I guess this is sort of a landmark day as I begin my fiftieth day on this year's travels. As you know my location is Upper Michigan, specifically Marquette. The trail has been quite random, a map would show you a line looking very much like a heart beat monitor. I have also come to the conclusion that I may be traveling too rapidly.
Yesterday was a very interesting day, one that took me downtown Marquette and discovered an excellent Cajun/Creole restaurant 'Lagniappe Cajun Creole Eatery'. As good as NOrlins and such a surprise.
This area is and has been since the mid 1800s, the US's supplier of iron ore as well as copper and now nichol. There is the Michigan Iron Industry Museum outside Negaunee. Very credible self guided tour, but for the day was made by going to Negaunee itself and seeing it up close. There are about three major iron fields in UP and the one here was run by the Jackson Mining Company. They started during the discovery period and first mined the 'mountain of ore' the Ojibwe lead them to. Then the easy stuff was gone and they needed to start mining. They advertized in Great Britain to bring over the Cornish miners as their lead mines were starting to peter out. During the height of their prosperity, the company decided that much of the undercutting of the mine shafts posed a threat to the town for cave ins and closed off and moved the people out of a significant section of town. I met two natives of the town who grew up with the 'move', as it happened in the mid '70s. "Either move to another house, or the company would moved the house or they would buy you out." No other choice.
Of course, the land didn't collapse and the ore production moved to open pit mines near by, as mining became too expensive. But the damage was already done and the people moved.
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| All the area to the left is now overgrown and abandoned |
This is part of the town that is still around and the houses are a couple of ones that were moved across town.
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| I walked by this red door as a man came out and proceeded to talk to me as we walked. |
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| Train Freight Depot that is now an architect's office. |
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| Passenger Depot THere were once three rails - two this side, one opposite |
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| Repurposed building and restored Packard |
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| One of many 'moved' houses |
It was a great pleasure to talk with my two 'guides' about their town and made it all the more special.
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