Plan heads to governor for her signature

State Rep. John Roth this week championed the Senate passage of his House Bill 5078, which would designate a portion of M-22 in Leelanau County as the “Company K Indian Veterans 1st Michigan Sharpshooters Civil War Memorial Highway.”

“I’m honored to partner with the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, work collaboratively with both Republican and Democrat legislators, and finally secure the creation of the ‘Company K Indian Veterans 1st Michigan Sharpshooters Civil War Memorial Highway,” said Roth, R-Interlochen. “These brave soldiers gave their lives for our country during the Civil War and thoroughly deserve this lasting honor.”

Company K was made up of Native Americans from the Ojibwa, Odawa, and Potawatomi nations. The Native Americans, who were notably not recognized as U.S. citizens until 1924, fought in many major battles during the Civil War, leading to significant casualties.

The highway memorial effort for Company K has been underway in Lansing since the beginning of the year, but has been held up by legislative inaction. Roth said he has been relentlessly working behind the scenes to break the blockade for months.

“Lansing has been plagued by a bunch of people who say they’ll do one thing, and then turn around and do the other,” Roth said. “It makes it very hard to work collaboratively and get things done. When I introduced this plan for the highway memorial, I promised to do whatever I could to get it through the Legislature. That’s exactly what I’ve done. I’m glad to have fulfilled my promise to folks back home, and look forward to joining our community in driving on the Company K Memorial Highway for years to come.”

The legislation now moves to the governor’s desk, where it will await her signature.

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