Introductions

[Bob]

Hi Joe,

Good to hear your story, I've wondered where the 'Chicaugon Lake' came from. I know about the place, but had no idea how you might be connected to it. I've spent quite a bit of time in May and June exploring bogs in Iron County.

Hi Roc: I go by the Sterlin-Hunter ranch almost every day on my way into work.

And Joe: Absolutely I know Walt. My wife, Beth, and he worked in the Vegetable Entomology lab at MSU together for many years. I understand Walt has a piece of land up near Copper Harbor, not sure where exactly.

It is a small world indeed!
bob

[nailhed]

I'm not a big user of computers, that technology is like one generation past me. But I did manage to stumble across Mike & Tricia's websites. I tell you, for me it was like hitting pay dirt. I have learned more from these sites than from any other source.

heh, ill tell you what, i am no friend of computers either...in fact ive LITERALLY shot at more of them than ive owned. and in fact (this is not a lie either), i still use a rotary dial telephone and i do not have cable TV, but i will vouch 100% for the potential of the internet when it comes to niche hobbies.

[jfactor1]

and to never be a whiner like Jay!

Jim, I have family in the Crystal Falls area. My great uncle used to own Buffenbarger Plumbing (at the bottom of the hill on the left). He's been retired for years now, but still lives in Sagola.

[Chicaugon Lake Jim]

Hey Jay, When we first put up our place, 30+ years ago, we had a guy come out from Crystal. He was a plumber by trade. He brought his water witch (divining rod, made from a willow tree branch). He walked around our property and staked out a couple of spots. Then went over it again. He told my Dad to put the well in at one of the stakes he plotted. My Dad took his advice. We ended up with a super well, lots of water pressure and good water, (some iron in it, of course). The guy did the same thing for our neighbor. But they didn't listen to him. They wanted their well on the other side of their house, out of the way. Well, with the low water tables today, they have had nothing but problems. I also think they said they have ochre in the water. Anyways they have terrible staining of all their fixtures. And residue is plugging up their pipes. They are planning on having an new well put in. Anyways, my point of this is that maybe by chance this was your relative. Can't remember his name, but he had been around for along time and had a great reputation. Anyways, who knows, it's a small world.

[Chicaugon Lake Jim]

Hi Joe,

Good to hear your story, I've wondered where the 'Chicaugon Lake' came from. I know about the place, but had no idea how you might be connected to it. I've spent quite a bit of time in May and June exploring bogs in Iron County.

Hey Bob, Yeah there are alot of bogs in the area. We have a small one just a short distance through the woods behind our property. They also recently rerouted a portion of US-2, they got rid of an S curve. They had to dig out an old peat bog, some how store it, move the road, then replace the bog material back in place. Not sure how they all did it, but it added many thousands of dollars to the road project. But they saved the peat bog!

[mangulator]

I would like to like to say "Hello Eh!" to everyone, my name is Tim.

I could say Im half "Yooper" because my Mother was born in Copper City. But I know Im all "Yooper" at heart.

Both sides of my family are from the "Copper Country" My Fathers, Father (My Grandfather was born in Houghton in 1904. His Father came to this country from Crornwall, England in 1886 with his brother. They came by ship through Ellis Island and went straigt to Houghton. I have their records from Ellis Island. My Great Grandfather was a Mason along with his brother and I have some information of their employment records from C&H. My GGF Stayed in Houghton, while his brother went to live in Canada. The whole family came down to the Detroit area around the time when the Miners started going out on Strike around 1912.

On my Mothers side, My Grandmother was born in Helsinki, Finland and came to America with her Family when she was 2. She was born in 1902. They settled in Mass, MI. My Grandmother spoke both Finn and English very well and worked with her sister, Impi as a cook for a wealthy family in Rockland MI.

My Grandfather (Mother's Side) Was born right in Oseola, MI in 1899. The family had come here in the late 1880's and moved around to various towns to work in the mines and some became farmers. My Grandfathers Family finnally settled mainly in the town of Rockland, MI and my GF worked along side his father and brothers at the Victoria Dam and several Mines. He met and married my Grandmother in Rockland in 1924 but soon moved to Mohawk to work for C&H. They had 5 children. 3 boys 2 Girls, my Mother being the last.' during WWII My Uncles went into the service and when they came home they settled in Detroit. My Grandparents along with my Mother and Aunt came down to Detroit in 1944. They settle in the Northwest Area of Detroit, but most of my Mom's parents side stayed in the Copper County.
Some had Farms and one owned Andy's Cabins in Ontongan.

As a boy and well into my teens we would go visit family for a month up in "God's Country". I have so many great memories of playing at old mine's and on the rock piles and looking for copper and playing with the local boys. I had a Daisy BB Rifle, and we would pretend to go hunting and we would go fishing. I loved when my Grandfather would tell me stories of when he worked in the mines and he would show me all kinds of stuff on how the mines work and what to look for when looking for copper in the poor rock piles or how to find agates on the beach. Most of my Mothers siblings, spouses were born and raised in the copper country also, so we had many family get togethers during our trips. I still cherish theses memories after all theses years.

Im also sadden each time I travel to the Copper Country to places I played at when I was a Boy. It seems every year one or more Rock Pile's are gone or a ghost mine and all its equipment has been wiped clean. Maybe there is some good reasons for changing the area, but I just can not seem to figure out what reason is good enough to erase over 100 years or more of history. I love those rock piles and the Shaft Houses. It gives you something to think about when you see an old mine or ghost town. You can sit an imagine what life was like back then, how there were so few tree's still standing, how Eagle River once had a huge long Dock out into Lake Superior. How each day a bunch of Miners would take the tram from Mohawk to Calumet to go to work or how when I was a boy, stamped into the sidewalks in Calument it would read, "No Spitting on Sidewalk" and how I found this so funny and strange. Although its not all bad, the Calmet Theater has been retored and I can see some renewal on Fith Street. But still, it just is not the same. With all the rail road track gone and the railbeds turned into trails, that may not be so bad, but I liked those old bridges and trams. Mt Bohemia, now that was a shock. I remeber climbing the steep face and climbing up as high as I could on the fire tower on top. Now a Ski Slope? In my opinion, it ruined the mountain. My favorite place was the rock outcrop about 3/4 of the way up facing east. I would sit there and enjoy the view.

I guess we cant stop time, but maybe while we have the chance, like many of the great folks I have read about here, we can use this forum as a way to preserve what will soon all be a memory, by posting our stories and photo's.

I want thank each and everyone here who has shared a little piece of their story, I have found all I have read great and enjoyable. Im trying to plan a July-August trip up there, but my health is not all that well and Im currently taking care of my Mother, but even if I do not make it this summer or this year, I can still come here and read each post and live through all of you.
Thank You.

[Burt]

I'm a new poster, but a repeat visitor to Copper Country. I'm from Southern Wisconsin.

I'm in, uh, a later stage of life, but I like to tour the Keweenaw by car and ORV.

I haven't been there in a few years, but intend to come back this summer.

I like history, books, nature, geology, landscapes, hiking, hunting, fishing, beachcombing, ORVing in the deep woods, and meeting people.


I don't like bugs.

[Bill In Indiana]

Welcome to the forum Mangulator & Burt!

[arpatton]

Well I've been reading here for a while, just started posting. My name's Austin, I'm from the Detroit area, and I'm a EE student at Tech. I was born in Rochester, raised in Utica and lived in Shelby, Sterling Hts, Clinton Twp, and Romeo. I first came up here in 2006 for school, but I took a break after 2 years. Didn't do much my first time up here. I'm back as of last December and now I'm trying to make the absolute most of my time up here. I love exploring old buildings, ruins, and nature in general. Like nailhed, I've been to the train station in Detroit, which is a beautiful piece of urban decay (the school warehouse next door is also awesome).

This summer I've kept occupied with disc golf, fishing, and driving around, some of the roads up here are beautiful. I went to the Cliff mine area last month, that was my first taste of the mines and ever since then I've been hooked on them and on CCF/CCE as well. I hope to get out more as the summer winds down, think I'm going back to Cliff in a week or so as I never made it to the top, got distracted.

And I think dcclark is my math teacher.

[Bill In Indiana]

Mention that you frequent CCE/CCF and I am sure Dave will give you an automatic "A" in math! Course it will help if you mention CCE in writing, like on a small note on the side of a gallon pail filled with thimbleberriy jam.

Have you seen the posts about Mike's upcoming death march...errr....I mean Copper Country Explorer Weekend ? If you enjoy these web pages you will enjoy joining the gathering. It's August 21-22nd. PM Mike or Tricia for details.