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The Great
Nose Challenge
It was a typical Sunday afternoon in Jessieville and my mother was
tending bar at Longhini's Tavern. There were a few regular customers in
the place when another local man named Sam came in and ordered his usual
drink. Sam was a close friend of my grandfather, who owned the bar. Sam
sat for a bit and asked my mother, "JoJo, you do me favor? You
write letter to Jimmy Durante. I think I have bigger nose than
him." Mom wrote the letter and put a picture of Sam in profile in
and envelope, and Sam mailed it.
Time passed
by and Mom forgot about the letter. Sam never said anything either, so
it seemed a lost endeavor. One day however, that all changed. Sam came
into the bar excited and smiling from ear to ear. He saw my mom and
said, "JoJo, you write good letter. Look what I get." Sam
opened the package and there was a handwritten letter from none other
than Jimmy Durante. Durante thanked Sam for the picture and the
challenge, and said Sam was real close to beating him, but he thought
his nose was bigger. To prove his claim, Durante had enclosed an
autographed picture of himself in the return package. Durante had his
photo superimposed over Sam's and he had Sam by about ¼ of an inch.
Durante went on to say that Sam was the closest to beating him up to
that time.
Donald J. Hoffner
Coldwater
<<photo>>
1946 - A
trip to the U.P.
At the end of World War II going to the U.P. was exciting, the signs on
the roadside "100, 75, 50, 25 miles to the Straits of Mackinac"
conjured up images of an unknown land. Driving off the car ferry
revealed a different land. Reconstructed Indian teepees in St. Ignace,
and a rugged landscape with rock outcroppings. Driving to Sault St.
Marie was desolate, evident by the unbroken wall of pine and cedar
forests along the roadside.
High fences
and U.S. Army guards greeted us at the "Soo." The locks at the
St. Mary rapids were vital to the steel industry and U.S. war effort.
From a distance the huge lake boats could be seen inching their way up
and down the waterway. At Soo Junction we boarded the Toonerville
Trolley, which took us to the Falls of the Tahquamenon. Winding through
the meadows, the narrow gauge train rocked and creaked its way to the
river. There, we boarded the Paul Bunyan, a two story flat-bottomed
riverboat, for a two-hour trip down the golden tinted river. A short
walk to the falls revealed a true gem in the wilderness.
Andy Hegedus
Montague
A Trip to
Shelldrake
When summer arrives, my trip to Shelldrake, four miles north of Paradise
on Whitefish Bay is well worth the 320-mile drive from Mason. Days are
spent on the beach and in the water and I get reacquainted with the
area's loons, eagles, sea gulls, chipmunks, deer and big moose. I can go
to White Fish Point and check on the old Historical Light House or walk
the beaches to find my best ever agate. A beautiful sight is to see the
full moon come up over the bay.
Verna Favorite
Mason
Bergland
Memories
In the west end of the U.P. is a lake shaped like a boot, and at the toe
of the boot is a one-of-a-kind place, a town dear to my heart. The lake
is called Gogebic, and the town (founded in 1902 around a lumber mill)
is Bergland, Michigan. Many of the first settlers there were first
generation immigrants from Europe.
Imagine
growing up in such a place! There is the lake for swimming and fishing
and skating, there are interesting playmates with whom to explore the
woods and climb the hills and opportunities abound to learn about other
countries and customs from natives of far-away places.
Several young
men from Bergland became Michigan State Policemen; one of them was Oscar
Bergland, whom I married in 1944. He loved Bergland, and together we
often spent time there in summer or fall. My children and I still do. It
is our special place, and is part of the unusual entity that is the U.P.
of Michigan.
Charity Bergland
Mason
<<photo>>
A U.P.
Fourth of July
After the church service we join hundreds of people to participate in
and watch the annual Curtis Fourth of July Parade. Our children's
antique cars (a couple of vintage Fords and two Mustangs from the mid
1960s) are joined by a unique conglomeration of parade units including
marching bands from Newberry, Sault Ste. Marie and Canada. Homemade
flouts touting the wonderful vacation opportunities in the eastern Upper
Peninsula, such as fishing, boating, snowmobiling, hunting and scenic
color tours, are also cheered on. Locals participate with decorated
bicycles, fire trucks and logging vehicles. It is a wonderful parade and
different every year.
Sandra Veneberg Karsten
Zeeland
Grand
Marais
To see this town all in a working day
You must know the way to Grand Marais.
A maritime museum and sand dunes
Forested cliffs and beaches in an afternoon.
On Lake
Superior you will find rocks
Look for agates on beaches or from docks
Many minerals are on display
At the Dunes Saloon in Grand Marais
'Tis the
gateway to Pictured Rocks National Shoreline
Stop in the brewery for a beer or homemade cherry wine
Highway #58 will pass waterfalls and a campground.
Watch real close for white-tailed deer on the bound.
Only forty
miles along the wavy shore
You'll see Log Slide, Miner's Castle and more.
Munising at the other end of the park
Vintage shops, homey restaurants after dark.
Pictured
Rocks sandstone bluffs are best to see
On a three-hour cruise from Munising; for a fee.
Mineral shades of ochre and bright salmon
Make Pictured Rocks truly a phenomenon.
Do you know
the way to Grand Marais?
Mary Jean Baker
Charlotte
Taking the
Side Roads
When traveling the U.P., I learned early on to take the side roads and
spend time in the out-of-the-way communities. Nearly always I was
fortunate to contact residents who were as ready to tell the history of
their area, as I was to listen.
There was a
strong movement at one time to make the U.P. a separate state. It was to
be called Superior and Marquette was to be the capitol. Lucky for all of
us it never happened. When the bridge was finally built, it provided the
bond much needed to weld us together as a state and thereby enriching
all our lives.
Wayne Rose
Saranac
Michigan's
U.P.
If you would like to see Michigan dressed in her best
Cross the "Big Mac" in the fall and head out to the
West.
Take M-28 or Route No. 2, then any crossroad that beckons to you.
Don't hurry, drive slowly, stop now and then.
The past may be over but you can see it again.
The museums tell the stories, a tale of the past,
How our pioneers carved a nation, one that would last.
The fur traders, the miners, and men with their axes made the woods
ring.
They built schools and churches and lumber was king.
Superior's agate beaches yield stones all colors and hue,
Each wave brings in more, the beach always new.
Climb mountains, look down at treetops
A patchwork of color, the view never stops.
Stop in at parks, rest your tired backs,
Take home the memories and leave only tracks.
Wayne Sheldon Rose
Saranac
Beginning
a Great Adventure
To a young boy, reaching the Straits of Mackinac and boarding the car
ferry was the beginning of a great adventure into uncharted territory. I
can still see my father driving the family car onto the deck of the
Vacationland. It was not only a car ferry, it was also an ice breaker.
Most importantly, it was the boat that would transport a young boy to
the land of the Huron, Ottawa, and Chippewa.
Michael O. King, Sr.
Homestead, FL
A Peaceful
Environment
What makes the U.P. unique is that when you cross the Mackinac Bridge
and drive approximately one mile into the Upper Peninsula and look
around, you suddenly realize that you are in a completely different
world than that of the Lower Peninsula. It is quiet, serene and
absolutely breathtaking whether its winter or summer. There is no
traffic. There is no litter. It is a completely peaceful
environment.
Julie A. Lisowski
Sterling Heights
Lots of
Space
What makes the U.P. unique for me is that it is so far away and the
climate is so brutal that there are very few people. This means that in
the U.P. there is a lot of empty space. This means that every person,
every mammal, every fish, every bird and every insect, has room. Having
enough space to live is such a wonderful thing.
Whenever I
get into my car and head to Marquette to visit my family, I start to
relax as soon as the car's engine start. By the time I am north of
Milwaukee, I will be singing along with the radio. North of Green Bay I
keep rolling the windows down to feel the icy cold wind and once I cross
into the U.P I am grinning because I am a Yooper and I am home.
Margaret Brumm
Naperville, IL
Norway --
My Home Town
My hometown of Norway in Dickinson County, located just a few miles from
the Wisconsin border. During the summer, I grew up biking to Vulcan Lake
(now renamed) to swim and biking to Piers Gorge and Quinnesec Falls to
hike. I picked wild raspberries near the school forest, just a short
walk from my home. I tried skiing with my father's old binderless skis
on Nelson Hill and sledded there even when the snow turned icy from
overuse. And, of course, all of us kids skated at the ice skating rink
on winter weekends and evenings.
I still hike
at Piers Gorge and Quinnesec Falls. The old sledding hill doesn't look
quite as daunting as it used to, the skating rink has been moved, and
there is a new subdivision along my old bike route to the cemetery, but
I still experience a thrill each time I drive east on US-8 near Piers
Gorge and see Norway Hill and the whole forested area around it rising
above the city. I know that I'm coming home.
Carla Overbeck
Sleepy Hollow, IL
A Bear
Experience
Now at my age of 81 years, I can reflect back to the mid 1960s and
regard the following incident as merely an experience. Then it was a
serious situation.
In my
employment as a lands manager for a major forest products industry in
Michigan's Upper Peninsula, I found myself at times out in the forest
appraising timberland. On one occasion my co-worker, Marv, and I were in
north Delta County with our vehicle parked along a back woods road. When
we were nearly one-half mile from our vehicle my eyes caught a glimpse
of a small bear crossing a short distance ahead of me. I called to Marv
that there was a small bear. Marv did not respond, but soon I spotted
him on the run towards me. When he reached my side, partially winded,
all he could say was that there was a large bear standing on its hind
legs looking at him. We immediately decided that we had separated a cub
from its mother and that we best get out of the woods and back to our
vehicle. After we ran several hundred feet we stopped and looked back.
We saw the mother bear slowly coming our way through the hardwoods. A
slight wind was blowing and she was having difficulty following our
scent. After reaching our vehicle we took off. The next day we returned
to finish our work, armed with a 30-30 rifle. There were bear tracks in
the sand along where we had parked the day before.
Robert E. Schmeling
Escanaba
The Upper
Peninsula - That Enchanting Land
A charming part of our state is the Upper Peninsula, so vast.
It is close to me always - it is part of my past.
Going there can be easy, though far away it may be.
All those thrills here await us, and that "grand bridge" we
will see.
So why
hesitate longer? Let's be on our way.
Fun times can be with us for a long or short stay.
Matchless treasures to see and exciting things there to do.
A great trip can be ours - let's make it come true.
Enchanting it
is with the huge forests so green.
The pines and the hemlocks are everywhere to be seen.
The cedars, balsam, and spruce are all plentiful too.
As are the maples, poplars, and birch - just to mention a few.
If you enjoy
waterfalls, there are so many to see.
Those on the "Tahquamenon River" are as great as any can be.
Both the upper and lower - so much grandeur is there.
The matchless might of that river sends thrills everywhere.
Those rocky
areas are out there - some flashy and bright.
In other spots they are mellow - still showy with light.
This adds much to that rugged terrain that's out there.
So extensive in places, with those vivid colors -so rare.
Coastlines
are extensive in this far-away land.
Most shorelines are scenic and you'll see rock cliffs so grand.
As we marvel at the beauty, we will see that deep water so clear.
Seeing ships pass through the "Soo Locks" - another thrill to
hold dear.
Lakes are so
numerous - some large and some small.
Accommodations are out there - should you want them, just call.
And the rivers too. There are some of the best.
For recreational activities they can compete with the rest.
For long
years there was mining and lumber camps too.
While some still exist - so much more now is through.
Most areas have strengthened and have much less to fear.
And the tourists are a big factor throughout the whole year.
That most
famous "Copper Country" you don't want to miss.
With Copper Harbor the favorite at the top of my list.
What a thrilling place to discover - a real special treat.
There's a lodge and motels, and some great places to eat.
There is not
the space to do justice to other favorite spots.
The shipwreck museum, the Big Spring, and the pictured rocks.
Also Fayette, Grand Marais and Curtis - so much of interest to
share.
And the Porcupine Mountains await you, should you have time to spare.
You'll find
quite different names of places as you travel around.
Pine Stump Junction is one. Can a more unique name be found?
What about Christmas and Paradise? Both towns you'll go through.
Many times we have been there. You will want to go too.
Now, back to
McMillan where our lives we did share.
One and one-half miles to the west - the old farm is still there.
It is where I grew up. Those were the happiest of days.
I guess this affects your whole life in so many ways.
Bohn Musgrave
Haslett
My
Country
I was born in Bessemer, Michigan August 13, 1921. My grandfather who
came from Sweden was captain of an iron mine in Gogebic County. Fishing
was popular and contributed a large part to our dinner tables. No
resident of the U.P. was more than forty miles from Lake Superior or
Lake Michigan. Most of them looked forward to building or buying a
wooden boat to continue the profession they brought with them from the
"old country." I have been gone from the U.P. for a long time,
but I try to go home for a visit every summer, and as soon as I cross
that big bridge I know I am back in my country.
Ray Larson
White Cloud
The Pasty
Sale
Nothing, was preparation enough for becoming a Yooper. The challenge to
top all others, however, had to be the pasties business. When my son's
Boy Scout troop organized a pasty sale, I was recruited to spend two
days at Flat Rock Hall participating in this Yooper adventure. It was
there that I came face to face with rutabagas, about 100 pounds of them
to be exact, just waiting to be peeled and cubed. Though I can't say
that I ever knowingly touched that particular veggie before, I learned
to my surprise that people "up here" actually eat them on
purpose.
Pasties were
mixed in a huge stainless steel bowl that was nearly as large as the
North Dakota galvanized bathtub of my childhood. We soon donned plastic
gloves and mixed hundreds of pounds of meat and cubed vegetables in the
bowl. After one glance I didn't look at that process again. That
explains, however, how I got assigned to the
rolling-out-the-dough-table. Now, I've made a pie or two in my day, but
rolling out 1,000 circles actually causes muscles to ache in body parts
too numerous or too embarrassing to mention. However, I stayed with the
dough business, as the alternative (putting meat mixture into dough
mixture and sealing edges) still dealt with a squishy business best
avoided. Imagine my surprise, then, when I saw the finished product,
pasties that appeared to weigh more upon completion than either of my
youngest two children did at birth!
Norma J. Kulas
Gladstone
U.P.
Favorites
My favorite memories of the U.P. are picking thimbleberries in the
Copper Harbor area and sleeping in the bedroom of Henry Ford's summer
home at Pequaming, which had become a ghost town. The clean air and
tranquility will always remain with me. I was born in Red Jacket in
September 1918 where my father, Frank Kinsman, was mayor. The Kinsman
Block in Calumet's historical section honors my grandfather, W.C.
Kinsman. I'm proud to be from the U.P.
Paul B. Kinsman
Burton
Fresh
Air
Whenever we cross the Mackinaw Bridge, we roll down all my windows. This
prevents us from carrying the bad Lower Peninsula air into the U.P. We
do this no matter what time of year.
Jamie Smith
via the Internet
Summers in
Laurium
Spending my childhood summers in the U.P. has given me wonderful
memories Mom took me to the sauna the family used when they were young,
and Dreamland and Gay, where they, my grandparents, first settled.
Swimming in Lake Superior was a frigid experience as was meeting Mom's
cousins, who were Lake Superior fishermen. They brought the fish to us
in a pail, still kicking. I watched old Aunt Madeline make rugs at her
huge loom in Gay and listened to the two old ladies speak Finnish.
That's where I saw the moose that drank at her water's edge.
Sue Barchardt
Fountain Valley, CA
The U.P is
Special to Me
I have such fond memories of the time I've spent in the Upper Peninsula
of Michigan. As a child my mother, father, aunt, brother and I would
travel with our little "pop-up" trailer from campground to
historic sites, from small towns to the grand shores of Lake Superior.
This is where some of my nicest memories begin, on the sand and rock
lined shores of Lake Superior. Nothing but Pine and Cedar forest behind
us and the lake in front of us, a rock hunters dream. Walking what felt
like miles, hardly passing a soul. Shooing off a few black flies and
feeling a bit uneasy when coming upon a set of bear tracks leading
towards the lake. All of us in search for the biggest, most beautiful
Agate or Thompsonite that we could find. It was a time of togetherness
and excitement, a time I will always treasure.
Helen Platz Greager
Redford
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