History of the Geography Department

Geography is one of the original departments created by the State Board of Education on July 14, 1899, when Northern was established. The first geography courses were basic and were taught by Martha B. Ackermann. The program included physical geography, meteorology and a general course for teachers of geography. There were also drawing courses that included cartography. In 1903, general geography (human geography) replaced the course for teachers and commercial geography supplanted physical geography and meteorology.

The Geography Department was officially created in 1905, with France Martin Kelsey as its head. One early departmental change included the increase in the availability of text materials. Such materials reduced the department’s emphasis on the use of maps, models, laboratories and field trips that were used to teach geography early in the century. New offerings included courses in geology and continental geography, which were fields of knowledge being developed early in the Geography Department’s history.

Most graduates of the department in the first half of the century became teachers, but jobs for geographers in government and industry increased in the second half of the century.

The department’s course offerings in conservation in the 1960s attracted some of the transient, environmentally attuned members of the nation’s burgeoning counterculture known as “the backpackers.” They would attend Northern for one or two semesters, then move to another college town. At one point in the mid 1960s, there were more than 600 NMU students majoring in geography.

By the early 1970s, the geography department had 11 full-time and two part-time professors. Courses were often revised as specific needs of employers were realized. Diverse course offerings included recreation planning, bio-physical systems and environmental studies.

As the department grew and expanded, its name did as well. In 1960, the Department of Conservation and Agriculture was altered and became a part of the Geography Department. In March 1963, Agriculture was discontinued as a part of geography. The name of the Geography Department was changed to the Department of Geography, Earth Sciences, Conservation and Planning, effective July 1, 1986. This reverted back to the Geography Department in 1998.

By the mid-1990s, the department was committed to offering programs in applied geography, teacher education and preparatory work for graduate study. The department was also committed to offering quality courses that satisfied NMU’s liberal studies requirement in the areas of social science, natural science/mathematics and world culture. Liberal arts majors in the department are land-use planning and management, conservation, geography and earth science. These majors prepare students for a variety of careers and professions ranging from government service to private industry to research. The secondary education program prepares students for teaching careers in geography, earth science, social studies and general science.

The department’s laboratory for mapping is one of the best cartographic labs in the country. The Global Position System (GPS) operates via satellite and is in place to accurately locate and map campus buildings, roadways, and other physical features. The GIS provides documentation and expands management information data on all campus buildings and grounds.

Department chairs and heads: Frances Martin Kelsey, 1905-1906; Charles H. Estrich, 1906-1909; Ward Magoon Mills, 1909-1910; Theodosia Hamilton Hadley, 1909-1911; DeForest Stull, 1909-1923; J. Russel Whitaker, 1924-1930; Lynn Halverson, 1930-1962; Henry Heimonen, 1962-1972; John Hughes, 1972-1978; Jarl Roine, 1978-1988; Alfred Joyal, 1989-1992; J. Pat Farrell, 1992-1997; Alfred Joyal, (acting) 1997; Michael Broadway, 1997-2008; John B. Anderton (acting) 2008-09.

Source: A Sense of Time: The Encyclopedia of Northern Michigan University.