• Sunday-What'sUP October 2 - 11:36 pm

The good old days of 20 cent gasoline... You could fill a tank for $3.00. This weekend that same tank would cost about $48.00. But I also remember in 1960 my parents bought the property where I grew up for $5,000 - and today it's worth much more than $80,000, which would be the equivalent mathematical increase. Who knows? Maybe a tank of gas for 48 bucks is a bargain. It certainly doesn't feel like it.

I love the Guest Gallery album that Brian Rendel assembled, with all the old photos by Bert deVriendt. This particular shot of main street Chassell captures the earthy quality of Autumn in the Copper Country. You can almost smell the wet leaves and feel the drizzle driven by the wind moving those clouds around up there. If the signs and the cars didn't give it away, you wouldn't know it was almost a half century ago.

Next time you pass the Sturgeon Sloughs Wildlife Area south of Chassell on US-41, stretch your legs on the mile-and-a-half nature trail. It's named after our old friend Bert.

Bert deVriendt around 1980

Neat picture! Too bad there wasn't a shot of what the gas price was then too!
I hope all are having a good weekend! How are the fall colors doing up north? Nothing happening down this way as of yet.
Best wishes,
Renee

that 66 station was my dads, Tony Soumis ...
I spent tons of time around there :)
Brings back so many memories. Thanks for that picture

Great picture! You can really feel the weather. Makes you want to throw on a jacket and take a nice brisk walk.

I remember when I was sent to Usitalo's gas station as a kid back in 1971. I was sent with a dollar to get a gallon of gas for the lawn mower and a pack of cigarettes and still have change to give back. Now, that MIGHT happen with a $10 bill. Fall is in full bloom here on Pontiac Rd. in Hancock. Indian summer right now. Feels great, but I think we will pay for it this winter. Got to wait and see. Hope Juntikka sees this picture. He loves old pictures of the CC.

Leo

Aloha,

Great picture of the good old days. Except this was taken in 1964 or later. My parents owned the Pow-Wow Restaurant, the blue building down the street. They built it in 1964. Mahalo....

Good Morning everyone, Hi to LIZARD also!!!
What a great picture of Chassell back than. It's a nice town, the residents are very friendly.
It"s a place where everybody knows your name.
Have a great day!!!

Some things just don't change! Beautiful pic. Willson Memorial is named after my Great Uncle Percy.

Hi Dennis Korpi :)

I remember well the opening of the Pow-Wow ... not the date, but the place. Where do you live now ?

Love the pic, because you can almost feel the outside weather. Makes me want to throw a log on the fire and cuddle up on the sofa with a good book.

Sur5er--

How about a cup of tea too. I know the
Chassell strip pretty well--lots of relatives in
that area.

I'm going to try to forward you, by e-mail, some
photos of friend sent me about the dogs in
New Orleans. Made me think of the work
you've been doing with these critters.

Kosk,
Why thank you...a cup of tea would be perfect.

Thanks for emailing the pics. I have been on the sidelines for the last week...something with the compressor or is it the condensor and something to do with theelectronic clutch? All I know is that it is expensive. And while I was recovering from the shock of that, the mechanic told me, "And Mrs. T, let's hope it isn't the evaporator, cuz then we will have to take out your entire dash...which involves removing the steering wheel, air bags, etc. Now that would be almost another $1,000." Ouch!

Ser5er...maybe a bribe is in order. (Just between you and me...how about Ms. Katie's Casserole...that ought to knock the price down a bit.)

Sur5er,

When things go wrong with one of the
vehicles, as they inevitably do, I haven't a clue.
This makes for sweaty palms when decisions
about repairs (always expensive!) need to be
made. Repairs, coupled with the cost of gas,
can really get one to thinking. Like I've said
before, at least I have the option of using
public trans. here in the city--an impossibility
in many of my favorite places(like the Chassell
strip.)

Scarey thing is, if one were to take a photo in that same exact spot today, one would see that the scene hasn't changed all that much in 45 years.....

After a one year stint in LasVegas where the population increases by 25,000+ each month, the picture today makes me appreciate the fact that hardly anything changes in the Keweenaw year after year.

I worked with Bert back in the late 60's or early 70's at the Daily Mining Gazette; what a terrific person.

The Chippewa Motel had been converted from some roadside cabins right after WWII by my uncle Elwood Barkkari and his wife Helen (Komula). They put out nice lawn furniture and colored lights to encourage their tourist guests to enjoy the long summer twilights. Between the motel and the gas station was the 2-room shoe repair shop and residence of Otto Ruotsi, a confirmed Finn bachelor, and his dog. Otto said things like "Ve haf tausin gar onna main rag forda robber vegetable," which translates to "We had a thousand cars on the main drag for the strawberry festival." I had the first VW bug in the Keweenaw, and Otto loved it because he could get his belly behind the steering wheel, so he bought one too. He used to spend his many leisure hours catching bullheads in the Sturgeon Slough. He'd take them home, skin and gut them, and burn the offal with newspaper in his potbelly stove in the evening. This drew a multitude of seagulls from the bay, swooping down excitedly over Otto's shack and all the downstate tourists sitting on the lawn furniture at the motel! You can be sure Woody and Helen were not pleased.

We lived at Watia's Cabins for two years while doing our "tour" at Da Tech. I used to take a boat to Tech sometimes and dock it at the sands.

We once took a boat up the Sturgeon to whatever the first lake was (in the early spring of course) and it was quite an adventure.

We caught caught out during a sudden storm once in November and by the time our 14 foot alumacraft made it back, we had ice everywhere.

Wouldn't trade those days for anything.

I have to echo the comments about the slow rate of change in the area. If you don't look closely at the cars, you probably would have a hard time dating this.
I grew up about 200' to the left of where this photo was taken. The gas station was a Clark when in closed in about 1972. The pumps (with their price frozen at 36.9 cents) remained until Abe Lucas converted into a Tuff-Kote rust proofing shop in the late 70's.

I was going to say, when the wife and I were on our honeymoon up there in 1960 I remember the gas price(s) were around 38 cents a gallon!! The extreme gas price wars in troll land were in the late 60s, early 70s when in 1971 at our Gulf station in St. Clair Shores we were as low as 19.9 a few times! After the OPEC-Arab oil imbargo in 73/74 things have never been the same--uphill ever since!

Russ - Thanks for the correction on the price. So it was around $6 for a fillup in 1960, $3 in 1970, and $48 in 2005. We're in Negaunee this morning, headed back to the Copper Country. Think we'll stop in Baraga, where you'll always save a few bucks compared to Marquette or Houghton.

Beverly, Check your email...I sent you the recipes this morning. Warning: Miss Katie's Tomato Casserole is highly addictive. Someone on Pasty Cam said they are making crock pots full of Miss Katie's Tomato Casserole dish. ;-)

Kosk, Nope, no public transportation out here. If I get in dire straights, I guess I could always hop in hubby's semi and bob tail down to the grocery store ;)

Can I get a copy of this tomato casserole? Or is it posted on pasty.com and I missed it? Sounds like something I would love.
Thanks in advance.

Babyseal,
Just emailed the recipe to you. Miss Katie is out of town this week...an art workshop and an art fair/auction. One of the famous painters that will be there is from the UP....but I can't remember her name (sorry).

I would also like a copy of the tomato casserole. Thank you!!!

Stefani13,
Gotcha covered ;)

This photo is Autumny + nostalgic. I like the pre-fluorescent Phillips 66 sign + the "School" sign b 4 most signs had picture symbols.