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Decade of the Pasty Cam on this day ^{Printed on Recycled Internet}

A new concept for our daily pictures appeared for the first time on this day in 1999. What was it?

Good Morning!!

It was "The BIG Picture"....

Yes! When the Pasty Cam started it's daily pictures in 1998, there was only one size displayed each day, with a short caption. On January 13, 1999 we introduced "The Big Picture", about 4x larger. Later the Pasty Cam would tie "Cam Notes" in to the Big Picture, creating an early "blog" long before the term was coined.

Good Morning!

Good Morning, Had to do some searching to find todays answer. Way to go Capt.

Good morning! There are some great lake pictures today.

Have a good day!

Thanks, John. Took me a second to remember and then confirm that today was indeed a first in PastyCam history.....

I remember the days of small pictures and short photo captions well. I also remember some of the first "Cam Notes"; wasn't that around mid 99 that you started tying in a daily photo to cam notes, Charlie??

Oh well, another wonderful day in the investigation world. I have to laugh at the local weatherwoman saying that we better take precautions because Friday morning will be frigid; 28°!!! Hmmm, I may have to break out the long-sleeve shirt for that one........... ;-)

Eddyfitz has a question that he's wondering if anyone can help with.
There used to be a racetrack on M-26 between Lake Linden and Calumet (on what us folks from Lake Linden-Hubbell area call the Calumet Hill). He's wondering if anyone remembers the name of the racetrack and who owned it?
A number of folks remember the racetrack, but no one so far can recall the name or the owner's name either.

Good trivia question for our historians. You can either post an answer here or email me if you can help, at: mdrew@pasty.com

Capt. Paul I too laugh when South Texas gets all excited about a "cold" spell. As winter Texas we always got a giggle at their dier(sp) warnings about taking care of the "pets, plants & pipes" when it was turing cold.

Our neighbor, whose fiance' is in Atlanta, said he was complaining because the weather there was 51 degrees. Our neighbor did not have to much to say to that considering the weather here....

Now, MsKatie, at least the pipe warnings are serious and for real. When we lived in Texas, on the Gulf coast, we had a new brick house, on a foundation (not on cinder blocks). We had our pipes freeze solid about three times, in spite of our running water from the faucet at the farthest point from the intake. The silly builder put the water intake on the north side of the house, on the outside of the house, with no insulation and no room for insulation. As if that wasn't bad enough, he ran the pipes through the relatively uninsulated attic of the house. We managed to thaw out the intake pipe on the outside of the house with my hair dryer (so we would not set the house on fire). BUT, we could not thaw out the rest of the pipes until they were ready, so we only had water in our the kitchen sink. One of the times, we were without water for three days because of the frozen pipes! Ugh! The builders down there really do need to change their ways and learn to bury the pipes, or at least insulate them well!

The only racetrack I knew of near Lake Linden was the one out in Gregoryville where the Maple Leaf sits today. That racetrack was a 1/2 mile banked oval owned by the lumber camp in the late 1800's. But a racetrack on Calumet Hill??? that's a new one.

Will have to research this more after work......

Mary says: Thanks Capt. Paul. From what I was told, it was located somewhere around where the Totem Pole restaurant was, on the curve.

I'm not doubting Eddyfitz's and others' memory, but wouldn't a racetrack require some relatively level ground? Also, how long was it and what was raced? Horses? Autos? Go Karts? That might jog some memories.

Mary says: I don't have much info about this and am just relaying what I've been told about it. I did receive an email from someone who used to race on it, so it definitely existed. I'll let you know more as I receive info. Thanks for the help!

Race Track Locator has a track called "Valley Motor Sport" It is a 1/4 mile Clay Semi-banked Track. Directions US 41 to SR 203 south.

This track is closed.

Mary says: I'm not positive, but I think that's a track that was located out in Traprock Valley on the Cemetery road. Close, but not the same one. Thanks for your input!

Here is the link for that track

http://www.chasinracin.com/track-locator/rtl_search.php?action=1&state=mi&trktag=val

M-203 south would put Valley Motor Sport out towards McClain and Calumet Waterworks.......

My suggestion to you Mary would be to contact Erik at the Archives and see what he can pull up. Also check the county courthouse for a deed or property history report to see who owned it previously.

Hey Capt. Paul,
I know the directions say SR 203 and I thought about that, too, then figured it was just poor directions, because it does say Lake Linden and I do know there used to be a mud track in the Valley for a time and it was Valley something or other. :-)

I just received an email from the wife of the person who raced on the track in question, this is what she said:
"Yes Mary, he raced his car on it, but not until he got out of the army in 1953. He said it was about 1/4 mile dirt track, but not exactly oval. He said it was well used by several from Calumet-Laurium area but doesn't recall any names, as he wasn't participating much then. He said it kind of died out after 53. Remembers it being located possibly up the hill a little from the Totem Pole. Had it's own road going into it."
Maybe that will help "jog" someone's memory.

More racetrack information that came through email from Ozzie W.:
"The owner of the race track was Joe Lieber. The racetrack was in the area where the Hamel's had their restaurant (Totem Pole). Paul Grose from Laurium used to race there along with Bob Beadoin, Harry Baumgartner, and Usti Harjala." Thanks, Ozzie.
Still no name for the actual racetrack, though.

More Winter nostalga. Thank you.

I used to 'race' my old Ford on that track. It was on the left side of the road, going towards Laurium. I think it was a 1/4 mile dirt track. I was on there with Paul's brother 'Joey'. We had fun anyway. :o)

Could be possible this racetrack did not have a name, but, the local people just knew where to go to race?