signed by the owner of the property on which the marker will be installed, and another agreement to be completed by the sponsoring organization or individual. Importantly, the latter asks that sponsoring organizations assign a contact person who will be the sole point of contact with MHC. Completed applications and supporting materials can be submitted to MHC by email or mail at the addresses listed on the form. As stated above, there is a $250 application fee to apply for a historical marker, which must be made in the form of a check mailed to MHC. If a proposed marker is not approved, this fee will be refunded.

When a marker application is approved, the applicant is notified by letter and billed for the cost of the marker. At this point, the process begins to draft the text that will appear on the marker. It is important for applicants to understand that while they have a say in the final language of the marker, the actual work of drafting marker text is done by MHC in partnership with the Eastern Michigan University (EMU) graduate program in historic preservation. Specifically, an EMU student, with guidance from faculty, works to verify the documentary evidence and prepares the draft text of the marker. The applicant can then review and accept the text before it is sent to the Michigan Historical Commission, which can approve, table, or reject the text and determine the final language of the marker. Applicants may dispute the final language if they believe there are factual inaccuracies but must submit documentary evidence to support their case.

After the final text is approved, the commission will assign the marker a site number in the State Register of Historic Sites, if the site of the marker is not already listed. At this point, the commission will send the marker text to the manufacturer for fabrication. The website notes that it may take up to eight weeks for the marker to be completed and delivered, at which point the applicant is responsible for installation and any associated costs—MHC does provide instructions for installation. MHC advises waiting until delivery of the marker to set a date for the dedication ceremony, at which point applicants should notify the commission of the date, as well as inform state and local government officials, historical societies, and media.

What follows are additional recommendations based on my experience on the planning committee for the Tejano Music marker dedication and are not the views of MHC. While it is best not to finalize a date for the dedication until the marker has been delivered, this should not stop sponsoring organizations from starting to plan for their ceremony earlier in the process. Depending on the size of the event applicants intend to hold, planning can be a long and complex process. In the case of the Tejano Music marker, planning for the dedication ceremony, held at the end of September 2023, began in December of 2022. From my experience, it is advisable to gather a team early and assign individual duties from the beginning. These duties might include seeking sponsorships to offset the costs of installation and other costs associated with the event, soliciting in-kind donations of refreshments, chairs, tents, flyers, etc., or booking entertainment. Likewise, just as MHC asks for applicants to designate one contact person to communicate with the commission, it is a good idea to designate one person from the planning committee as the media contact and one person to send invitations to and communicate with elected officials, historical societies, and other distinguished guests.

Conclusion

While the Tejano Music marker is the first official state historical marker to honor a Latina/o community in Michigan, it will hopefully not be the last. Tejana/os represent only one of many Latina/o communities in the state, each with their own unique histories of migration and settlement. Taking into account the two previous markers that name Latina/o individuals, three markers that acknowledge the historical presence of Latina/os in Michigan, out of a total of over 1,800 historical markers in the state, is simply not enough. Thankfully efforts are underway to place additional markers, particularly the Latinx Historical Marker Project, which seeks to place at least three markers in Grand Rapids. Hopefully these efforts will inspire others to pursue similar projects in their own communities to recognize the many contributions to Michigan history made by Latina/os in all their diversity. This article was intended as a primer for those who choose to pursue a marker project. Though not all the considerations listed above will be applicable for every project, as the Tejano Music marker project and dedication show, historical markers and dedication ceremonies can function as celebrations of community and shared history.