The date on this photo was 1941. I couldn't help thinking some of these men may have switched jobs from miner to soldier, after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor later that year. And those who stayed at work in the mines still had an important role: providing copper during the war years.

The Pasty Cam eminates from a place where we do lots of remembering... The staff at Still Waters, a Home for the Aged in Calumet, started this website as a means of meeting other folks with an interest in the U.P. - its beauty, its history, and its future. This month PASTY.COM begins its sixth year, and it has grown far beyond our expectations.

To learn more about the work of Still Waters, see the current update. Thank's for stopping by Pasty Central!

THAT is what pasties were all about. I wonder who those men were--they look as though they could be related. We can't imagine what it must have been like working in those mines, and what a treat a nice warm pasty must have been.

Those pasties were usually cold! My grandfather worked Quincy Mine for several years. Pasties were a filling, nutritious meal, but were usually cold. He favored mustard on his cold pasty; gravy when they were hot.

There is a fascinating web site where you can find more about the miners - and perhaps find some of your own relatives - at the Houghton County Geneology page.

The two men on the left look familiar but I can't come up with their names. Because their carbide lamps are out this must be a posed picture. It looks like the shaft just to the left of the men; I believe one of the rails is visible which means they are on the plat of one of the levels. Since the shaft seems to be rather steep I would guess it was Ahmeek 3 or 4 mine. Probably a picture to go into the C&H News-Views. The safety engineer, Jake Alt, took many of this type pictures and everyone enjoyed seeing them in the company newspaper.

I recently went to a UAW conference, and in one of the sessions there, they played a movie on Unions, their start, their evolution, etc...and the unions in Michigan got their primary start right up here in Calumet Michigan! The miners helped to start the unions. Part of the movie highlighted the Italian Hall disaster, and it was mentioned that the person that yelled "FIRE" may have been an anti-unionist. Interesting, huh? It was quite the interesting movie! Especially the Calumet portion!

What an awesome reminder, on Memorial Day, of where our family roots come from. Every day I look at my grandfathers helmet and lunch pail and remember him but to see this picture you remember what it was all about. My grandfather, Bill Paull, left the mines to move to Detroit but to paraphrase the old saying,
"You can take the boy out of Keweenaw, but not the Keweenaw out of the boy." He made sure that all us grandkids and the greatgrandkids knew we had come from "up home".

What a great picture! Posed or not, I think these guys are smiling because they are biting into a pasty!! This is what's it's all about...generations of pasties!

Bill P., you have an incredible memory!! The things you come up with are unbelievable...I can't even remember what I did last week! You should start a website of your own on Memories of the U.P. After my mother's passing, one of the things that I miss the most is her memories of hay rides and sleigh rides at her grandparents farm in Paavo and her family outings to Agate Beach. Thanks for sharing your memories with us.

I ate my share of pasties in the mines of the Keweenaw and could probably count the number that were eaten cold on the fingers of one hand. It only took a short time to have a warm, if not hot meal by propping the lunch bucket over of any non-flamable support that would carry it a couple of inches over a place that would hold a few small candles which most miners carried for igniting their spitters(fuse lighting devices).When these candles were allowed to burn for a short time, the pastie was heated. Tasted wonderful even on the darkest night. Of course, all things intended to be eaten cold had to be removed prior to the heat treatment.

I agree with JEO, Bill, you DO need to start a website about your memories......

i think it is a good picture to on display on momorial day, i hope people reconize all of the young ones who died in the mines.

On the Houghton County Geneology page for "naturalizations", I found my Maternal Grandfather's name as well as his brother, which would be a Great Uncle. The information was previously unknown to me about where they were born in Cornwall, and when they in fact arrived in this country. My mother was born in Mohawk in 1920, and she was so glad to learn about her uncle from so long ago. Thank you folks so much for having this information available.

Greetings,
This picture is just how I have pictured it in my mind since I was old enough to understand that my Dad worked in the Copper Mines of Upper Michigan. Mom and Dad would explain each time we were served Pasties that Dad would eat them things in the mines back in the day. I would imagine that it would have been the ideal food item to bring along with you in those conditions, which probably made them so popular. As a kid being raised in Las Vegas, Nevada my friends had no clue as to what I was talking about when I would mention them. They would look at me as if I was talking about Cattle Dung as a food source ! They name pasty just wasn't related to food in the West. Once someone new would try them, they couldn't help but appreciate the time that went into making the crust and the taste of the added calories from the suet added to keep them moist. Between that and the Potato Soup that I was raised on that was made with nothing more fattening than Half and Half, It's no wonder I was 130 pounds when I was 10 years old! Thank you for this site, it gave me a smile which is hard to bring these days. I'm going to include some of the names I can remember Mom and Dad mentioning from Calumet in the event someone searches and runs across this site. Mom and Dad are Juanita Openshaw and Ronald Openshaw, Dad's family is Saitz, Mom's, Riedrich, Mukovetz, Kinnunen and Cencich. Friend's, Butala, Piedala and Servio.

Dale,

I am your cousin on the Plautz side please contact me at gplautz@cox.net. My grandfather and your great grandmother Anna were siblings. I have information on your Saitz, Plautz and Vertin family histories.

George Plautz

Um I am Ron Openshaw's granddaughter and I think that Dale Openshaw is my Dad's brother. But I have never meet him though but my dad talks about him and stuff but yeah I just wanted to say I love you Grandpa! love Jen