• Sunday-What'sUP September 24 - 10:35 pm

The Mannisto girls created a Shoebox Memory in 1958, posing with their mother Hilda at "Nina's 41 Lunch" in Kearsarge. The daughters left-to-right are Nina (Harri), Lily (Hill), Elsie (Seppanen), and Sylvia (Knighton). Sylvia's grandson Keith Knighton found this photo in his own Shoebox and beamed it up to pasty-land for today's glimpse of life in the U.P.

They tell me that Nina was the #1 mover and shaker in Kearsarge in those days, with the lunch shop, Wolverine store, ambulance service and car repair shop. Sounds about as diversified as having a family restaurant, Internet service, and USDA inspected pasty kitchen. Of course, I'm referring to The Hut in Kearsarge, and Pasty Central's expanded new headquarters, which kicks off production this week. On Friday we received the final approvals from Washington (yes, baking pasties IS a Federal Case). In the coming week the oven will be fired up with the delicious aroma of U.P. style pasties, destined for delivery throughout the USA. In early October, The Hut will also resume its food service, with familiar favorites as well as expanded new items on the menu.

In the second shot above - Neil Harri's aerial view of Kearsarge - you can see The Hut at the fork in the road (US-41, lower left). And you may have already made the connection - Neil is Nina's little boy (all grown up), which would make him the grandson of Hilda, the lady with the big purse in the top picture. I bet there's a Harri-Hill-Seppanen-Knighton-Mannisto connection to about half of the folks living in the Copper Country.

Have a good week :o)

P.S. - We'll have an update on the What'sUP page about this final week at Still Waters, as the remaining residents move to their new homes, and the facility closes its doors after 24 years of service.

Actually there's a connection to ALL the folks living in the Copper Country, if you go back enough years ;>

I love the glasses, hair styles, fashion and expressions of the old photos you have on Sunday. This one reminded me of a favorite of mine from a few years back, another multi-generational portrait:

Charlie, You say The Hut restaurant will be open early in October. We're coming up October 1st and 2nd. Wondering if it will be open that soon. Thanks! Peg

I will be up the week of Oct. 2nd. Was hoping the Hut would be opened then.

Tentatively we are looking at the first Saturday in October (10/7) with a "Pre-Opening" event, for which we will be sending out invitations this week. Then the following week The Hut should be on a regular schedule. This is all pending final approvals from the building inspectors, health department, etc. It has been a long road back to re-open this historic landmark, but we're almost there.

For any who will be visiting the area and leaving before the 7th, just drop me a line, because we will have staff there working on the final details, and you would be welcome to stop by during business hours.

Morning All.
Will also be arriving the 1st week of Oct. for a stay in the Boston Loc. Have my fingers crossed that all is proceeding well in the opening of the Hut. Looks like it will be full color that week also. Enjoy the day everyone!!

Charlie, That's marvelous! We will be visiting the first weekend of October. Can't wait to see the difference from when we were there in August.

What happened to the White House? Haven't heard any mention of it at all. People seemed happy that they re-built after the fire. Is it still open? Just wondering......

Hi Charlie,
How big of a donation do we have to make to get invited to the "pre-opening event" on October 7th? Will you be open on the eighth for regular business?
We will be up visiting that weekend and would love to stop by.

Hey Charlie.......I don't understand why Stillwaters is closing.........?????? I thought this Pasty project was being done to help Stillwaters out???? I really hate to see it close......it is such a nice place.

It met so many needs for the elderly....the ones that can't afford the big one on the hill!!!

Just wondering........

Wow! Great pictures today. As RDiowa said, go back far enough and everyone's related. Hilda Mannisto is my great aunt. I have never seen a picture of her before. She looks so much like my grandmother. Nina Harri was a very good friend to my mother when they moved back to Kearsarge. As kids on vacation we loved walking to the Wolverine store and the stone ship and going to the Hut.

The aerial by Neil Harri, my father's cousin, is such an excellent shot, giving the perspective of Superior surrounding the Keweenaw.

Thanks to all involved in Pasty!

White house was rebuilt.......lots smaller but nice inside. When ever you rebuild it seems a place looses it uniqueness (sp?)....but I hear the food is good and people are happy......

My mom, Nina Harri, took over all the family business in Kearsarge after my dad was killed in a car accident in 1953. Don't forget the Harri Bros concrete block plant and also the tourist cabins.My mom received an award from Standard oil for 45 years in business and we were open a few years after that.
All these women were originally Mannisto girls from Phoenix farms. Their brother Ralph was the youngest of the 11 children of Hilda. He was also the last to pass away. That was last month at 87 years old.
It is good to see a rebirth of business in that town which was so affected by the C&H copper strike of 1968.
Good Luck to Charlie and crew on their newest venture. I will be a frequent customer.

Maija,

Who is your father? I have fond memories of visiting Nina's house in Kearsarge each summer as I grew up and still get the chance to drive by frquently.

Glad you enjoyed the photo.

I think we'll be driving up the night of the 6th, be there for a week and look forward to checking out the Hut. Hoping I can get my brother to come up and visit and help close the Harbor Haus for the 2006 season on the 14th. Maybe see a few of you folk around, Charlie, we need those t-shirts for P-cam contributors! We'll keep reminding you of the idea!

I didn't realize the Harbor Haus closed for the winter season. I guess I'll have to try to get there while we're UP. I'm hoping to take my folks to the hut for some pasties though. Charlie, we really need those shirts.

Ilmayksi,

Ralph Mannisto and his wife, Ruth, were/are members of the
Finnish Center in Farmington. I knew them because my parents
belonged to that organization. It truly is a small world.

A hut story.

Back around '85 a fellow Tech student and I were CCC (copper country cruising) and saw "The Hut" and figured it was as good a place as any to get some food.

When we went in we were escorted to the "waiting area" and sat on the nice furniture. Now, we were poor students (I know they have $ now but we had few) and became quite worried about the cost.

We were then seated near the indoor waterfall and given menus. We really thought we would have to walk out without eating because it was going to be WAY to expensive.

Imagine our shock when we opened the menu and did not find high priced dishes we could not pronounce. Instead, there was the usual cheeseburgers and such. And they were inexpensive.

That is what made The Hut special to me. The only fancy restaurant serving normal food at inexpensive prices I have ever been too.

It may be impossible to duplicate that (after all it went under) - but I hope you can find something to make it special and viable.

Keith, I sent you an email.

I like seeing these pictures given that my mother's family (hilden, winquist, sakkinen) were from kearsarge. My mom worked at the hut in her younger years. Her uncle came to walk her home from work because there used to be more bears in kearsarge back then. There are still four family members of mine that own their family homes in kearsarge. My grandmother showed me where they used to play cricket and told me about the cable car that used to run behind their house. Thanks for the pictures.

Keith, Maija (& anyone else reading)...
I'm the late Ralph's 2nd son (of 4 sibs), so thought I'd say "Hi." Also say thanks to Keith for the pic. I assume yet another relative took it. Since my mom's side came from Kearsarge, my vacations from SE Mich gave me a 1,000 hours on the boat, in the store, at the Hut, etc., not to mention time with Neil & Chester, his long-departed bro.
Off the topic, does anyone UP there know anything about an alleged UFO & F49 jet lost in the lake in 1953? Friends who just came back to A² from da UP heard it on the radio. (Just curious.)

Dennis Mannisto (Denmann):
"...does anyone UP there know anything about an alleged UFO & F49 jet lost in the lake in 1953?"

Here ya go (although it was an F-89 Scorpion fighter jet). Check this link: By FRNash/PHX, AZ (Frnash) on Saturday, September 2, 2006 - 04:44 pm: and the further links therein.

That would be a photo of my mom (Lillian) and Grandma. Thanks, Cousin Keith for posting that photo. I feel so blessed to have the heritage of my Mom growing up in the UP. How wonderful to know the solitude and quietness of kayaking on Lake Manganese, the roar of Lake Superior while staying at the Lake Breeze in Eagle Harbor, biking the trails at Copper Harbor, the fragrance of the farm land at Phoenix, the memories of visiting cousins, aunts, uncles and grandma. There's no place like the UP!

Frnash,
Thanks for the link. I'll pass it on (since they were more interested than me.) But made me think: the pasty cam discussion about the base included a post by Ray Berghefer who says he was stationed at the base during the time of the so-called UFO & F-89 incident. Might know something "interesting." (Middle of the night surfing does that to the mind!)

Just found Pastycam after many promptings from my brother. GREAT site. Enjoy seeing counsin Neil's aerial shots. I'm proud to call you cousin.
Eliisa