Mining Tourism in 1985

Keweenaw Heritage Site marker at the Delaware Mine. (Photo taken by me in 2010).

While combing through newspapers trying to find tidbits on the strike I came across a Chicago Tribune article called “Mining the U.P.’s Photogenic Pictured Rocks.”  Published in the October 13, 1985 edition of the paper, the article examines signage and tourism in the U.P.  Although there is a heavy focus on the Pictured Rocks, including misconceptions as to what the tourist site is, the types of leisure Munising offers, etc, there is also a list of other “worthwhile” destinations in the U.P.

Copper Harbor is billed as a one-time mining town turned tourist trap, highlighting Fort Wilkins.  Houghton is described as the site of the first great mineral strike and the copper bearing rocks are noted for their age.  Tech’s mineral collections also receive a nod.

Seeing the general nature in which Copper Country destinations are described, even despite the buzzword use of mining in the article title, this article says little about the riches the area truly offers.  Isn’t the essence of good tourism writing that of ample description?  Of course you want to give straightforward information as to where, when, and how to visit things, but don’t you also want to entice your reader to visit those sites you mention?  In my lifetime I have seen the signage in the Copper Country, Houghton and Keweenaw county especially, take a turn towards greater text, prominent roadside visibility, and increased interpretation.  Tourist sites and roadside historical markers have increasingly been transformed into heritage sites in that they are not only something curious or interesting for tourists to look at but they are also striving to bestow some information or food for thought upon the viewing public.  I wonder how the Tribune article would be presented if it were written today?  Of course I would like to hope that there would be greater billing for the strike commemoration in the Copper Country, but it seems there could also be a greater focus on the meaning of heritage sites beyond describing them as historical novelties.

Suggested Read: Rebels on the Range

Rebels on the Range: The Michigan Copper Miner’s Strike of 1913-1914
Arthur W. Thurner
John H. Forster Press 1984

Given recent events in states like Wisconsin, I thought it appropriate to share some historical perspectives on labor relations in the Copper Country.  Rebels on the Range: The Michigan Copper Miner’s Strike of 1913-1914 by Arthur W. Thurner looks at the events of the copper strike, which began in July 1913.  With representation by the Western Federation of Miners, copper mine strikers fought for a shorter working day, improved working conditions, higher wages, and recognition of their union.  Of particular interest to worker safety was the one-man drill (as opposed to the drill that used two workers), which from a company perspective saved on wage hours but from a worker perspective greatly increased the instance of serious and possibly fatal injury.   Rebels on the Range chronicles the events which prompted the strike and discusses the events of the strike itself.  Thurner takes care to discuss those events directly related to the mines and the goals of strikers as well as those events that impacted the community and families, such as the Italian Hall disaster.  As a local of Calumet, Thurner was able to utilize local resources and interview local people to create his account of local labor history.

In addition to recommending this book for those interested in the copper miner’s strike and general labor history I would also like to recommend that you take a look at the journal Labor: Studies in Working Class History of the Americas. If you are unable to subscribe, please take a look at four articles that they recently made available to the public.  The articles listed below will help place current labor struggles into a broader historical context.  I think these articles will be great discussion starters.

Joseph A. McCartin
“Fire the Hell out of Them”: Sanitation Workers’ Struggles and the Normalization of the Striker Replacement Strategy in the 1970s

Nelson Lichtenstein
Despite EFCA’s Limitations, Its Demise Is a Profound Defeat for U.S. Labor

Laura Murphy
An “Indestructible Right”: John Ryan and the Catholic Origins of the U.S. Living Wage Movement, 1906-1938

Keith Gildart
Two Kinds of Reform: Left Leadership in the British National Union of Mineworkers and the United Mineworkers of America, 1982-1990

Public History in Action

Photo courtes of the MTU Digital Archives, part of the Reeder Photograph Collection.

The National Park Service has announced temporary summer employment at the Isle Royal National Park.  While the island lies quite a few miles off the coast of the Keweenaw Peninsula, this is still a great opportunity for anyone looking to partake in the preservation and interpretation of the area’s wildlife and natural history.  The announcements are closing soon so please go to USA Jobs and search Isle Royal.  You will see listings for park rangers (both interpretation and protection), visitor use assistants, and other unique positions.  The duty locations for these positions are either at the Houghton office site or the actual Isle Royal park on the island.  The Houghton office is within walking distance of many great restaurants, shops, and attractions and Isle Royal itself is home to all sorts of wild animals, gorgeous hardwoods, and spectacular views of Lake Superior.  What a great way to spend a fun summer in the Copper Country!

Suggested Read: Mine Towns

Mine Towns by Alison K. Hoagland, 2010

Mine Towns: Building for Workers in Michigan’s Copper Country
Alison K. Hoagland
University of Minnesota Press, 2010

I recently finished reading Mine Towns: Buildings for Workers in Michigan’s Copper Country by Alison K. Hoagland, a professor of history and historic preservation at my alma mater, Michigan Tech.  While I never took any of her courses while I was a student there, I had a feeling her known interests in historic buildings generally and her interest in the Copper Country specifically could lead to a work such as this.  I’m happy to see this work as it makes a great contribution to the body of literature related to the region’s history.

As I recently reviewed this book for a journal due out later this summer I will not post a formal book review for this title here.  What I will do is simply highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the Copper Country, industrial history, and mining history.  Hoagland explores the meaning of corporate paternalism in the Copper Country through a study of the material landscape and architecture, a family micro-history, and the relationships between the mining company managers and the working-class labor force.  In doing so she provides a thoughtful account into the realities of life in the Keweenaw Peninsula during the land rush of the mining boom days (late 1800s and early 1900s), not only in terms of working relationships and ongoing negotiations between a largely immigrant workforce and company management, but also in terms of family relationships, domestic duties, work responsibilities, and community life.  Please check out this book and stay tuned for more book features!

Riches

Michigan House Cafe and Red Jacket Brewing Co., Calumet, Michigan. (Photo by L. Hiltunen August 2010)

As a native of Michigan’s Copper Country, Tamarack City born and raised, I have long been blessed with ample opportunities to explore and discover the region and its past.  Literally being surround by ruins of the mining industry, as there was an old mill site in the property adjacent to my house growing up as well as the remains of the single steam-powered stamp from the Ahmeek Mill just down the street, I was able to satisfy my curiosity about the past.

As an undergraduate at Michigan Tech University (2000-2003) I worked for one year as a student assistant in the archives which only strengthened my desire to broaden my historical knowledge.  After obtaining my Master’s in Library Science from Catholic University, I knew my true passion was gaining a subject knowledge expertise in modern American history, with particular interests in industrial history, labor history, preservation, and culture.  It goes without saying that I’ve always had a great interest in Michigan history as well.  My current graduate degree path in history at George Mason University has thus far been the perfect opportunity to once again explore the region I grew up in and love so much.  In my historiography class I have been compiling a resource list of books and articles on the copper industry in the western Upper Peninsula.  This bibliography got me thinking about long-term research projects and continued investigation.  While I will hopefully be able to continue to explore the region as part of my future doctoral work (which I plan to pursue at a Michigan institution), as I am finishing my MA at GMU I figured this would be a perfect forum to continue discussing and observing the Keweenaw and surrounding area.  The area has a rich cultural, industrial, and natural history and I hope to share that with you through my research interests, book reviews, community profiles, business spotlights, pictorials, stories, etc.  Please check back soon for my first proper post!

On a personal note, I would like to thank my grandfather, David Halkola, for all of his guidance and inspiration.  He was a passionate historian, scholar, and educator.  He also had a deep love for the Copper Country and its unique history.  I am lucky to have had a grandfather who showed me the array of riches to be discovered in scholarly pursuits as well as the benefits of humor, kindness, and a curious mind.