Russell A. Alger - Legacy

Legacy

Alger County, Michigan, is named for him. A monument by Detroit sculptor Carlo Romanelli, consisting of a bronze bust of Alger mounted on a stone pedestal, is located on the grounds of the William G. Mather Building in Munising, Michigan. It was erected in June 1909, with funds provided by the heirs of Alger and by the Board of Education of the Munising Township Schools. A memorial fountain in Grand Circus Park, where it intersects East Adams and Woodward in downtown Detroit by sculptor Daniel Chester French and architect Henry Bacon was dedicated in Detroit in 1921.

In 1898, a movie was made, entitled General Wheeler and Secretary of War Alger at Camp Wikoff, that documents an official visit as Secretary of War. Camp Wikoff was in New York, and this was an early event that permitted the McKinley administration to garner support from the New York newspapers.

In May 1898, his War Department established Camp Russell A. Alger on a farm of 1,400 acres (5.7 km2) called "Woodburn Manor" near the small communities of Falls Church and Dunn Loring, Virginia. In its brief existence, 23,000 men trained there for service in the Spanish-American War. Faced with a typhoid fever epidemic, it was abandoned the month that the War ended (in August 1898), and sold the following month. It is commemorated by an official Virginia historical marker.

Alger, Michigan is named after him. It is a small community founded in the late-19th century located in the area of the lower peninsula where he oversaw lumbering and railroad operations. Russell A. Alger street is in Black River, Michigan.

The Grosse Pointe War Memorial is housed in one of the Alger family's former homes.

The Southeast side Grand Rapids, Michigan neighborhood Alger Heights is named after him.

In 1942, a United States Liberty ship named the SS Russell A. Alger was planned, but cancelled before construction.