Four years ago on the Pasty Cam we mentioned the need for repairs on the memorial monument at Eagle River. Some of the stones were falling out, and the structural integrity weakening. Many Camwatchers responded to that need, with over $2,000 coming in to Still Waters for the work.

In the summer of '98 Jeff Heikkinen of Mohawk was contracted for the repairs, and the funds which were left over went toward a Pasty Cam lifetime membership in the Keweenaw County Historical Society. The monument's life has been extended, thanks to the support of all who helped.

Comparing the two top pictures, it appears the sign changed over the years, but its hard to read. Can you enlarge them to find out the differences?

I'd love to see that familiar sign enlarged so
it can be read better. Thanks.

Charlie's house has changed a bit also! For the better I might add! :)

Here is a closer look at the signs in the 2 big pictures:

Thanks, Charlie. I love that sign.

THERE IS ANOTHER MONUMENT ON M-203 THAT IS IN NEED OF REPAIR, DOES ANYONE REMEMBER THE FOUNTAIN THAT IS LOCATED ON M 203 JUST PAST THE LAKEVIEW CEMETARY, AS MY SISTER WAS UP THERE LAST WEEK SHE TOLD ME THAT THE WATER NO LONGER RUNS AND ROCKS ARE FALLING OFF, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS IS PRESERVED AS I REMBEMBERR GETING THE SWEETEST DRINK OF COLD WATER I HAVE EVER HAD. I PLAN TO VISIT THIS JULY AND SCOUT THINGS OUT AND SEE IF I CAN FIND EMPLOYMENT AND MAKE MY HOME IN CALUMET ONCE AGAIN. BACK IN MY HOMETOWN, I AM REMEMBERING MY PAST AS MY FATHER ERNIE OINAS A GOOD MAN AND A VET, AND A WORKER FOR CALUMET AND HECULA MINING COMPANY DURING THE 1960S' WAS LAID TO REST IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR.

The trees by the house are noticeably taller, 'eh? Mimi and I were driving around Eagle River couple weeks ago. We visited the Lakeview Cemetary and the Lakeside Cemetary to put flowers on the family graves. Took a peek at the courthouse wall reconstruction and Gitchee Gumee Bible Camp, and the old "TIOGA" pilothouse. We read the signs again, just like typical tourists. :o) Loved it!!

You have pictured one of the three major attractions of Eagle River if one was under 10 in the '50's. Climbing on the Douglas Houghton monument was one. The swings and stuff at the school were another. Of course the River was the best. Getting on to Turtle rock without getting wet was an annual challenge. Ya, Ken the trees are taller and some of the people are gone now, but Eagle River still has its character.

Just looking at the 2 pics I have to say, that gentleman from Mohawk did one heck of a job with the repairs. The monument looks great. Nice to see the old landmarks kept up.

i really like to two pictures shown taken at the same spot but years apart, i think that shouold be a weekly thing with different pictures throughout the copper country, it would be very interesting,especially pictures regarding down town or old building

I have a very vivid childhood memory of attending the Keweenaw County centennial celebrations held in Eagle River in 1961.
Is there a date for the top pic of the Douglass Houghton Memorial?
The M-203 water fountain has been dry for at least 20 years now, Darrell. I remember filling water jugs there back in the late 1970's. I returned one day for a drink in the early 1980's only to find it closed up. I can't recall if the well went dry or the county just decided to cut it off. It was(is) a neat old stone monument. Can't remember who built it though.

YES THAT FOUNTAIN ON M-203 ON THE WAY TO THE STATE PARK NOW, BACK THEN IN 1968 IT WAS A PARK AND I REMEMBER STOPING THERE WITH MY FAMILY, AND GETTING WET IT WAS VERY NICE. MY DAD GREW UP IN CALUMET AND MY GRANDPA WAS A MINER.

Re. the old M203 fountain... Fond memories of the ice-cold sweet artesian water there. If I recall, it had a central "well" that had some sort of mechanism to "flush" it every so often. The overflow would just flow into Mcgunns (or is it Begunns?) creek. I believe that it was shut down because bacteria was found in the water (the rapidly expanding Calumet sewage treatment ponds are directly behind it). It's been falling apart for many years now. Sorry to see it go...

I think Calumet Township Supervisor Paul Lehto is the man to ask about the 203 fountain -- it was a wonderful place to go as kids. We rode a "borrowed" trail bike there through the Swedetown back roads once; a trip I'll never forget.

Is Jeff Heikkinen of Mohawk related to my old buddy Douglas Heikkinen by any chance? If you are Jeff, I would like to know if Douglas "Herky" is still alive and what is his address? Herky and I had to walk from Copper Harbor once and it was dark on the road from Eagle Harbor to Eagle River near Lake Superior - on M26. We were caddies at the Copper Harbor golf course in the late 40's.

I was born and lived in Mohawk right across from the old schoolyard.

I had heard that the M203 fountain and its' cohort at the cemetary were CCC projects...does anyone know if that is true?...

There really SHOULD be a movement to restore these..they are an integral part of Copper Country history....

I spent 4 summers working on the yelllow house in the center of the color picture '58 - '61. I have a flag from the centenial in '61. When a drunk ran into the railing arround the monument, the sherrif Ted Rodgers had me cut it away so they could haul the car off. Eagle River is a very special place for me. Just bought a place in Trout Lake for my retirement.

Well I can't believe none of the other twelve O'Briens have yet written in to tell how much we all love Eagle River. They must all be asleep...

We bought a house in town in the mid-60's as a cottage to let us all run loose like the fun hooligans that we were (are). We'd make our parents let us stay out all summer. As we got older some of the teenagers got bored. But the way I figured my guy would show his true colors if he truly loved the place and could understand how special this town was (is). That was the measure of a man to me.

We all still go up and juggle for time and bed space. When my nine year old was two he could pick out the Keweenaw on any map or globe and say, "Look Mama. There it is. Paradise." Brainwashing true, but the good kind.

I can't even begin to say what this town and the Keweenaw mean to me. It is pure serenity.

I was reminiscing my childhood with a friend and recalled having some great times staying at Gitchee Gumee Bible Camp. Born in the heart of Chicago, it was a real treat to get away from the city and spend vacations at my grandpa's chicken farm in Dollar Bay, not far from Gitchee Gumee.

Can anyone verify if my memory is fact or fiction? I recall taking a sleeper train to Dollar Bay from Chicago. There were numerous stops along the way. I seem to recall that the train actually let us off across the highway from my grandpa's farm--almost as if it was a special stop just for my mother, brother and me. I wonder: Is this a memory of a child, distorted over time? Would a train actually make a special stop?

I recall the cold, cold waters of Lake Superior, the tiny church we attended on Sundays, and hearing a frequent whistle. Maybe it was a train whistle.

I remember the abandoned factories along the Bay. When I returned in 1960 on my honeymoon, those abandoned and rusting factories were still there. Surely, they must be torn down by now.

My grandpa, Emil Juntunan, cooked on a woodburning stove. Confined to a wheelchair, my grandmother was limited in the chores she could perform. I was told she had multiple sclerosis.

The kitchen had a fascinating large pantry. One had to pull on a rope to open the large trap door in the pantry floor. It opened to the basement where grandpa candled the chicken eggs. A heavy weight attached to the end of the rope held the door open. In the cool, dirt-floored basement, the eggs remained fresh until delivery time.

Grandpa's house had an enclosed porch that stretched across the full length of the house. Along one end of the porch, there was a window seat, big enough to seat at least a dozen people. Lift the seats and one would find potatoes and wood for the stove.

Grandpa's sturdy rocking chair occupied center stage on the porch. I never tired of my wild rocking. Sometimes I would try to see how fast and far I could rock without actually going off the rockers. Could that be how the expression "off your rocker" originated?

My Uncle Stanley, a handsome fellow with wavy brown hair, deep irrisistible dimples, and a serious stutter, helped grandpa work the chicken farm. He never married nor left the farm.

My Uncle Fred lived up the gravel road from my grandpa's farm. Several people lived there. It was grand to join with everyone on a Saturday night for coffee and cakes after an authentic sauna. My mother threw water on the hot rocks, the steam roared up, and I yelled that she was going to "cook" me--or so my mother told me.

I remember the feel of the soft evening air as my brother and I chased up and down the rolling hills catching fireflies and smearing their lighted bodies on ours. For a while, we wore glowing earrings and were covered by numerous tiny lights.

With a child's perspective, it seemed that my grandpa owned great lands. I followed creeks and wandered through the woods for what seemed like hours. Oh what freedom to explore, to be free and imagine.

Just the other day, I recounted to my grandchildren my love of climbing. We went to Pinnacles National Monument here in northern California. All of us--yes, me, too--climbed the rock walls, looking for toeholds and edges to grip to make our way. "I remember," I said, "spending a lot of time climbing trees on my grandpa's farm, I could sit forever in his apple tree, eat apple after apple, and watch a mother bird busily feeding her young."

Was it 1972 when grandpa died? I don't remember. Uncle Stanley followed around 2001. I imagine the farmhouse and chicken outbuildings are long gone. I wonder if anyone remembers the Juntunans.

Cindy