Laurium Walking Tour Part 3 - 2019 Camping Post #8

     I promise this is the last time (this year!) that I write about Laurium, Michigan. I just have to tell you about a couple parks and then tell you the tragic tale of the city’s “favorite son”.

 Daniell Park is located on the corner of Pewabic and Third Streets. The W. J. Duncan home was built on this site in 1900. In 1937, the house and the three city lots it took up were given to the city by Joshua Daniell, and the house was razed for $150. Concerts began to be held there, and the WPA constructed a concrete bandshell atop a poor rock foundation. The park was used occasionally from the 1940’s through 1970’s and was finally renovated in 1974 by the Village Street Department. An annual summer concert series began in 1985. It doesn’t look like a big enough park for much of a concert, but maybe a cozy concert is better anyway.    

 The George Gipp Recreation Area is located on the corner of Isle Royale and Second Streets. It holds four ball fields, including the Billy Miller Memorial field, along with a basketball court, a tennis court, sand volleyball court, horseshoe pits, bocheball and children’s playground. 

 Maybe it was just because it was a dreary day, but it did look like the facilities could use a little sprucing up. 

 And finally, The Gipp Memorial Monument at 535 Tamarack, built in 1935. I visited this park in 2012 and posted a short blog about it.

 But here’s the rest of the story:

 George Gipp was born in Laurium on February 18, 1895, to Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Gipp. He attended the Calumet Public Schools, playing a wide variety of sports, but never high school football. In 1917, Gipp entered Notre Dame to play baseball, but Knute Rockne recruited him for the football team. In his last three seasons playing for the Fighting Irish, Gipp led the team in rushing and passing. He is still Notre Dame's all-time leader in average yards per rush for a season (8.1), career average yards per play of total offense (9.37), and career average yards per game of total offense (128.4).

 In the summer of 1920, Gipp’s tonsils became infected, and even though his doctor wanted to remove them, apparently, George never got around to it. In November, he contracted a serious streptococcic infection in his throat, and Coach Rockne kept him out of Notre’s game against Northwestern. When Notre Dame continued to trail in the game, the crowd began to chant "Gipp! Gipp!" Rockne finally relented and put Gipp in. On the very next play, he scored the winning touchdown.

 His sore throat however worsened, and two weeks later Gipp was hospitalized with pneumonia and strep infection. In 1920, antibiotics were not available, and George Gipp’s life began to ebb away.

 Somber Rockne entered Gipp's room and told him he had been selected Notre Dame's first All-American. Gipp answered with, "Sometime, Rock, when the team's up against it, when things are wrong, when the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go in there with all they've got and win one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, but I'll know about it and I'll be happy." 

Shortly after, on December 14, 1920, the Gipper passed away at the age of 25. 

 His story is not only immortalized in the residents and athletes of little Laurium, but in the minds of everyone who has watched the movie, “Knute Rockne: All-American”, with our future president Ronald Reagan in the role as George Gipp. 

Laurium Walking Tour Part 2 - 2019 Camping Post #7

     I began this week by posting about the various historic businesses in Laurium, Michigan. Today, I invite you into some of the homes. Oh, don’t I wish I’d been inside more of these homes. (Spoiler alert, I was in one of them, many years ago.)

 247 Tamarack, built in 1905 and owned by Joseph and Addie Wills. He was Laurium president 1911-1916 and 1930-1936.

 243 Pewabic, built in 1906 and owned by James and Eliza Hoatson. James Hoatson (1846-1923), from the Scottish village of Wanlockhead, was the first of 13 children born to Thomas and Grace Hoatson. The Hoatson family left Scotland in 1853 and finally settled in Calumet, Michigan. James became vice president of the Calumet & Arizona Mining Company which operated several successful copper mines in Arizona and Montana in the early 1900s. In 1879, he married Eliza Anderson (1850-1936). At the time of his death, James and Eliza had a large estate in Hollywood, CA. They had no children. Their house is relatively modest and in good shape today. 

 403 Kearsarge Street, Frank and Jane Carlton built this house in 1903. He made his fortune selling heavy equipment to the mining companies. His store, Carlton Hardware, was located in Calumet.  

 441 Pewabic, 1895. Charles Anderson was a contractor and carpenter who built many of the fine Laurium houses. 

 317 Iroquois, built in 1898 and owned by physician Dr Alexander T LaBerge. You would think that if he was a doctor, I could have found out something about him on the internet, but this is all I have.   

 327 Iroquois, built in 1913 and owned by Gordon R. (b.1870) & Lou Campbell. He was a prominent lawyer and secretary for the Calumet & Arizona Mining Co, eventually becoming its president in 1921. This house looks like it was beautiful in its day, but is in need of TLC today.

 305 Tamarack, built in 1906, by Norman and Minnie MacDonald. Norman MacDonald was born in Germany in 1864 to a Scottish father and a Norwegian mother and immigrated as a child to Calumet. His father owned a drugstore in Calumet, which Norman MacDonald took over in the late 1890s, living over the store with his wife, Minnie. By 1905, though, MacDonald had retired from the business and built this large house in Laurium. The source of his wealth was apparently the Calumet & Arizona Mining Company, in which he had invested. Norman and Minnie MacDonald lived in this house alone with two servants as their only son had died in 1908.  The house is 7,000 square feet and is run as Victorian Hall Bed and Breakfast.    

 320 Tamarack, built in 1908 and originally owned by Thomas Jr and Cornelia Hoatson. Though he was one of the owners of Calumet & Arizona Mining Company, it should be mentioned that Thomas Jr was the first president of the International Hockey League. This grand home has 13,000 square feet, 45 rooms and 9 bedrooms. It was built for $50,000 and furnished for $35,000. Now known as The Laurium Manor Inn, it is open as a bed-and-breakfast and also for tours. 

 Mom, Val and I took a tour of it in 2003, back before I had a digital camera so only took a single picture of it. 

 Wow, way too much information. I went down quite a few rabbit holes on this one. Wasn’t going to stretch this out to a third part, but I’m afraid I’ll have to.

Laurium Walking Tour Part 1 - 2019 Camping Post #6

     The Copper mining town of Laurium, Michigan, was at one time alleged to be the largest incorporated village in the United States. The name of Laurium comes from the Greek town of Lavrion, a mining town which supposedly had a similar type and grade of ore as was discovered and mined in Michigan’s UP by the Laurium Mining Company. The Village of Laurium website goes on to say:

 What is now known as the Village of Laurium was originally the Village of Calumet. The original Village of Calumet was incorporated on April 18, 1889, but was reincorporated and renamed Laurium on March 27, 1895. The Village of Calumet was originally incorporated as the Village of Red Jacket on March 19, 1875. The changing of the name of the Village of Red Jacket to the Village of Calumet was made in 1929.

 Every time I read this, I kinda go, “what?”

 Anyway, on various trips to Michigan’s UP, we’ve explored what is now Calumet (which was once Red Jacket) but have only driven through the outskirts of Laurium (which was once Calumet). Both villages are full of history and rundown buildings. On a previous trip I had picked up a brochure spelling out a walking tour of all the historic places in Laurium. I seem to have misplaced that brochure, but as luck would have it, after taking that walking tour while we were camping in July, I typed up most of the information to share with you at a later date. [I also did find a website .]

 The business district first:

  300 Hecla Street, built in 1901, as the State Savings Bank and had professional offices on the 2nd floor and a bowling alley and ballrooms on the third floor. Now it is Aspirus Wellness Center. 

  310 Hecla Street, originally built as the Village Hall in 1898 and was extensively remodeled in 1914 to include a large ballroom with stage and balcony on the 2nd floor. Currently it’s the police station. 

  320 Hecla Street, built in 1898, was Peter LaPointe Saloon, Wine and Liquor dealer. He lived on the second floor. Current sign on the building announced “Root Notes, music store”, but it didn't look like much, except they do have a website.  

  342 Hecla Street, built in 1894, run as The Vivian Store until 1936. Originally, a 2-story building built for Johnson Vivian, a mining captain with wide business interests. The 3rd floor was added in 1898. Now it is Aspirus Outpatient Therapies and Fitness Center. 

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  323 Hecla Street, built in 1900, by Dominick and Catherine Marta for his bakery on the first floor, with professional offices on the 2nd and 3rd floor. He lived in a house in the back. By 1930, the offices were apartments. It looks pretty deserted now.

  317 Hecla Street, built in 1905, by William Faucett building for his businesses – Laurium Hardware on the 1st flood, and Faucett Brothers and Guck Real Estate on the 2nd. It also looks abandoned.

  315 Hecla Street, built in 1905 and owned by Frederick C. Glocke. A sign in a window currently announces, “Retro Rental and Repair”, but it looks more like a junk store. They don't have a website, but they do have a Facebook page, so maybe they actually do business.

  301 Hecla Street, built in 1907. The First National Bank of Laurium took up most of the first floor, with Superior Pharmacy next to it. Professional offices were on the 2nd and 3rd floors. There was a sign in the window announcing “The Yard Sale” on the 1st floor, but across the street was the actual business by that name, so not sure what is in this building.  

  201 Hecla Street, built in 1900, is the Peter Contralto Block. [I don’t know why, but whenever they call a building a “block”, it just that building and the various offices or businesses within that building, instead of the whole group of buildings we think of in a block.]  This was the Laurium Commercial School until it closed in 1935. Then it became apartments, but if people still live there, it is kind of creepy. 

 Churches next:

  146 Tamarack, built in 1899, the St Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church Congregation moved here from Scott Street in Calumet. It looks like they are still here, with a website to prove it. 

  310 Kearsage Street, built in 1903 for $14,000, the Methodist Episcopal Church could seat 1000 people. It still appears to be operating as a church. I found an interesting article on the building here.  

  246 Tamarack, built in 1895, was originally the Swedish Mission Church. The sign on it now announces, “Laurium Shining Light Church.” The name sounds a little sketchy, but I guess you'll have to check their website or visit it yourself to know.  

 Finally, one school:

  346 Pewabic, built in 1907, the Charles Briggs School, made of brick and sandstone, was the largest school in Laurium. Built for $30,000, it closed in 1977. Briggs was a prominent Keweenaw businessman and president of the C & A Mining Co for 20 years. The building is abandoned now. 

 Next time, I’ll share pictures and stories of the many, cool old residential buildings. Or you can click on this website, where I found a lot more about these buildings, after I already wrote this up. 

Thing 1 and Thing 2 - 2019 Camping Post #5

     I had a lot I wanted to write about today about our July camping trip, but this week has been a blur. Really, a rough week. It’s getting late now, and I just want to post something! So, I’ll just post two things. Ok, and a bunch of pictures.

 Thing #1 – Found a great house for sale in Laurium.

 Reasonably priced. 

 Could use some work. 

 Even includes an extra lot, which has this spot which would be great for a flower garden. Don’t you think? Hubby didn’t think so. 

 Thing #2 – which is the number one thing which McLain State Park is known for – sunsets over Lake Superior. A really great opportunity for me to play with my camera’s settings, too.

In With The Old - 2019 Camping Post #4

     My post on Monday was about going on a quest to see new things in Michigan’s UP. Today, it was more about revisiting the old.

 Our first stop was this little park in Ahmeek. 

 Been here before, but who can resist stopping to take too many pictures of pretty flowers. 

 Especially these roses, which were fake. I couldn’t put my mind around that. 

 This is the cemetery coming into Copper Harbor. 

 I hadn’t thought I’d been there before. But the more I walked around, the more I started getting flashbacks to exploring it with my sister Pat back in the eighties. 

 While there, I decided to play with some of the features on my camera.  

 Really, Chris? You couldn’t have played around taking pictures of the flowers in Ahmeek? Instead, you take twelve pictures of the same headstone using all your camera’s settings? 

 Then there’s the obligatory visit to Fort Wilkins. 

 Note the authentic nineteenth-century painters’ tape. 

 Copper Harbor Lighthouse.  

 What makes lighthouses so fascinating and romantic?

 Then there is simply Lake Superior. So many pictures, and I don’t think I even used any of my camera’s fancy settings. No need to. 

 The freighters are almost as captivating as lighthouses. Perhaps that’s because of Gordon Lightfoot’s haunting tune.

 A quick picture of me and the boys. And that’s it for today.