We have an old souvenir spoon, apparently copper, with Hubbell Hall on it. The spoon was among my father’s belongings, perhaps from when he was a dean at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, a competitor of sorts with MTU. I ran across your very nice page on “Remembering Hubbell Hall” this morning, where I learned that it was torn down in September 1968. I still do not know when Hubbell Hall was built, or when these spoons were made, or how my father came to have one. But I’m keeping it as an attractive and valued memento of “the good old days.” Are they still being sold? I could not find them in Google.
Sincerely, J. Douglas Leith, Lehigh ’56
-Douglas, thanks for sharing the picture and information about the spoon. Great souvenir! Hubbell Hall was completed in 1890. Does anyone have information about the spoon? -SW
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Like many others, we discovered this one after bringing the next generation of Tech Toots up to God’s Country: Estivant Pines. Let the place encompass you. The time flies by. The serenity is palpable.
John Geroux III ’81
-Great suggestion, John! Will add that to the Keweenaw Bucket List! -SW
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I have such a great time participating in the KTS in Copper Harbor every July. Beautiful trails and scenery.
Donna Gering
-Great views, Donna! Looks like a fun race! My husband, Ryan, is a runner and I will pass this along to him. -SW
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I’ve been away from Lake Linden for 55 years, but I love being able to brag about the Keweenaw snowfall to my friends here in Centennial, WY. We are at about 8,300 feet here in the Rockies and our typical snowfall is in the range of 100-150 inches. The max elevation here is just over 12,000 feet and the snowfall at that elevation is probably in excess of 200 inches. My question: What are the record snowfalls in and around the Keweenaw?
Barney Bisson ’61
Barney, you can find the snowfall records going back to 1890: http://www.mtu.edu/alumni/favorites/snowfall/. Be sure to enter our predict the snowfall contest. -SW
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I just read in the newsletter about the recent honor for a researcher at MTU who has been assigned major NASA project responsibility with apparent serious computation involvement. GREAT!!!
But why is it near impossible to find a detailed description of the available computing resources at MTU? It appears to me that MTU has scant on-site or accessible computing resources in this area, certainly not anywhere near world-class.
Computing is at the core of STEM research and training. Does MTU have available or is it acquiring the resources needed to carry out this mission?
Gerald Davison ’66
Gerald, you can learn about Tech’s array of high performance computing resources and projects: http://superior.research.mtu.edu -SW
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This June, for the third year running, my brother Steve George (ME ’98) and I have brought some of our older kids up there to ride the trails in the Keweenaw. We are just recreational riders and it’s as much about seeing the sights of the area and showing our kids how beautiful the peninsula is as it is about riding trails.
Some places are only reachable by trails, though, too. Our favorites:
- The trail off the end of US-41 to the tip of the peninsula
- Brockway Mountain
- The Jam Pot at Jacob’s Creek Falls
- Copper Harbor
- Visiting some mine or mining town (Delaware and Quincy Mines so far)
This year we might be able to go to the top of Douglass Houghton Falls, as we hear that is again public land. We no more than leave one year and we’re already looking forward to the next!
Mike George (CS ’90)
-Mike, Thanks you for sharing these great spots. We will add these to the list! We will have to look into the Douglass Houghton Fall. Does anyone have information about if these are open to the public? -SW
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Hi, Sarah. All the best to you and your family, on your move back to Tech. I was in graduate school, the summers of 1987 and 1988 (metallurgical engineering), and my parents vacationed both of those summers, in the Houghton area, so we could spend time together. On an almost daily basis, we would end up at McClain State Park, to – you guessed it – watch the sun set, over Lake Superior. Fond memories, to say the least, so my Copper Country favorite would have to be sunsets at McLain.
Have a nice day!
Todd Haugh ’86, ’89
-Sunsets at McLain! Thank you for sharing Todd! A must on the list. I look forward to many sunsets up here. -SW
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McLain State Park has to top my list. There was a time when you could drive onto the beach from the breakwater, which I did and nearly got stuck in the sand. It was a gathering place where beer and pasties were enjoyed, as well as a quiet place out of the way for contemplation and study. Had a burlap bag with a rope to shore to serve as our refrigerator and in what some may call foolish moments, Lake Superior was a place to swim. The most memorable time was a night before classes began in the fall, late September then, and when we put the fire out it was so dark we could not see to make our way through the woods to the parking lot.
Gregory Switek
-Thanks Gregory, for sharing your McLain story. Great memories! Definitely a park to add to the list. -SW
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Here are a number of places I enjoyed visiting in the Copper Country when I was a kid and when I was at Tech:
- Douglass Houghton Falls – My brother was named after Douglass Houghton except it was with one “s” instead of two.
- Drive to Copper Harbor through the trees.
- Fort Wilkins
- Brockway Mountain Drive
- Alberta
- The Seaman Mineral Museum
- Isle Royale – I would go on the Ranger III for a week, but you can also go on the Isle Royale Queen for a day. I camped out there for a week with a canoe and a tent when I finished my sophomore year at Tech.
- Bishop Baraga Shrine – It is a bit out of the way, but worth the stop.
- Quincy Mine
- Calumet Theatre
- McLain State Park
- The George Gip Monument in Laurium
- The Snow Fall Record sign in Delaware
- Portage Lake Lakeshore
Stacey E. Keener ‘88
-Great list, Stacey! These all will be included on the list! We are looking forward to an Isle Royale adventure one day. Thank you for sharing your memories! -SW
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Hello,
I thought I would add a couple of suggestions for your Keweenaw bucket list segment. Some of my favorite activities while at Tech included:
- Hiking at Bare Bluff near Lac la Belle
- If you continue on the road going past Bare Bluff to the dead end you come to a trail on state land where you can hike on a trail (relatively easy walking and not to long) to Montreal Falls (favorite waterfall in the Keweenaw, road can be sketchy) which fall into Lake Superior. Follow the trail along the river to the upper falls too.
- Hiking at Hunters Point in Copper Harbor is nice
- Brockway mountain in the fall for colors or spring for the raptor migration is fun
- Estivant Pines is worth a hike
- Looking for the “silver wall” on cliff drive or snowshoeing it in winter
- Waterfall hunting, the Keweenaw has a lot of waterfalls with the fault line running up it. Hungarian falls was popular when I was in school but there are a ton more. A topo map is helpful. Any sharp elevation change with water should have falls. Some are small, others are large. All provide a great escape.
- See the steel dam/mill ruins in Freda
- Birding is great if you are into that. The peninsula actually has a bunch of boreal species that birders typically have to go to northern Minnesota or Canada to find.
- Aurora Borealis watching, there are countless spots to watch from
- Biking/hiking at Swedetown
- Curling in Calumet
- Historic places (there are a ton of really cool sites worth visiting from the fort in Copper Harbor, the Calumet theater, the manor houses, etc.)
- Seaman mineral museum is worth going to at least once even if you aren’t into rocks/minerals.
I have so many good memories from exploring the Keweenaw. These are just a few of many adventures that made my time at Tech wonderful.
Good luck with your bucket list! I can’t wait to read about other students spots/locations.
Ethan Pawlowski ’12
Great list, Ethan! Definitely all will be included on the list. We do like bird watching and I’m anxious to watch all the birds come through the Copper Country. We’ve seen a few bald eagles this month flying over the canal. Amazing! -SW
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I would like to nominate the Gay Bar in Gay. In the early 50s when bird hunting in that area we always stopped in for a beer and to catch up on the local gossip.
A few years ago I was on a bicycle tour with a bunch of folks mainly from Lower Michigan and out of state. We started from Baraga and pedaled our way to Copper Harbor. Next we were scheduled to head down the south side of the peninsula to our camp site at the Lake Linden High School. I knew we would be passing through Gay even though it wasn’t on our route maps. And, of course I knew gay meant something different in my Tech days then it does now. So I was interested to see the reaction from the group as we came upon the Gay Bar sign. Sure enough they couldn’t pass it up. It was early in the day and a couple of locals were nodding over their beer at the bar when all these folks in brightly colored Lycra filed in. In a dark corner was an old dust-covered piano and one of the guys was an entertainer from Chicago and he quickly started banging out tunes that everyone knew and even the locals enjoyed the party.
Jack Lockwood ‘54
-Thank you for sharing your Gay Bar story, Jack. We were there many years ago and I had forgotten about it; will add that to the list. -SW
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Dear Sarah,
I am the former Janet Krenitsky, class of 1970. I am currently in Florida recovering from right knee replacement.
One of my favorite things to do at this time of year in the Copper Country is to travel up the Keweenaw to Eagle River and see the deer come into feed in the park. The park is surrounded by cedar trees which is a food of the white tail anyway but local people have put down hay for them too. You get to see many white tail at one time. You can pull your car up close and watch. See all the fawns romp around. It is fun to guess which ones are female and which ones male.
I was a varsity skier in my youth and loved Mt. Ripley. Now I think cross country skiing will be more my taste after I am recovered. Enjoy the Copper Country. I saw some earlier pics on Facebook from the Eagle River falls during the melt. Wow what gushing and Jacob’s Falls by the Brothers of St. John Cathedral too.
I will be returning in May to spend the warmer months at my home on the East side of Portage Lake.
Welcome and glad to read your article
Sincerely,
Jan Burkholder ’70
Thanks for the welcome, Jan! Speedy recovery on your knee replacement. Great memories! We will add these to the list. Happy returns to the Copper Country in May! -SW
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In the summer, go west to Misery Bay. It’s the only place relatively close by where the water in Lake Superior is bearable to swim in. The beach is worth the drive.
Wayne Neumann ’73
-I’m not familiar with this area, Wayne. Thank you for including it. Looking forward to exploring it! -SW
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Sarah,
First, welcome aboard, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the ride.
Second, you asked about ideas for thing to see in the area. Well I would recommend the various waterfalls and lighthouses.
And with that in mind, here’s some to get you started:
- Douglas Houghton Falls near Eagle River taken in May 1966
- Hungarian Falls near Lake Linden taken September 1968
- Silver River Falls near Copper Harbor taken April 1970
- Copper Falls near Copper Harbor taken June 1970
- Manganese Falls near Copper Harbor taken June 1970
- Jacobs Falls taken August 2008
- Eagle River Falls taken October 2010
- Canyon Falls near Albert taken October 2010
As for the lighthouses:
- Upper Portage Entry taken July 1969
- Copper Harbor lighthouse taken August 2008
- Eagle Harbor lighthouse taken August 2008
- Mendota Lighthouse near Bete Grise taken August 2008
- Sand Hills lighthouse near Eagle River taken October 2010
- Eagle River lighthouse taken October 2010
- Portage Lake Lighthouse station taken August 2011
- Lower Portage Entry lighthouse taken August 2011
Anyway, that should get you started.
Have fun,
John R. Baker, BSME ’71
John, thank you so much for sending the lists and the great photos! I’ve included them in the email bag and in the newsletter slide show! Looking forward to adding these to the list and visiting them! -SW
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Several of my favorites, as a Toot:
Cedar Beach off the end of Calumet Water Works Road. In the early 70s there was typically no one there and I could walk for hours searching for agates and prehnite. Alone. Peace and quiet.
The Sturgeon River near Chassell. I had a canoe and would take a friend and launch at a small town park upriver and paddle down to the Hwy. 41 bridge near the bay. Again, peaceful, quiet, and rejuvenating.
Mt. Bohemia. In the early 70s there was a rutted 2 track road to the top to the fire look-out tower. Hiking from the bottom was the best and night was even better. My date and I hiked up one very windy fall night and were surprised when we reached the top to see 2 (maybe 3?) lake freighters holed up in Bete Gris Bay apparently to get out of the rough Lake Superior waves. The next morning we got news of the Edmund Fitzgerald. “The gales of November come early…”
The Cliff mine dumps. We used potato rakes to rake through the material on the dumps, pulling it down from above us and finding “chisel chips” of pure native copper, carved out of the mine in the 1850s and 60s. We also found pieces of Meerschaum pipes left by the Cornish miners of the day.
The Quincy Mine railroad grade. I rented bearpaws (snowshoes) and started from the Mine site on a mid-winter Saturday in 1972. I shoed down the railroad grade toward Dollar Bay – the route that copper ore would have taken from mine to mill. At one point I fell and literally had to swim to a small tree to pull myself upright again. he snow was so light and so deep I had nothing to push against to get stood up. Using a walking stick I found I was shoeing in 5+ feet of Copper Country powder. Totally awesome!!
This is why it took me 5 years to leave Houghton. This and a cute ME-EM Masters candidate that captured my fancy.
Dave Plumeau BS Geo Eng. ’75
Dave, Thank you for the great memories and places to visit in the Copper Country. We enjoy paddling our canoe so looking forward to putting in at the Sturgeon River! -SW
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Sarah,
Glad to hear that you have taken on the task of communicating with all of us old “toots”, and if that is a new term for you, ask around!
Your mention of Dennis Walkainen and the International Frisbee and Guts Hall of Fame, in the same issue where “seeing the grass” is mentioned, brought to mind a great trivia question that you can ask Dennis: Who brought the first Frisbee to the U.P.? I claim that distinction since in April of 1958, my cross-hall neighbor in D.H.H., Herb Epple, and I hitchhiked down to the U. of M. for a little personal Spring Break one weekend. While there, we saw the students throwing these bright colored disks around and catching them. After questioning a few students, we headed over to the campus bookstore and I bought one, and brought it up to Houghton when we returned. For the rest of the Term (we were on Terms back then), every nice afternoon would find a dozen or more of us out on the lawn between the Civil Building and D.H.H., which was vacant back then, playing some game that we concocted. The Frisbee didn’t come with any instructions, so we had to make up our own rules regarding legal throws and catches, and boundaries.
A piece of trivia that you now know, but nobody else on campus knows!
Jim Cote’ ’61
Jim, thank you for bringing the Frisbee to the UP! Great story! -SW
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My junior year – and what a year for snow. Although the weather records probably won’t corroborate it seemed to snow every day from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I’m not sure if there are still ski racks outside the academic buildings, but back then many folks actually cross-country skied around campus. MTU snow removal feats were amazing and students and faculty hardy enough to carry on through all weather. However, a nasty blizzard with very strong northerly winds came through and the county pulled all the plows off the road. The administration sensibly cancelled classes for a day. I believe it was the only instance that school was closed for weather. I was a Mama’s Boy (East coed fourth floor) then so a group of us donned our ski clothes, including goggles, to make the trek to Jim’s Grocery to stock up on beer for the duration (drinking age was 18 then). Waist deep drifts and howling winds made for a challenging adventure. It was so windy that it was snowing horizontally – there must have been one hell of a pile on snow in Chassell! In the spirit of the weather about a dozen Nads (East Co-ed, second floor) dressed up in their winter ice climbing gear – parkas, gloves goggles, boots, ice ax – and proceeded through the cafeteria line all roped together. To simulate the vertical climb they crawled on the floor using any object on the floor as hand and foot holds. Quite the production that earned them a rousing applause. A group of us rented snowshoes for a trek to Hungarian Falls. The snow was so deep that we could sit down, put our arms out, and slide down the very steep ravine in a controlled descent. Of course it created an avalanche and you’d be completely covered in snow when you got to the bottom. Getting back up was impossible so we had to hike out along the creek. I live in Richmond, Virginia now, which cancels most everything at the forecast for snow, and people don’t believe me when I talk about that winter. I happen to have the Winter Carnival yearbook handy to support my stories.
John W. Beck ’80, ‘83
I like the story about the students simulating a vertical climb in the cafeteria. Sounds like a great time and good winter memories. Thank you for sharing, John! -SW
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When do we get some information on the hockey team? George Hurt ’61
George, please read up-to-the-minute Hockey Husky news: http://www.michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mice/index
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Sarah,
Congratulations on the new job!
I am the mom of an alumni. Well, actually, she is now a grad student, working in Detroit and piloting a Material Science Masters program between Ford and Tech!
I have enjoyed reading the newsletter and was very sad when Dennis retired. I love his writing! Glad you are hooking up with him.
Looking forward to reading your stories in the future. It makes my heart feel good hearing about the most beautiful place in the world. Someday I hope to live there!
Best Regards,
Mel Wolbeck
-Mel, thank you for writing to me. Congrats to your daughter. Sounds like an interesting program! I look forward to sharing stories with all of our readers. -SW
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The Covered Road, Freda, so much fun and memories of great times with Fraternity brothers and town folks! Never will forget Jim Croce concert and how we Delt Sigs took Jim and his wife out to Freda. A few of the fellas fixed his engine in an older Saab while the town of Freda partied with Jim and his wife. They were great people as were the Freda folks, salt of the earth! Many great gatherings out there, back in the day. This would have been 1969-71 era.
Mark Scales Met Eng. ’71
-Sounds like a good concert and gathering with Jim Croce. Thanks for sharing, Mark! -SW
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Sarah,
Glad you asked. In my two stays at Tech, 1950-51 and 1956-59, we had two favorite places. One was the Hungarian Falls and the Douglass Houghton Falls. Both great places at any time of year. The other fun place was any rock pile, looking for copper nuggets and any other mineral that caught our eye. Both of these great recreational activities were free and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. (Agate hunting after a storm was a close third.)
Walt Cook, BSF ’59
-Rock piles are such a good way to spend the day sorting and sifting. Thank you for the memories and suggestions, Walt. We look forward to adding to our rock collection. -SW