• Father's Day-What'sUP June 15 - 12:02 pm

In the 20 years we have lived here, our family has occasionally spent time at Crestview, a forest field along the snowmobile trail just above Eagle River. We have searched for some trace of the subject of this week's Pasty Cameo: Crestview Resort. It has so completely disappeared from the landscape that one blog on the Internet went so far as to say Crestview is a fantasy, and never really existed. But the first hand accounts and documentary evidence and history of Crestview can't be denied. Without even a trace of foundations in that grassy field, its hard to picture just how it might have looked back "in the day".

The second photo was taken when Crestview was at its peak in 1911. That's the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt (third from left) and company visiting the Quincy mine during her Copper Country tour. I'll bet while she was here, besides showing up at Calumet Theatre, she probably paid the 50 cent fare for the Keweenaw Central ride to Phoenix, and on up to Crestview.

Looking back into history the way we do with these Shoebox Memories and Pasty Cameos, places like Crestview seem timeless. Hard to believe, but Crestview existed four years less than our family has lived here. It puts into perspective the rise and fall of King Copper, and the age-old truth that "This too shall pass".

Happy Father's Day! Hope it's a nice one. Have a good week :o)

Good Morning everyone!!!

Happy Father's Day to all fathers

especially to Robert C. Wetton.

Very interesting cameo. Such a shame that it's not around any more. It seems it would have held a lot of history. Thank you as I hadn't even heard of this place. How I wish I could have seen it.

"HAPPY FATHERS DAY", THERE ARE SO MANY PLACES OF OUR PAST HISTORY THAT HAVE VANISHED. IF WE ARE NOT CAREFUL THERE ARE MANY PLACES NOW THAT WILL BE GONE.

happy fathers day to my dad,lauren

Crestview's pavilion was built entirely of wood; even the foundation was wood pilings. When it burned, there was no stone or concrete evidence left. Frank Pontello, who was a distant cousin, spent quite a bit of time looking for the remains. At that point of his retirement, he was into collecting old bottles. He remembered the amount of beer served there from his youth and felt if he could find the pavilion site he would find the holy grail of discarded bottles. We searched the entire area without finding one old bottle.
Judging by published descriptions, photos, the remaining railroad roadbeds, and signs of the platform pictured above, the pavilion was at the crest overlooking the Lake, just to the west of the trail from Eagle River. Last time I was up there, a large pile of pulp was stacked in the likely site.
The Phoenix/Crestview area is great place to explore. There are traces of the Keweenaw Central standard gauge and Phoenix Mining Co. narrow gauge railroads. The Phoenix mill site is between the Crestview meadows and the river. Over the years we helped get an old hoisting bucket out of the bush for Sig Strombeck - now rumored to be in an Eagle River back yard. We found a huge half breed at the Phoenix mill that Frank kept at his cottage in Eagle River. Found allot of other artifacts, but no old bottles.
The area saw allot of mining, like any other site in the Copper Country, always look before you step.