• Saturday-What'sUP September 8 - 05:06 pm

Today's photos come to you from atop Mount Horace Greeley, which was home to the old Radar Base and more recently the Keweenaw Acadamy, but now sits vacant, like a ghost town with the grass uncut and growing up between cracks in the pavement. It isn't sitting there entirely unused though, as Pasty.NET's relay for the broadband wireless has its home there now, along with the Maritime Tracking radios that power our Lake Superior Traffic Report over at MarineTraffic.com. I had the opportunity to go there to check on the relay at the base this week, and at the same time snapped some shots of the beautiful view from atop a building, along with the scenes showing structures that remain there today. I thought it was pretty neat while up there, to see the north shore and the south shore of Lake Superior at the same time, with the Keweenaw in between, just by turning my head. Makes you realize what a BIG Lake Gitche Gumee really is.

Unfortunately this area is currently closed to the public, and the No Trespassing signs are enforced. Hopefully someday Keweenaw County will find a productive use for all of these vacant buildings, and this lovely remote spot.

As Neil Harri saw it in 2005

Nice area and Gratiot Lake Rd. looks like a nice drive (Google street-view). Will have to check it out.

There's an unconfirmed story of two "students" at the Keweenaw Acadamy that, having decided to go AWOL, mistakenly turned toward Copper Harbor to exit the peninsula.

Another item of Acadamy lore were the "poisonous snow snakes", designed to keep inner-city "students" from straying during the winters.

When I was in the military in the late 1970's, I knew a Sgt. Curtis who was transferred to this station. Does that name ring a bell with anybody?

Thomas--When I hear the name Curtis I think of the math teacher from Hancock High. Summers he was the "purser" on the Ranger . Also , as I remember, his son fell off a freighter north of Grand Marie (?). Swam ashore hitting the beach about 6:30am and knocked on the first door he came to. Said he had fallen off a boat and the folks thought he was a fisherman. He called his folks who had just been told he was MIA. Is this the Curtis you were thinking of?

I don't think so. In fact, now that I think of it, the Sgt. Curtis I'm referring to I believe was from New Mexico.

I'm happy to see that the fall color is starting to show up in the Keweenaw. We will be up there in a couple of weeks and I can't wait to take in the beauty.

Love the views!!! I was at the base many times and through the years, both when in was the Radar Base and Keweenaw Academy!! I knew Mr. Curtis and his son Tom growing up in Hancock. They lived across the street from me. Amazing story about Tom falling off the ore carrier and swimming to shore. I believe he came ashore near Eagle Harbor?

I remember going on a tour of the Radar Base with the (old) Lake Superior Radio Club around the year 1950. We were amazed to see the electronic equipment in operation at that site. My amateur radio call letters then were W8FNF.

If I didn't know better, those first 2 pix could've been made near Bismarck, ND. At least a few years ago, not sure if it's still there.

I was flying a B-25 bomber in the area around 1957 when the radar station asked if I would do a flyby for the airmen stationed there...I did and they were all there waving like crazy.

Ahh, the Mitchell bomber! Very impressive, Peter! The B-25s and the B-52s were my favorites.

Cindy, I'll 'look' for you; I'm also heading up to
heaven in a few weeks! :)
I sure enjoy these pasty notes & info - I have
collected alot of info to use when I vaca UP there;
THANK YOU, ALL!

There's a whole bunch more about the old radar base on (click →) Cam notes - May 22-05, including quite a number of comments from former Air Force folks that were there when it was active, and a link to archived records of the Calumet AFS at the Online Air Defense Radar Museum. (Those links are/were a bit difficult to navigate, and I don't know if they still work at all.)

FRNash/PHX, AZ; The links worked great for me and very interesting, 'thank you'.

mickill mouse(Ram4):
FRNash/PHX, AZ; The links worked great for me and very interesting, 'thank you'.

I'm glad to hear that! The navigation on the Air Defense Radar Museum site was quite a bit more arcane than is typically the case, so I'm really glad it worked for you!

I'm also glad to report that the original Calumet AFS link, as posted by Scott, Illinois on Saturday, May 28, 2005 @ 06:55 pm (click →) Calumet AFS now works once again, and avoids all the arcane navigation! (Apparently some hiccup on the Air Defense Radar Museum site that previously caused it to fail has been corrected.)

So did the radar become obsolete, or did the threat diminish? What takes it's place? Kincheloe,K.I. Sawyer,and Wurtsmith all gone.Only Alpena ANG and the base in Mt. Clemens are left in this state, if not mistaken.

Please just take the flag down that is visible on the pasty cam of 5th Street in Calumet. I realize you might not be able to replace it now, but in the mean time, it isn't right to fly such a ragged flag.

Thank-you,

Evelyn

I've been thinking the same.

Evelyn and Kay, I agree!