• Sunday-What'sUP May 4 - 10:23 pm

Ever since we started the Pasty Cameo's, so many places come to mind that we visited over this past decade - with just a single picture - that has so much more history than we have previously explored. The sounds and motion give an added dimension to this history, as in today's Pasty Cameo.

A word of thanks to Hunt's Guides and Wikipedia for some of the background information, a follow up to yesterday's Day in History segment.

Time for a nice long hike...

Have a good week :o)

This looks like the visitor center at Watersmeet my wife and I
went to back in the 1960s when we first explored the wondrous
50,000 acre Sylvania Wilderness Area given to the U.S>
Government by the famous Fisher brothers. We saw our first
eagles there when it was not so common to see them. How
appropriate to have such a place in the Land of the Nimrods (the
nickname for the mighty hunters of Watersmeet High).

Nice place to visit on a Sunday afternoon. Been there many times years ago.

Back in the 1950's when still owned by the Fishers, then President Dwight D. Eisenhower used to fish the lakes in the now Sylvania W.A. Ike would be flown to the King's Gateway Lodge airport (Land O' Lakes, WI) where he would then travel by car to King's private lodge on Snap Jack Lake just west of the Sylvania W.A. There are almost 3 dozen lakes in the W.A. and miles of virgin forest. The act of preserving this area was started in 1895 by a lumberman from WI by the name of Johnston. He purchased 80 acres on the south end of Clark Lake, but was so impressed with the natural beauty he decided not to log it. Instead he told friends and business acquaintances about it. Soon others purchased acreage and built lodges. The area was known as the Sylvania Club....a playground for the affluent. Property changed hands over the years until Fisher bought it. It changed hands for the last time when the USFS acquired it. Former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson attended the dedication ceremony in 1967.

Heikki - Are you able to watch the Pasty Cameo's? Most of the history you mention was already cited there.

RD, I found Heikki's post very interesting. Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?

Sylvania Wilderness... nearly became another Huron Mountain Club, eh? Both in about the same time frame, late 1800's.

mary, just trying the new info thanks much for your help. wonderful site!

WOW! The pasty cameo was very interesting and full of beautiful photos. Loved it as always!

My daughter and I visited here last June. We used to vacation on Cisco Lake years ago and visited it then. I love to stand on that hill and gaze down on Watersmeet. The town has changed over the years but not a lot.
Sarah from Illinois

(Rdiowa)

HA! Almost the same info. I'm able to watch the cameo, but didn't this morning. The info I posted was from a collection of Yooper Trivia questions I sent out via email to friends and acquaintances once a week. Must have about 50-60 in my archives by now. I have a hobby of digging into the U.P.'s past and forming trivia questions to quiz my friends. For instance, did you know President McKinley's assassin once worked on the railroad near Seney? He wasn't a native of the U.P., but was born in Michigan. Leon Czolgasz was his name.

(Snowman)

No problemo. I'm glad (Rdiowa) pointed that out. Don't want folks thinkin' I'm merely repeating what was already said. I'm slightly nuts, but not that far gone. LOL.