Norwegian Lutheran Church

(906) 337-3731 When music teacher and pianist/organist Susan Faksvaag Rokicki came to Calumet to research her Norwegian family history, she immediately came upon this church, then suffering from decades of deferred maintenance. It was intertwined with the histories of the many Norwegians then in and around Calumet, and it was connected with a fondly remembered church organist and local music teacher, Mollie Ulseth.
Mollie's father, Edward Ulseth, had been the moving force behind building the church in 1898. He emigrated from Kristiansund, Norway and worked his way up from a laborer to a business leader, real estate developer, and head of a construction firm with 500 employees. The church is said to be a replica of a church in his home town in Norway.

Ulseth's firm built many area homes and locations, including most of Copper City. A kind, good-hearted man, he encouraged many Norwegian countrymen to emigrate and work for his firm, Calumet's largest construction firm.

As the congregation dwindled in the 1950s and 1960s, Mollie tried in vain to save her beloved church. The steeple was removed in 1961. Vandalism was so bad that the village council considered demolition in the 1980s.

Joseph Mihal arrived in Calumet in 1991 with family members then living in Dallas, Texas, who wanted to relocate to a town with historic architecture. He bought the parsonage from Mollie and promised that he would take care of her church. Not long afterward, Susan saw the church and was encouraged by friends and fellow musicians in New Mexico to give concerts to raise funds to stabliize and restore the church building.

Susan realized that many people who live in southern Michigan and elsewhere had connections with the church. As a musician, she felt she could find employment anywhere, so she took it upon herself to move to Copper Country and start the Norwegian Lutheran Church Historical Society. The group has raised funds, and Susan has herself with benefit concerts. Connections with Detroiters of Norwegian descent have been nurtured, and steady progress on the restoration has been made, as shown by a peek inside and before-and-after photos. Now some of the stained glass is visible, and the Gothic altarpiece can be seen. Thanks to exterior paint, it doesn't look like a ghost church any more.

On Seventh at Elm, a block down Elm from the Calumet Theater. (906) 337-3731. Church open from June into early October, daily 9-5. No charge. Donations most welcome. Handicap access: no. A dozen steps go up to entrance.

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