Change in plans on my U.P. tour. I couldn't pass up this unique experience in Chad Johnson's new gallery. When some people move, they REALLY move. Chad said he drove around a curve on M-26 and came upon this scene! Quite a shock to see a house driving down the road. The house was being moved from near the MTU Mont Ripley Ski Hill, to somewhere on the Coal Dock Road. Rumor has it MTU will be expanding their parking area.

You can also see some of the current weather we've been having. The roof of that house really isn't white!

Love the caption Mary. "Yooper Motor Home" - LOL

Looks like a beautiful, early November day in the U.P. ;)

WoW! I certainly do miss the UP! Your site reminds me of all the reasons I loved going to school at Tech.

That snow looks fantastic to me!! Being 83 Degrees here yesterday certainly doesn't seem like November!!

Great picture! Great title! Thanks Mary. Does anybody know the history of the house? It looks like a grand old lady with a past.

What a gorgeous house! Like 'Joe Finn', I would love to know the history of it. My first peek at snow this year! (I knew it would come from you guys ...)

I remember walking up that hill several times, it is a pretty steep hill to take a house up. I've spent a lot of time in those woods, there are some very nice places to set a house.

I've lived in the Copper Country for many years and only last month I decided to drive up Coal Dock Rd. for the first time, and what an absolute surprise awaited me... the view was awesome! The folks who will reside in that house will be in Copper Country heaven every time they come down that hill. If you've never been up that way... GO!

How does one get to Coal Dock road and what town is it in?? Directions please.

I commented on this photo in Chad's album yesterday. I'm so glad that he caught this shot. Down here under the bridge they would cancel school with that much snow, and in the yoop they move houses. Whah!

Coal Dock Rd. is between Riply and Dollar Bay, on north M-26 on the left hand side and there is a clearly marked street sign.

Here's a map......

Mary Drew:
Thank you for the map. Very informative to say the least. I will go to this spot when I visit next summer to check things out. I'm sure I've seen the road before being a former Dollar Bay native.

The road was formerly known as Arcadian Road. Does that name ring a bell anyone?

Karen:
That would make more sense to me. I do recall a Arcadian Road now that you mention it. Did they change the name to Coal Dock Road?

A story about the house is in today's online Gazette. http://www.mininggazette.com/loclnews.html

I think "Yooper Motor Home" is very appropriate because this isn't a once-in-a-lifetime sight. When I go to Negaunee/Ishpeming with my dad (he's in his 80s), he points out all the moved houses (neighborhoods!) there and tells me where they used to be.

I believe Arcadian Road is now called Airport Park Road which comes out in Dollar Bay almost across from Quincy's resturant. Coal Dock is the next road over toward Ripely. Awesome picture.

Congratulations on the birth of a daughter, Keegan, to Sethany (HHS Class of 91) and Lenny (HCH Class of 90?). I look forward to meeting her!

Read the article about 'moving day' in the DMG and found it interesting. I would like to see this house when it is completely set up and the family is living in it.

I thought there was a road called goat hill somewhere in the area of present day coal dock road. It wasn't paved when I lived in Yooper land. Does Coal dock go to US 41? Just wondering.

Last time I flew to Houghton using CMX, my mom rushed me to the airport on that Arcadian/Coal Dock/Airport Park Road. Good thing we were headed to CMX and not DIA or I would have missed the flight.

RAY If you look at Marys map, Goat Hill is the next road when heading towards Hancock.

We should petition the governor for some highway funds to widen the roads up here.
Whilst waiting behind ten cars by the coal dock road, straining to see what the "construction ahead" was all about, I realized I was suddenly first in line--the vehicles ahead of me had started a parade up coal dock road.

I edged up to the attendant with the sign and asked it it was going to be awhile. He replied with a grin that, yes, it would be awhile.

An hour and a half according to the Gazette article. Imagine waiting an hour and half in the southbound lane. I imagine there were some who did, in fact, wait.

A courtesy announcement over the radio would have been a welcome message. I never heard one.

And what with the various municipalities ordinancing that it will henceforth be illegal "to keep" an unoccupied dwelling for over 180 days, without notifying the local constabulary and another forgotten "do", this house moving business may very well take off.

Free market adherents, take note. Or should we now petition our faithful public servants for more protection in the way of dwelling licenses, whether or not said dwelling will become mobile anytime soon?

Waiting for a house to be moved that took a mere hour and one half, is nothing to us city dwellers that sit, move an inch, to sit more in traffic everyday. Try sitting on the Eisenhower "expressway" in a traffic jam that takes hours to clear up. You may get the news on the radio that the five car pile up has left several people dead. I did'nt read in the gazette that anyone died in this house move. Thank goodness for that! I would have sat back and really enjoyed watching this one!

I could do a U-Turn in less than 90 minutes.

I remember taking my model-A up Goat Hill a few times. Holy Wah! RCW, doesn't that Coal Dock Road end up in the 'Sunshine' location? And the road that comes down into DB goes up to the Arcadian Hill behind Paavola? If I 'member right. Wright St. in Hancock behind the old HS was another thrill to go up with the model-A. :>)

M 26 doesn't really take that little dog leg on the way to Mason. They show it going through the Woodside location. Hmmm. When we lived in Hubbell and Tamarack, our milkman lived in Woodside. Used to take the model A down 'Mosquito Road' also. Bet there ain't many who even know where that is nowadays. (Through the swamp on the way out toward Senter.)

Lenny a father no way.......

Youguys are making me lonesome! All this talk of Goat Hill,Coal Dock Rd, Arcadian Rd and even Mosquito Rd. I use to like walking the tracks all the way to the coaldock area and picking wild strawberries for my Mom to make some shortcake and homemade jam. Yum!!

Fran, Karen and all: Yes, been up and down all those roads many times. Remember them real well! Back in 85 my Uncle told me there were still a few Prairie Chickens left up there on Goat Hill over towards the airport. Has anyone ever seen any or know anything about that? I can remember (long ago!) my grandfather showing me the exact spot where it is supposed to be the highest point in the Copper Country up there. And yes M26 doesn't cut thru Woodside!

Fran & Ken. Mosquito road is so grown in that I don't think I could even find it anymore. And NO Ken, Goat Hill is a dead end on top of the hill a ways.

Ken,Fran, RCW:
I know Fran and RCW knows that I know where mosquito road was,it ran behind my great grandparents farm off of M26. When we lived there, we use to use it a lot...it was very bumpy when we drove down it, especially after it rained.
I completely forgot about Goat Hill...I remember the Goat Hill tin sign at the end of the hill. Is it still there??

I suppose I'd better explain what I meant when I said Coal Dock Road was formerly Arcadian Road. Years ago, the sign for Arcadian Road was right on top of Quincy Hill. (right turn going north) It went through Sunshine Location. At the Y, further down the road, Arcadian Scenic Route went right and the road to Paavola went left. It may have eventually (going down the hill to Dollar Bay) turned into Coal Dock road) but the stretch with the great views was Arcadian Road. Then the road was changed to Sunshine on top of Quincy. No more Arcadian. I hear I'm horrible at directions, so this may not make perfect sense.

Newspaper artical says house towed by a dump truck. Does that look like a " dumptruck "??

Frank,,, Milw,

I think the photo is of the back end of the towing process...the dump truck would be in front of (actually behind) the house.

I will be in the U.P. for Thanksgiving will have to go and see all the roads again. Love it up there. You can take the girl out of the U.P. but you can't get the U.P. out of the old lady.(giggle)

Wasn't there some sort of lodge(??) or something on Goat Hill. It seems like I remember it from a long time ago? This discussion has helped me to remember where a lot of those roads up in that area were.
I too would love to see that beautiful home after it is all set up.It would have been a shame for it to have beem demolished.Those folks will have a lovely home to raise their family.

Fran,
I remember a lodge too. Either we had a Houghton "City" employees picnic or Houghton Fireman's picnic (My dad was in both of them) there one year when I was really really young, like maybe six years old. I remember there were double doors that everyone was swinging open and closed all day. They were dark. That's all I can get out of this weird old mind on that subject!! If I was about six years old, that would be about 1968.

This beautiful house belongs to my brother, Sam, his wife, Tracy, and their six kids. They've recently moved from Washington state and absolutely love the U.P. Growing up in Chatham we visited Houghton, Hancock and Calumet often, so for Sam this is almost like coming home. Looking at the rest of the pictures archived here sure makes me lonesome for Michigan.

On top of Goat hill lived a couple by the name of Ferra (Sp?) (in the 60's-80's and maybe beyond). They did not have a lodge, but it was a good size farm house and a couple barns. Also, the Picnic Fran remembers could have been either. Their son I believe was on the fire department for awhile and was also the mayor of Houghton (Marty). I used to live in the first house west on M-26 growing up. As for the Prairie Chickens, I don't think so, but they could have been the chickens that we used to raise and would escape from time to time.