The Michigan State Capitol Building

I figured that since I was already in Lansing and I really like the look of our State Capitol so I decided to head over there next.
In 1805, Michigan was established as a territory by Congress. Michigan applied for statehood in 1832 but was rebuffed by Congress because of a dispute with Ohio over the Toledo Strip. This disputed would lead to what was called the Toledo War. As a result of this, Michigan was given claim to the Upper Peninsula in exchange for relinquishing it's claim to Toledo. At the time, this wasn't viewed so well but I think we got the better end of the deal. In 1837, Michigan became a state with its capital as Detroit.
The first capitol building was built in 1832 as the territorial courthouse. This would house the state offices until the moving of the capital to Lansing in 1848. Many cities were considered but Lansing was picked for it's relative central spot in the state. A temporary building was used as the capitol until construction of the current one was completed in 1879.
This is a shot looking west on Michigan Avenue in Lansing. As you can see, the city is pretty developed around the Capitol Building.
This statue is dedicated to the Michigan people that fought in the Spanish American War. Of the capital buildings I've seen, it seems like there are always memorials to the people from the state.

This statue is dedicated to the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters which was a unit that fought with distinction in the Civil War.

Another angle of that statue. It kind of looks like he is sitting in a foxhole.

This is a statue of Austin Blair, who served as Michigan's governor during the Civil War. He was a strong opponent of slavery and secession. He also led efforts to ban capital punishment in the State of Michigan and supported efforts to extend the right to vote to women and blacks. He was a strong proponent of entering the Civil War. After his governorship, he served in Congress for a while and died in 1894. In 1895, funds for this statue were approrpriated and he is the only individual honored on the capitol grounds in this fashion.

A shot of his face with the dome behind him.

The Michigan state seal.

A memorial to Michigan soldiers. The inscriptions are pretty interesting.

Across the street from the Capitol Building is Lansing City Hall. This is a frieze on the building.

Looking at the Capitol Building from an oblique angle.

Same angle with some trees in the way.

Looking at the capitol dome. It's amazing how many of the state capitol buildings resemble the US Capitol.

A shot from sort of the front.