• Sunday-What'sUP July 22 - 09:27 pm

If I correctly understand the caption by Eliisa Mannisto Seigle, the athletic looking gent standing on the left of the row is her dad Ralph Mannisto. Ralph lived just up the hill at Phoenix Farms, where he was the youngest of 11 children, and he worked as a trammer at the Phoenix crusher. The absence of lights on their hats suggests that these guys got to work on their tan as well, in contrast to their counterparts who served time in the dark shafts below. In the summer of 1939 Ralph would have been about 20 years old. He passed away last August at the age of 87.

Today is not the first time the Mannisto clan has suplied us a Shoebox Memory. Last September we caught up with a bunch of the family in Kearsarge, Ralph's mom and sisters. And there are also numerous references and photos of Ralph from relatives in the Pasty Cam Guest Gallery.

There's one thing I noticed on today's shot, which helps get our bearings about exactly where it was taken. Look at the cabins in the distance just to their left. These are along the stretch of M-26 from Phoenix to Eagle River, where some are still standing today. To the left of the picture and up the hill is the present day home of "Elmo's Tower"

Why doesn't the "Osh Kosh by Gosh" gentleman on the right in the first picture, have a hard hat on?

Anybody know if the water is all installed in Gay? I live on main st coming up Aug

I believe that by the time these photos were taken in 1939 the Phoenix Mine was under the control of C&H, so these men would have been employees of Calumet and Hecla. I'm not sure which deposit they would have been working at that time however (fissure or ashbed); my first guess would be ashbed.

It's quite possible the guy wearing the cover-alls was a maintenence worker as wasn't required to wear a hardhat. Or, maybe he just took it off for the photo to look more "manly"....... ;-)

My mother, Nina was one of the 11 Mannisto children, and was of course, Ralph's sister. He was the last of them to pass away last year. Ralph attended school in the old Phoenix school house. It was latter moved and used for a camp on Lake Shore Drive.It turned out to be the dwelling where the Monks of the Society of St John spent their first cold winter here in Keweenaw. It is still there and incorporated into the new Monastary structure. Nice picture cuz.

Neil, I find it interesting about the camp that was first used by the monks. The Dows (sp) bought it and also built the three little cabins next to it along with the building that is now the JamPot. I spent many happy hours at the little restuarant visiting the Dows with my grandfather. Our camp is/was just around the bend in the road going towards Eagle Harbor. My cousin owns the camp but I discovered this past week that it is for sale. Although it has never been updated and needs to be torn down, it is a sad time for me realizing that the camp will no longer be in the family.

What? No comments this time about these guys from the "saucy ladies" out here?

All the many times I've been by these cabins and this area, can't quite place it!