For this week's shoebox memory we visit downtown Calumet, from the top of the Vertin building looking west toward Tamarack Location... the days of street cars and booming mines.

Thirty five years after this photo, on Sunday morning, December 7, the Copper Country received word of the tragic attack at Pearl Harbor, a subject we have considered previously on the Pasty Cam.

Thanks to Chuck Voleker and his Copper Country Reflections for another glimpse of past life in the U.P.

Ah, I guessed right! Too bad there's not a prize for it.

Charlie, that is not the vertin building. It is the bank building across sixth street. The photo had to be taken from the roof of the vertin building.

That is correct, Dan. The building on the left is the top of First National Bank.

Is that St. Ann's church?

Charlie
Thanks for remembering Pearl Harbor Day. Not a word on radio or TV today.

Gerry, Lake,Mi

"Yesterday, December 7, 1941-a date which will live in infamy-the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." -President Franklin Roosevelt
Since I also didn't see anything in the news about today's history, I don't believe that Roosevelt's words were quite true. It's only been 62 years since the tragedy, and yet many people don't know what happened. It sure is sad.

P.S. That's a great picture.

Didn't realize that The BOLLMAN BLOCK building was that many storys. The building was destroyed in a fire early 50's as I recall. Was was there when the side wal faceing the church collapsed with one firemen fatality, a Joe Miglio(sp) , and Charles Ryan who lost his legs. Thanks for a great picture with the Railroad station in the rear of the church. Bugans gas ststion not in place yet.

The church is St. Paul The Apostle today; formerly called St. Joseph's. I don't remember what year it was renamed but I'm guessing in the late 50's or early 60's.

Lanna, MTU
What do you mean "I don't believe that Roosevelt's words were guite true." Also, could you give me an example of "many people don't know what happened."

I could be wrong here but it seems that she is saying that many people arn't aware of the attack any more. Talk to some high school kids, ask how many know what happend on this date. My mom did today in her sunday school class, only one student did.

west. Mi
I hope you are not talking about the Western end U.P. In wakefield I would think, and hope they all know what Pearl Harbor means. I go there every fourth of July, and the VFW'S tribute to our veterans is the biggest show in town.

THE REPORT OF THE ATTACK WAS ON THE NATIONAL NEWS AND PICKED UP HERE IN TAMPA ALTHOUGH VERY LITTLE WAS SAID OTHER THAN IT HAD HAPPENED

THE REPORT OF THE ATTACK WAS ON THE NATIONAL NEWS AND PICKED UP HERE IN TAMPA ALTHOUGH VERY LITTLE WAS SAID OTHER THAN IT HAD HAPPENED. BUT IN RETRSPECT OTHER AMERICAN WARS ARE RARELY MENTIONED AS WELL. PERHAPS WE ARE FATED TO REPEAT OUR MISTAKES

My Grandfather Fredrick J. Haun took that picture from the Vertin Bros. roof along with several others which can be viewed at Chuck's site. He was employed in Vertin's shipping dept at time, a job he started in High School. Vertin's had an extensive line of general mechandise that included groceries. They also offered home delivery. My Grandfather worked in the storeroom and as a deliveryman (boy?). The storeroom was in the basement, location of the doors can still be seen in the sidewalk along the West side of the building. This loading arangement caused him to avoid eating smoked fish for awhile. The fish arrived at the Red Jacket rail yards baled in burlap. The teamsters who hauled it over to Vertins would just toss the bales into the street where, the horses being horses, would also leave stuff.
He left Vertin's in 1917 and worked as a grocery clerk at the Lake Linden Coop until he hired on with C&H as a smelter laborer at $2.40 per day, in 1918 he was promoted to dipping copper at $4.50 per day. Such were jobs back then.

Thanks, Walter.
Sometimes I forget how different Americans can be. Just like the humans they, we, are.
But one comment about todays pic: It is fascinating that there were streetcars in small northern american towns - never would have thought of that before I learned about it right here on pasty.cam. Interestingly, as far as I know there are cities in europe that abandoned their streetcars because they hemmed (car-) traffic re-introduce them as means of modern public transportation. Kinda funny, I think.

Dec7th was avery tragic day, i thank everybody who served. What about the the men and women who are helping us out today. Thank them very much!! I thank them.

Notice the mine in the upper left corner of the picture, never knew there was a mine so close to where I grew up 4216 tenth and oak street, right on the corner and as a kid I was all over that area a million times, I walked past that church a million times on my way to the morrison school and past the depot and luds store, there was another store in tammarack but closed, it looks so differant back then but in many respects the same. My era in the u.p. was from 1960 to 1972 and I am 43 now, had a brother BRIAN but he was killed by a drunk behind the wheel of a car in the 70"s. He only made it to 17 years of age. A lot of sailors were only 17 on that tragic day at that time.

As to Dec 7 (Pearl Harbor), I didn't hear anything about on the networks (ABC,CBS,NBC)their cable affiliates, Discover Times Channel(owned by the New York Times) or CNN/AOL. Go figure.
Fox News Channel(War Stories), and the History Channel(Pearl Harbor) have dedicated a few hours
about it.
Its something we (America) should never forget.
I hope as well that 9/11 does not get pocket vetoed in the same way.

sorry you missed it uncle bud but if you blinked it would have gone by sad but true americans have short memories or so it seems we tend to move on rather quickly

THAT mine in the back of the pic is n0.2 tamarack--were the smokestacks are is now houghton co plow garage--i have a house to the left of there in the pic-- the big building across from the church(left side of pic) burned in 1948--fireman named mikkolo was killed and john ryan (ryan funneral home)lost both legs when the front wall fell north is(right side of pic) ryan just happened to be in line with a window when it came down

My grandfather, Samuel Waino Turja was one of the last living streetcar conductors. He always told us that when it was cold in the winter the conductor would put his thumb on the window to melt a hole in the ice so that they could see through the glass. It really is sad that we don't have streetcars or railroads anymore. My grandfather, who was born in Jacobsville, moved to Hancock and then moved to Minnesota to be in a nursing home, died in 1991 at the age of 96. And yes I agree with the above conversations that note how shortsighted or "short memoried" we as a country are. Thanks to those who gave their lives to keep our country free.

My Dad was a Marine pilot during WW2 and Korea. I was conceived at Pensacola, FL and lived in Cherry Point, NC. (Both Marine Corps Air Stations) My uncle stormed Guadalcanal and got called back for Korea at age 40. We won't forget. ((I was a 1970 draftee, and MTU grad, who went whining.........but I went)

Amen! to the mentions of Pearl Harbor. We cannot forget that the freedoms we enjoy in America were NOT free. They were bought at a great price! A big "Thank you!" to our vets everywhere!

Hey Charlie, didn't you mean 25 years later...?
OK, I'm just cranky because this winter here in the Twin Cities has been off to a pathetic start...

1916+25=1941

Guess your right, Chris. Must be the full moon.

Every year on December 7, I ask whatever people I work with two questions. What happened on this day in history and how many KIA did the US suffer in the Second World War? I am sorry to say that, again this year, none of the six people knew either answer. I'm not sure it indicates anything, but all were under 40 years old. I think freedom is like any commodity, I dont think you can really appreciate it unless you know its true cost. I agree with Lanna.

Has anyone said "Thank You" to a Vet lately?
Perhaps it would brighten a day!

I don't think us "older folks" will ever forget Pearl Harbor. The young folks were never taught about it in school. Thats called "politically correct" like so many things from our social engineers.

Until 9/11, I never quite understood the dialog my Mom would commence on EVERY December 7th. She would talk about where she was, how it affected her, the days and months following. Now that I've lived through an AMERICAN tragedy, I can relate and be so much more respectful. These kinds of things can be grassroots... hopefully, those of us remaining, will be talking about all of this 20 and 40 years from now. :)
We can fight all of this on the soil's that spawn the terror, or we can fight it in our streets. Need I say more?

terrific picture. I spend my early years growing up on E. Acorn street just a short block from the train station. We had steamers in those days and I remember when the first deisels came in back in the 50's. The Ballman block burned back then and I remember the flames reflecting on my bedroom window that night. Several years later we moved to an apartment in the bank building just across the street from Vertins. I remember they had a special department for Boy Scout uniforms and stuff. It was the first place I ever saw an elevator. Growing up in Calumet in the 50's was a very special experience. It is good to see some of those old buildings still standing and the preservation efforts going on with the National Park status for the village of Calumet.

God Bless our veterans.

Not all young people have forgotten. My daughter, who is 15 and a sophomore in high school, took part in a presentation and question and answer session with a group of WWII veterans. From her comments, I would say that her classmates learned a great deal and were very appreciative of this opportunity. She also celebrates her half birthday on Pearl Harbor Day, so she always remembers.
My grandparents would have been living in Calumet when the picture was taken.

Pearl Harbor day never goes by without mention at our house. My husband and I both born in 1962 were not there (or anywhere) when it happened, but we still recognize the significance of having our freedom imposed on in the way it was that day. My secretary was a child living on Oahu the morning of the attack. She has first-hand recollection and speaks to school children regarding it. She will ask them, "Have you ever heard a bomb drop". Well --- have you? Most people haven't. And she'll tell you how they told the children to hide under beds because they believed the mattresses would stop the machine gun rounds coming from the planes. She saw a man standing in a room get hit and fall to the ground. They stood out in their backyards wondering what was going on. Now she can see how unsafe that was. Can you imagine waking up to this chaos and wondering if you were going to survive?

J.Beck,
Was the Terja family the same one's who owned the Terja Music House? I might be spelling it wrong. I only heard the word, never saw it. When the Terja Music House burned down, the owner (also a fireman) died in the blaze. The safe from the store is now in my mother's basement. My father helped fight that fire! It was so big they called the Houghton Fire Dept to help out.

To Connie in Colorado:

That was Tercha's Music store on Sixth Street, the owner who died in the fire was Frank Tercha. One of his sons is a lawyer in Houghton.

Uncle Bud (old Mohawk guy)--didja by any chance know my Uncle Clem, old Mohawk postmaster?
Lisa