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On the last day of the third full week of the Pasty Cam (back in 1998), we featured this photo of the Douglass Houghton Memorial in Eagle River. This was the beginning of a number of projects over the years which have rallied support for various needs, which appear to be underserved by the community. The monument is across the street from our home, so we walk past it every day, and couldn't help but notice it was losing stones. In response to this picture, we received hundreds of dollars from all over the country, to fund repairs later that year. Jeff Heikkinen's work has held up against the elements quite well, eight years later.

There was enough left over from the project to pay a lifetime membership for Pasty.NET with the Keweenaw County Historical Society. Shortly after, the Houghton County Historical Society contacted us, with whom Pasty Central has also become quite involved over the years.

more tomorrow

Am I the early Bird??
Have a good Tuesday everyone!!

Morning!

Charlie: thank you for all the info you've been giving us daily. Eagle River is one of my favorite places & I've walked past this memorial many times. Wish it were a daily walk for me like it is for you!

Funny day to all!

http://www.sottunga.aland.fi/english/history_eng.htm

Morning.

Can the old bridge in Eagle River be saved? Maybe a few pictures could stir up support,Maybe?

Morning All.


So where has "THE EARLY BIRD" moniker been lately? Is it just me, or does anyone else seem to be having a hard time coming up with only one Favorite place in the Keweenaw/Copper Country/UP? Thanks to this site the discoveries just keep on coming. Enjoy the day everyone.

That area means soooo much for sooo many that everyone has memories. We all want to make sure that memories stay for our kids and grandkids to enjoy. You have the means thru this wonderful website to reach many people willing to help. Please Charlie, don't hesitate to ask when there is a need!

Japei, you always have the most interesting websites for us to
check out! Thank you. I have a lot of new favorite sites because
of you. Again, thank you!!

For some reason the picture above got me thinking about a story I once heard, but never found out how true it was.

The story is this: Some guy was driving on US-41 between Baraga and L'Anse when a meteorite hit his car and killed him. His family then used the meteroite that killed him as his tombstone and it can be still viewed today somewhere.

Has anyone else heard this story? I suppose it could be true

nate - there is a meteorite used as a gravestone in the cemetery east of nisula - i read about it somewhere and took a look - it's a rough black stone

Cool, looks like I may have to take an early morning trip to Nisula :)

while I'm on the subject of Yooper Legends I have been told that there is an old locomotive somewhere in the woods near Bessemer or Wakefield. I was told the tracks were ripped up on either side of it, but it was left behind and forgotten. Has anyone else heard of this one?

Nate,
I never heard that story but sounds kinda scary. An abandoned old train could be the beginnings of some spooky stories. Booooooo!

Lorelei

If its out there I bet there are a lot of memories in that train. Think how fun it would be to climb into it on a nice warm spring afternoon and let your imagination run wild. I bet it could make even the most grown up person a kid again :)

Nate,
I've heard both the meteorite and locomotive stories. I always thought the meteorite story was a tall tale. I guess truth is stranger than fiction and I too will be taking a trip to Nisula to see this rock.

I LOVE GEOLOGY:
I think the most common meteorite is a carbonaceous Chondrite-made up of iron and magnesium-bearing minerals and also contains alot of water. It is theorized that the high water content means they were never heated above about 200 deg C, so they formed out in the solar nebula as the solar system condensed.
They are typically black to grey, with some brown mottling.

japei, once again you wowwed me with a most beautiful place.i could easily call such a lovely place home.finland calls to all her children,lok at my beauty and feel my splendor.thanks again.

Good afternoon everyone. Have a question for anyone who can help me. IF/WHEN I get to the Copper Country this summer, is there a map or a couple maps that I could get with all the little towns or settlements on it from 'way back on it? I have very little idea where so many of these towns are that you folks mention in your posts. I'm sure a lot has changed since my mother left in the late '20's. Thanks for whatever you can help me with.

siesmac pirate Mark how is the sea today I live vicariously through your posts never had the chance to do anything heroic like sailing in rough weather. Kelly is making a chicken dinner, creamy basil sause with bow tie noodles and there wont be any rolling to stop me from dinner I guess in a way I am lucky.

Ms Katie,
I'm not sure if you're staying at a motel or with friends/family, but I know a lot of motels have brochures, maps and historic information for sightseers. There's also a lot of good information in museums and historic sites scattered throughout the area.
If you're staying at a motel, you may call them and have them send the maps/brochures to you before you come up.

Ms Katie, Contact the Chamber of Commerce for the area you are headed. They will be more than happy to send you information. I checked in the phone book here in Houghton: "Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce", 906-482-5240. I would start by checking out their website: www.keweenaw.org
Good luck.

Mikie,
Today was a pleasant surprise. The seas came down more than forecasted. It's just a bit bumpy, you don't even have to hold on to your coffee cup, today:)

Btw, turning green, or lossing your lunch doesn't feel very heroic :) Out here its mostly a combination of intense boredom and intense stress and I just can't wait to get back home to quiet little Painesdale...

Oh, and back to GOOD food, too. Everyone on here talking about food kills me. Last night I actually dreamed about a tostada pizza and a fishbowl from the Ambassador. Ships food is usually pretty close to prison food:(

Ms. Katie,
You might also want to contact the Keweenaw County Historical Society, mentioned above by Charlie. I'm not familiar with what they do, or offer but the name sounds about right for your request...

Also, visit the historical town of Central, just past the M28/US 41 intersection. Neat place and they run some very interesting programs for the kids during the summer.

MS.KATIE,I think the two best resources for you would be the book Hunts guide to Michigans upper Peninsula from Midwestern Guides www.huntsguides.com,they have alot about towns and historical places,by far the best UP guide we have seen.Its a certified UP original product.The other good thing to have is the Delorme detailed Michigan Atlas and Gazetteer.They have many of the non paved back country roads shown as well as some very small towns.

I agree w/ John and Ann. If your travelling on unknown roads, the Gazetteer is the best map to have. Just like American Express, don't leave home without it:)

Seismic Pirate,
You poor thing, having to hear about all the good food and then dreaming of it:( You should start to make a list right now, of all the things you want to eat when you get home. That way, you won't forget anything when you do get to Psdle. Oh, by the way, I saw a Domino's delivery vehicle in Psdle last week. I almost flipped over in my chair. Hey, maybe you can have pasty's delivered to your next port. Any chance of that?

I wish it would either snow a large storm here or it would get up to working outside type of weather. Ms. Katie when you get up to the Copper Country make sure that you go to the Hungarian falls up north of Hubbell/Tamerack I think this is the prettiest place in the world that I have ever been to. I also love any lake shore, love beach sand, I must have been a cat in a previous life. Marc I hope the rest of your time there will have calm seas and boredom. I just learned one of my young friends has been sent to Texas with the Army, better then to Iraq where he was before, he made it back safe.

Lorelei,
I wish I could have them delivered, but my ship stays at sea working, unless it is required by international, or national law to come into port for customs/immigration, or maritime inspections. We get on and off the ship by helicopter, at crew-x, then fly (hopefully) straight home from the country we choppered into.

Btw, I've been at sea now for about 7 years and I have semi-permanent list, already. Most of the list is my wife's cooking followed by my own. Ambassador, Hunan Palace and one cheeseburger-man do I miss cheeseburgers, round out the list. We had cheeseburgers the other night on here. They are made with "something" other than meat and have a hole in the middle, filled with a runny, fried egg.

Mikie, No kidding about the Hungarian Falls. We used to go there a lot and I can't even find them anymore. And now they've blocked off access to the Douglas-Houghton Falls too. It's sad. We could always go to the old Lake Linden drive-in theatre and walk up to them. That little creek leads right to them. We had a lot of adventures as kids growing up in Lake Linden. I remember taking my brother out rafting in water over our heads (don't even know where it was really and nobody knew we were there) and the poor kid couldn't even swim. I could have saved myself, but not him. Kids just don't think but the fun we had not thinking. lol

Marc,where is the Hunan Palace? The shipboard cheese burger sounded lousy...can't someone show the cooks how to make a good one? Doing work you enjoy is great and it is half the battle....but you ought to be able to look forward to a good meal on shipboard.I remember Navy meals (of course,this was stateside)as being very good.

Hunan Palace is downtown Houghton, Right across the street from the old JD's Boathouse, I think. Anyway, the last bldg on the last block before the hotel.

I think people have tried to influence the cooks, but they're from the Philipines and only stretch so far from what they know. We eat lots of things called pork "adobo" and oxtail "regurgitum" and the like. Let me tell you, a nice, hot tunafish burrito either does wonders for your sense of humor, or you find a new job, real quick.

Ms. Katie, one more reference to add to your list is "Copper Contry Road Trips" by Lawrence Molloy. Picked one up from Tony at Copper World. We have almost worn out our first copy!

Hey, you guys are all great with the map suggestions. I knew you'd come thru. I'll check into all your ideas. That "Copper Country Road Trips" especially sounds like what I'm looking for.Thanks everyone. And now I must sign off for a week or so. We're heading out for home in a couple days, weather permitting. I have to laugh at the local weather forecast. A cool and dry front went thru last night and they're calling for dressing in the morning for the "cold", get real, the low 50's ??? tsk-tsk :)

I have been on a train car, out in the middle of the woods, on an isolated stretch of track here in the Keweenaw. It's not a locomotive, but rather a caboose - near Mt. Horace Greeley.

It's a real caboose, alright, with all of the finished wood and upholstery and train car couplings and steel equipment. Right out there in the middle of the woods, far off the road, sitting on its tracks.

I don't know the whole story of how it got there, but some day soon I'll go back and bring some pictures.

I would think it came in via truck, probably someone's camp. No railroad tracks ever came out there that I know of.
Gordy

Does anyone have a picture of the George Gipp
Memorial in Laurium that they could share with us?
Thanks

Marc, My husband used to be a baker on the ships when he was in the Navy. He said the bakery stuff was always good but the food left a little to be desired. I don't envy you. How are the pies? He said he'd have to make 100's of pies. Therefore he makes our pies too. I can't make crust and he's an expert. I hope you'll soon be off the rolling seas.

Deb,
No pies here. They make lots of bread, rolls, etc. I don't need pies anyway, they tend to settle in the wrong places:)