This summer we have bounced around the 20th century in our weekly Shoebox Memories, today reaching back just to the mid-80's, courtesy of Rebecca Koopikka (third from the left above). Rebecca has a variety of subjects in her Guest Gallery Album, including some warm memories of fun times in the U.P.:

Good morning from Kalamazoo!

Good Morning,wish I was there!

By Ken, Kalamazoo, MI on Sunday, September 5, 2004 - 08:24 am:

First post!!! Woo-Hoo!

You were quick this morning, Ken, but the real early bird was Sharon Smith's feathered friend on the Copper Harbor Cam:

For all of us that still work on Labor Day-
This Pasty is for you - and Thank You

Know the feeling.............that pic could have been our family........five boys and a girl......I still don't know how my folks did it, but they made it look easy.

Boy you guy's are fast I was just going to post the picture of the bird and you beat me to it. And I'll take that Pasty, on all weekend and tommorow ;(

Yes, you're right Charlie. I was just coming back to mention that the bird was pictured on Sharon's cam.

We've been at Fort Wilkins in that very same spot before too. That's a neat place to visit.

And I was going to mention the bird, too! How are all of our Florida friends doing? Post if you can. We'll be praying for you in church this morning.

Oh darn, I was hoping there would be a post from someone in Florida. I watched the news last night and it was frightening. I hope everyone is safe.

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY TO JUD BEVERIDGE OF BOOTJACK. HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY.

Neat picture. Is there someone hiding behind the one o the far left?

Good morning from Mishawaka IN. The pictures sure bring back great memories. I was at the Fort when I was 12. Thanks for another picture of Sharons bird. I love this website. I am also praying for all the folks in Florida. Hope everyone in the path of Hurricane Frances is taking shelter.

So funny....yes I see the little guy hiding back there. The boy in front of him does not look so amused. LOL Always a comedian in the group.

Hiding sounded like a good idea. But now he's sorry, he's blown his chance at fame and immortality by having his picture on the greatest website ever.

Greetings from Florida where we're "hunkering" down watching & waiting for Hurricane Frances to hit. We already have been experiencing heavy gusts of winds in the 50-60 mph range with lots of small branches & debris down. It's supposed to come right through Polk County & the eye is predicted to pass right over me! So far we have power but there are 2 million people in Florida without power. Channel 8 has a great website which is www.TBO.com that'll have a lot of pictures & info on the storm. Keep us in your thoughts & prayers!

I think almost every family who lives in the U.P. has a picture taken at that very same spot, it's almost a requitrment of living here. Sure loved summer trips to the Harbor. This brings back so many memories!

Marsha, the winds and rain are kicking up here in Clearwater. The storm is over Sebring coming at us. It doesn't appear it is going northwest as they expected. I will let you know as long as we have power. Tampa has lost a lot of power already and they are 10-15 miles east of us. No damage here yet!

Good morning from the Minnesota State Fair. We're on the final two days. Time does fly. Thanks to all of our pasty friends who have stopped by the booth. Enjoyed meeting you, Jim Twin Cities. Also thanks to the Stillwater folks who came by to say hi. We're on the corner of Dan Patch and Underwood and love to chat about Yooperland. so as they say on the Price is Right, come on down. Thanks to Charlie and John for another great year of pasties. Have a great day. *****Sandy*****

Prayers for all of you in Florida waiting out Hurricane Frances. I've been watching live coverage on tv....the wind looks fierce and the rain is coming down in buckets. I have experienced hurricanes myself....no rest til it's over, then the reconstruction begins! There's a 14,000 acre fire in my neck of the woods here....huge smoke plume, winds and remoteness making it difficult to put the fire out. Layers of ash falling everywhere. Temps in the 90's today and high winds persist. Please keep us all in your prayers too! Seems like Gitchee Gumee is the place to be this holiday weekend. I love the family photo, and the pic of the heron is great!

Have to find my picture of 195? when my sister & I are with 5 boy cousin Slatterys at a sign to entrance of Fort Wilkins. My that was a long time ago!!! Prayers for all my Yooper friends in Florida (of couse ALL those in harms way).Good day to all.

Off the subject entirely but this is the only place I can think of that can help me.. On Thursday my son was riding downhill on his way to class @ Tech when the brakes on the mountain bike did not work so he bailed in order to not be hit by a car. The sheriff took him to Portage Medical where he was given a tetnus shot & 3 stiches in his knee as that is where he landed and the majority of the impact took place. Thank the Lord it wasn't anything worse but my dilemma is that the kid says he cannot bend his knee at all and I am concerned he may need furhter care including some physical therapy. Any ideas who I should send him to? Please e-mail directly with any suggestions. THANKS

Kate, it makes you want to have a fishing pole sitting up there on that dock, doesn't it? I hope things settle down for both Florida and California. One has to wonder what the big guy's got on HIS mind! The power has been going on and off all morning.

Congratulations Rebecca on selection for photographs of the day...

It is a beautiful area but my wife's family is going to sell off their vacant Norland Trust property on the harbor about 150 yards down from the Copper Harbor lighthouse. Once that is gone, we won't be visiting very often any more. However the Jampot still calls me...

Thanks for the pictures, today. I especially like the "fisherwomen".
:)They look so relaxed and happy.

Good Morning! Thanks for posting my pictures! Did I get a surprise this morning when I logged on, LOL : )
We had a GREAT time over the fourth. That was the girls very first dock fishing experience. I hate to say it....they only lasted about five minutes and had this look as if "you're serious? We have to watch that little red ball bobbing out there?" LOL, : )
Hope everyone has a save Labor Day, I'm still on vacation until Thurs.

Bek, Fond du Lac
Next year they`ll last 10 min. You can add 5 to 10 min. per year after that.By the time they hit middle age, they might, like me, be spending all their time drowning worms. I can think of worse fate`s.

When in the Keweenaw this summer, we saw a large map of Keweenaw County published by the Keweenaw County Road Commission. It was maybe 3'x5'. Does anyone know how or where I can purchase one?

Hope all are faring well in FL. I love this sight! You "guys" are the best!

Wanted to thank all who have taken time to reply to my earlier post about my son's injury. It warms this mom's heart to know there are so many caring & knowledgable people who are willing to take the time to reply.

BLESS YOU ALL!!! And again THANK YOU!!!

Mary Drew, 1st band of rain & wind from Hurricane Frances hitting us now. Winds @ about 35 MPH & heavy rain. looks like it will continue for a through tomorrow.

Does anyone know when the Fort opened? If I remember correctly, it was not a State Park back in the 1950's. I lived in the area back then and I remember going out there and most of the buildings were falling down.

The winds are kicking up pretty good with the rain blowing sideways. We plan on it hitting us full force in about 2 -3 hours. It's east of Tampa right now. It will exit the state by Pinellas/Pasco counties and head north. Many are without power and phones. I just poured myself a cup of coffee...using my SISU coffee cup I got a couple of weeks ago while visting the UP. We here in the Tampabay area are in for a very long night. Thanks for all the prayers and concerns. Hope all your folks are safe and sound.

You chose the right cup for the situation, Karen! Hang in there!

Michigan is blessed: it has no earthquakes, tornadoes, or hurricanes. To all in the hurricane's path: you are in our prayers!

How are the fall colors? In northern Illinois, some trees are already turning. maybe because it was a cool summer.

Still have power (knock wood) here in Ft. Myers, heavy rain and 25 mph winds gusting to 45 mph. Not too bad here since we are on the south side of Frances.

If you want to see conditions here in Ft. Myers, our pal Charley has a webcam overlooking the Caloosahatchee (not sure I spelled it right) River at http://www.caloosacam.com; I've heard things are worse north and east of here closer to the center of the storm.

I too have a picture taken of my kids taken in the same place but at a different angle. Haven't been to the Fort in awhile. Maybe the next time we come home we willmake it to the Fort.

Here in the Chattanooga area they said all 8,000 rooms are filed from those who left Fla and those who were on there way to Fla.and stopped. I feel sorry for all those people who are affectd by this hurricane.

good day from sunny tampa

walter p....you are toooo funny. Hope you are holding up over there. The winds are getting stronger over here in Clearwater. Good luck to you in Ft. Myers.

Fort Wilkins history:Begun in 1844 and abandoned just two years later, the fort was briefly regarrisoned in the late 1860s. Long a popular resort for outdoor enthusiasts, the fort became a state park in 1923. Today, Fort Wilkins is a well-preserved example of mid-19th century army life on the northern frontier. Nineteen buildings survive, 12 of them original structures dating from the 1840s. Through Fort Wilkins' exhibits, audiovisual programs and living history interpretation, visitors may explore the daily routine of military service, experience with soldiers' families the hardships of frontier isolation and discover the lifeways of another era. Attractions include 19 restored buildings, costumed interpreters, copper mining sites, evening slide programs, camping and picnicking.

Rachel: Where did you hear that we don't have tornadoes?!!!

To Rachel, We do have tornados in Mich. WE also have had earthquakes in the UP of Mich,however minor but they were still tremors. No tropical storms or hurricanes, just a few snow flurries once in awhile that we yoopers can handle.

( Be careful what you ask for...someone will Google it )
Keweenaw County Tornadoes
date event time dead inj F County
# Scale number(s)
JLY 11, 1987 014 1145 0 0 F0 083
JUN 08, 1985 007 2240 0 0 F1 085
AUG 15, 1951 007 1400 0 0 F1 087
JUN 08, 1953 010 2015 0 59 F4 087
JUN 08, 1953 012 2130 0 0 F4 087
AUG 07, 1968 012 0230 0 0 F1 087
APR 01, 1973 001 1455 0 0 F1 087
JLY 04, 1977 015 2125 0 0 F1 087
APR 11, 1978 001 1336 0 0 F0 087
JUN 12, 1978 007 1345 0 0 F0 087
JUN 26, 1983 011 2325 0 0 F1 087
JLY 19, 1986 010 2245 0 0 F1 087
JLY 25, 1988 015 1850 0 0 F0 087

Rachel: Dowagiac Mi had a tornado not too long ago. And it has been hit more than once.

Funny timing talking about tornadoes in MI. I found a few pics on the internet just last month of the saw mill in Trout Creek taken in 1941 and sent them to my Dad who grew up there. When he saw the pics he asked if I noticed the dent in the top of the stack was where they used to burn the scrap lumber. He said in about 1937 or 38 when he was about 5 he was sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast and his grandmother had just come up from milking the cows in the barn. When my dad looked out the window, he said "Grandma, the barn's on its roof". She didn't believe him since she'd just come from there and kept taking off her boots, so he said it again. Then she realized it was true. A tornado came through very quickly, lifted their barn onto the roof then picked it up again and tossed it across the fence onto the neighbor's farm, broke out the windows in their house, etc. The same tornado winds did the damage to the top of the stack at the saw mill, and huge grown trees were uprooted and thrown over the wrought iron fence in front of the school. His mother had been in Ontonagon for a school meeting and couldn't get home because of all the trees down along the way. Of course that was before anyone started categorizing things like that (especially in Trout Creek), but yes tornadoes have been hitting up there for a long time.

Well here in orlando we have been pelted with winds and rains since yesterday..Still have electricity and no damage thank god..My cousin in altomonte springs just had her electricity turned on on thursday after charlie, and now it is gone again..
Now we have to watch for Ivan coming in..Give me blizzards any time..ha ha God bless to everyone one else down here..

{Rachel, Illinois}:

As noted above, technically Michigan does occasionally see tornados, but certainly less than Wisconsin, and far less in the UP than in Troll-land. There's even been a 'force 0' tornado in the Keweenaw. All in all, though they're quite a rare event in the Keweenaw. See NWS Marquette - Severe Weather Climatology and scroll down to see the summary for years 1980-1993 for each month April through October. The red lines show the tornado tracks and the accompanying red numeral shows the F-scale force of each. (Note that some tracks (especially for force 0 and force 1 tornados) are so short as to not even show on this chart.

Mystery: Why would anyone of sound mind fold their tent and head to Florida to live? High humidity, frequent, even regular daily thunderstorms for much of the year, the occasional hurricane, some with accompanying tornados... Some even choose to live there in a mobile home (a.k.a. "hurricane/tornado magnet")! Huh?

The mystery
Ya have to go where the jobs are. There is none at home. For sure.

What a nice photo of a good looking family! But then I'm biased. That brood looks like ours did back then!

hi
my name is Danielle Mahoney as well