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ISHPEMING
POINTS
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INTEREST
Country Garden Quilts
Mary Poirier's choice of colors for quilt fabrics reflects the bright pinks, blues, and greens of the beautiful front-yard flower garden from when her shop was in Michigamme. She's helped by her retired husband, Bud. They help customers create their own color combinations with customized quilt kits. The shop is quite a local gathering spot.
Customers appreciate the new location, in a tiny building next to Da Yoopers' Tourist Trap, but Bud says it's going to take some work to create a "Country Garden" on the highway. The back yard has promise for a garden with picnic table. Ask about the 10-day spring "Shop the Top Hop," in which 10 Upper Peninsula quilt shops have extended hours, give out free patterns, and more. (—May, 2008)
1335 U.S. 41 West, in West Ishpeming, up the hill between Da Yoopers and Car Quest. (906) 485-5006. Summer hours Mon-Fri 10-5, Sat 10-3. Off seasons: Tues-Sat 10-5, Th to 7. Wheelchair-accessible.
Downtown Ishpeming. Unusual historic buildings house a large antiques store, a longstanding outdoors store, a classic Italian grocery, a specialty homebuilders' store with an upstairs gallery of art and home accessories, and a vintage Carnegie library ...
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Cliffs Shaft Mining Museum. See where miners dressed, walked through tunnel to cages to be lowered down in mine. Retired miners tell tales of work life, cave-ins, tragic accidents. Engaging mine model, artifacts, mineral specimens from Ishpeming Rock & Mineral Club. ...
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Lake Bancroft Park. In dramatic surroundings, you can picnic while enjoying good views of Ishpeming and its monumental mining headframes ...
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Jasper Knob, Cliffs Cottage and vicinity. Climb a huge outcrop of deep-red Michigan jasper (“the world's largest gemstone”) and get a nice view of Ishpeming's southeast side ...
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U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame & Museum. In a ski jump-shaped building, the story is told of how U.S. skiing developed from a minor sport brought by Scandinavians, enhanced by Hollywood, Sun Valley, and the illustrious WWII ski assault team ...
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Artisans Gallery & Clay Studio. A working pottery studio and quality crafts gallery showing U. P. pottery, painting, weaving, wood, and glass works. ...
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Da Yoopers Tourist Trap & Museum. The roadside attraction from a popular satirical U.P. comedy group combines free outdoor exhibits like the world's largest chain saw and deer playing cards at deer camp with Yooper novelties, books, and a good rock shop ...
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Al Quaal Recreation Area. This woodsy 300-acre city park offers a 1,200-foot iced toboggan run and swimming on Teal Lake ...
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Tilden Mine Tour. Tour the vast open-pit iron mine and taconite processing plant and see industry on an awesome scale ...
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Downtown Ishpeming
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Downtown Ishpeming developed as the very prosperous retailing center serving many miners and also the operations center staff of Cleveland-Cliffs Iron. Cliffs Shaft, its most important mine, was right in town. Many white-collar managers, doctors, and mining captains lived on "Strawberry Hill," an easy walk to the mine. Retailing was so robust, and there were so many Jewish small business owners, that Temple Beth Shalom was located in Ishpeming, and not in Marquette. In 1940 Ishpeming's population was 9,500. Today it is 6,700. (West Ishpeming, an adjacent separate community, has 2,800 residents.)
But downtwon Ishpeming declined dramatically, starting in the 1960s. First, there was the general decline of U.P. employment as other mines in the West went into production and it simultaneously became more expensive to dig lower levels of the older underground mines in the heart of the Marquette Range. One reason why it meant so much to local people to have Anatomy of a Murder filmed here and to have so many big stars in town, in restaurants, in churches, was that it lifted spirits in times that were already hard in 1959, when so many young people had to leave for work in cities down below.
Then the bypass for M-28/U.S, 41 was built north of town. The main highway had been right through town, along what's now Business Route 28 along Division Street to Negaunee. The railroad was relocated on an embankment south of the highway, which blocked the town from view, making Ishpeming invisible to motorists. Before, motorists could see the lights and streets of town to the south. (The railroad had run straight through the north side of downtown on an angle, connecting with the Cliffs Shaft Mine.) Cliffs Shaft Mine closed in 1967, because new technology made it more economical to mine low-grade ore close to the surface in open-pit mines and ship pellets. Finally, in the late 1990s an enterprising developer created Country Village, a strip mall north of U.S. 41. Now it is three streets deep, like a alternate downtown of plain prefab buildings surrounded by parking lots.
All this is to say that the volunteer committees of the Ishpeming Main Street program have quite a challenge ahead of them. Since the 1970s the National Main Street program ( www.mainstreet.org ) has been an offshoot of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Main Street approach, now also being used in Calumet, combines historic preservation with grassroots economic development to first, build and strengthen a sense of community; second, enhance the appearance of downtowns through design; third, promote downtown's assets; and fourth, strengthen downtown's economic base in the face of massive community-eroding sprawl. There's a committee for each goal. If they succeed, it will be quite an accomplishment. Read about it at www.ishpeming.govoffice.com. Local diehards appreciate the current spirit of renewal and its positive mix of newcomers and natives.
Ishpeming's Main Street program, begun in 2003, is beginning to bear fruit. Crossed skis on street lights reinforce Ishpeming's pioneering role in American skiing. A handsome illustrated walking/driving tour shows off a variety of interesting places, from the large homes of Strawberry Hill north of Canda and west of Main, to the picturesque mining location of Italian miners off Pine Street south of Lake Angeline. Pick up the free walking tour at the chamber of commerce in the Ski Hall of Fame, Da Yoopers Tourist Trap, Buck's Restaurant downtown, and many other businesses and attractions. You'll learn the story of prominent buildings like the vacant Mather Inn hotel, the Rock Barn, and the home of a Gossard factory, a name known for girdles to millions of American women who grew up before the mid 1960s.
Here are some downtown highlights, arranged for a short walking tour. From U.S. 41, come south into town on Third Street by turning between the Ski Hall of Fame and the Holiday station. Just before Third Street ends, turn left onto Pearl and park in the lot at First Street. Then walk west (away from Third Street) to Main. Turn left to see the two antique shops, then go south on Main down to Division.
• TREASURES & PLEASURES. 121 South Main. Susan Surrell has her "antiques and uniques" in part of this space, along with her husband Terry's NASCAR collectibles. Some of landlord David Aeh's stock of antiques also is here. Same hours as Butler Theater Antique mall. (906) 485-4390.
• BUTLER THEATER ANTIQUE MALL. 119 South Main. Eighteen dealers occupy this small 1915 movie theater and the former Gately furniture store next to it. Antiques and near-antiques here are priced to sell. There's plenty of room for large pieces. Some furniture is on hand to sell to local customers, but there's more emphasis on smaller items summer visitors can carry home in their cars. Antiques dealer and history enthusiast David Aeh had to do something when the Marquette mall he was in was sold. In 2002 he bought this movie theater, unheated, with broken windows, and rehabilitated it as a mall with lots of room for more of his own inventory. He has a good selection of art pottery, glass, framed pictures, and kitchen items from the 1920s to the 1950s. He buys a good deal of his stock from outside the area.
Around 1950 Twentieth-Century Fox gave the Butler an updated mid-century look. Art Deco sconces and floral motifs are intact, though the original stenciled paint scheme has become simpler each time it's been repainted. The new floor pattern in black and gray with yellow and red accents pays homage to the lobby's original floor. Anatomy of a Murder premiered here in 1959, and many stars made the long trip to Ishpeming out of pure generosity. They weren't required to attend. The Butler functioned as a theater until the 1990s, when multiplexes killed it off. The previous owner had installed a removable floor above the slanted theater floor. He took out the projection equipment and screen, making it much harder to revive the Butler for movies again.
David has an observant outsider's view of Ishpeming and enjoys sharing it when asked. He himself grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and worked in a stressful corporate job in Chicago for many years. He came to the area in 1994 after visiting friends in Marquette, and is delighted to live in Ishpeming and now work here as well. "I always wanted a nice house," he says. "In Chicago I could afford a crackerbox. Here I live in an elegant Queen Anne house that sold for under $100,000. It needed a lot of work, but there's still less than $300,000 in it. A similar house in my old Chicago neighborhood sold for $5 million."Open year-round. From May through color season open Wed-Sat from 11 to 4 (3:30 on Saturday), later if business is brisk. In summer open Mon-Sat, same hours. From late October through December open Wed-Sat. Jan-April open Fri & Sat, same hours. (906) 486-8680. Wheelchair-accessible.
• WILDERNESS SPORTS. 107 E. Division at Main. This widely known downtown outdoors store covers the gamut of local sports: hunting, fishing, archery, downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and more. It's a good source of local fishing and hunting information. Fishing gear includes fly-fishing ties made by local anglers. Functional outdoor wear goes from traditional to fashion-forward. It offers cross-country ski and snowshoe rentals. Mon-Fri 8:30-8, Sat & Sun 9-5. (906) 485-4565. Wheelchair access: one step.
• BUCK'S RESTAURANT. 218 South Main at Division. A new super-outdoorsy look incorporates the wildlife mounts of years past. See Ishpeming restaurants. Open daily 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• ISHPEMING CITY HALL. 100 East Division at Main. This unusual structure with its chunky medieval tower exemplifies the strong forms, round arches, and muscular stonework favored by the great H. H. Richardson in his gutsy, American version of Romanesque Revival architecture. It was designed by Marquette architect Demetrius Charlton and erected in 1890-1891, when the Marquette Range was still a very important source of the nation's iron ore. Buildings in provincial places are seldom so bold. Midwestern architecture tends to be careful rather than innovative, except for Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, and the Chicago School.
• ANDRIACCHI'S. 312 West Division, 2 blocks west of Main — a side trip.The basically boring stretch of West Division is enlivened by murals on the south side of Division. One is by the parking lot next to City Hall, another on the wall of the senior center at Division and Pine. A coffeehouse and tack shop/leather goods store catering to local horse owners is opening in the 100 block.
Andriacchi's (pronounced ANN-dree-AHK-ee's) is a trip back in time to a classic Italian grocery catering to immigrant miners. Proprietor Josefa Andriacchi, a baby boomer herself, gave up her job as a telephone engineer to come back home, be with her father, and reopen the store her grandfather Dominic started in 1896 and ran until his death in 1956. It had been mainly a grocery store with some clothes in back. Its tin ceilings and wood floors now show a lot of history and use. All has been kept as a tribute to her family: the meatcutter, old lighting, the counter, the wood crates for olive oil, and more. Some cabinets and display cases are newer, at least 50 years old. Josefa's aunt Teresa worked here all her life. She died in October 2000 - Josefa remembers the exact dates of family milestones - and the store closed but remained present in the hearts of family members. Josefa was inspired - perhaps compelled - to reopen it, which she did in March, 2001.
Here Josefa has assembled quality Italian foods that are generally hard to come by: white wine vinegar, for instance, and cannoli shells, crostini crackers, and, in the refrigerator case, Italian coffees and rice for risotto, especially good capicollo (Italian spiced ham), provolone, and salami - which can be sampled. Lately she has been making up sandwiches - when they sell out, there gone until the next day - and may get into other takeout items. Crafts, imported Italian dishes, and a variety of sweets and snacks from many countries are part of her eclectic mix.
Customers appreciate Josefa herself - generous, never reluctant to voice her strongly held opinions, individualistic and at the same time very Italian. She's happy to tell interested visitors about Ishpeming past and present. If the store's not busy, she might be found listening to an opera and reading the Bible. Open Mon-Fri 10-6, Sat 9-3:30. (906) 486-4331. Wheelchair access: one step.
Now, if you are at Andriacchi's, get back to Main and go northwest.
•"OLD ISH." 100 block of South Main next to Peninsula Bank. A founding father of Ishpeming donated this statue of a stereotypical Indian brave to the city. It has become a beloved symbol, along with the obelisks of Cliffs Shaft mine.
• CONGRESS LOUNGE & PIZZAS. 106 North Main. If it's four o'clock when your walk is over, this local touchstone and repository of Ishpeming history will be open for business. The photos on the walls - of local sports heroes, John Voelker and Anatomy of a Murder, and more - tell a lot about Ishpeming. Open daily, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. (906) 4864233. Wheelchair-accessible.
• THE ROCK BARN WAREHOUSE & CIELO GALLERY. 212 Front Street at Main. Another entrance is on Hematite. This striking large fieldstone building was erected right by the railroad tracks in 1893. It served as a dry-goods distribution center for the prosperous mining towns of the Marquette Range. In 2002 it had already become the Rock Barn window and door retailer, when Amy Hodgins opted out of a sales job and bought both the business and the huge, 20,000-square-foot building. The stone interior walls, distressed wood floors, and timber-frame ceiling of the second story create a dramatic space. Its possibilities were immediately apparent to Amy, who majored in architectural design at Northern Michigan University and has a master's degree in industrial technology. Learning and then consulting in and teaching manufacturing processes makes a person a systems thinker, she says.
Now she has focused the door and window business of the ROCK BARN DOOR & WINDOW on lines like Kolbe & Kolbe doors, windows, and millwork and Pella windows that appeal to preservationists and new home builders who want something more distinctive than what Menard's or the local lumberyard offers. Staff are happy to act as a referral service matching skilled tradespeople with the needs of homeowners.
The Rock Barn is becoming even more of a destination for design-oriented homeowners by renting smaller spaces within the building to compatible entrepreneurs making and selling specialty home-building products like lighting and iron fireplace screens and fencing. The Rock Barn handles sales, so that local craftspeople can focus on their creative and production work. Her first such tenant, COUNTRY COTTAGE TRIM, sells David Danielson's reproductions of vintage wood trim and moldings. Coming in summer of 2005: ROCK BARN LIGHTING, a showroom of interior and exterior lighting, and a HARMON PELLET STOVE dealership. In northern Europe, dense, compressed pellets of natural materials are a slow-burning alternative to fossil fuels.
On the second floor, the seasonal CIELO GALLERY, open May through October, features some 20 area artists and craftspeople in many media, from fine arts such as paintings and stone sculpture to handcrafted furniture and custom fixtures and hardware. Artists are selected and changing shows curated by Maureen Gray, a nationally known stone sculptor who ran the Otherwise Gallery in Lansing before moving to Marquette. "Cielo" (pronounced chee-EH-low) is Italian for "higher place." It seemed like a natural for an upstairs art gallery, especially since "Ishpeming" means "higher place" in Ojibwa and many local residents have Italian ancestry. Call or search online for the current exhibit and upcoming art openings - festive affairs with food and live music. (906) 486-9211. Rock Barn hours: Mon-Fri 7:30-5, Saturday 9-noon. Cielo Gallery hours: Tues-Fri 10-6 except Thurs to 8, Sat noon-5 from May through October. Wheelchair access: from Hematite (rear entrance) for main floor. Gallery is not now accessible.
• THE MATHER INN. 107 Canda at Main. Go from the Rock Barn over to Main and walk north across Hematite, where the railroad used to be. You'll see an impressive colonial brick building that's vacant. When fire destroyed Ishpeming's Victorian-era hotel, Cleveland Cliffs Iron and its president, William Gwinn Mather, led the way in funding a new hotel, designed by a Boston architect in the tasteful, cautious Colonial Revival style favored by Henry Ford and countless college campuses. CCI needed a hotel for visits from its Cleveland staff and business associates. The Mather Inn opened in 1932. In Buildings of Michigan, Kathryn Eckert details its features, including a pine-paneled main lobby with a large fireplace, a sunken dining room, a men's clubroom, and a rock garden and landscaping by Warren Manning, a leading landscape architect of the day. The Mather Inn was home base for the cast of Anatomy of a Murder. It closed in the late 1980s. Today it's privately owned. There's been talk for years of rehabbing the derelict landmark, but so far nothing has happened.
• ISHPEMING CARNEGIE PUBLIC LIBRARY. 317 North Main at Barnum. This library is as beautiful as it was when finished in 1904, part of steel tycoon and monopolist Andrew Carnegie's late-life program of giving back to the people for generations to come. A hundred years later, most Carnegie libraries have expanded and abandoned their original entrances and orientation to be able to incorporate vastly larger collections, computers, and handicap access requirements. Its limited site means this beautifu library has not been able to expand or add a handicap entrance, so its original architecture remains intact. (The high school library is wheelchair-accessible and open some evenings for the general public.) Visit the library's web site, www.uplibraries.org then "Ishpeming," for a good look at the reading room's big round-arched windows and handsome woodwork, and the stained-glass skylight over the circulation desk. Even better, see for yourself. Don't miss the various art works, including a lively sculpture of an Italian wine harvest and a portrait of Anatomy of a Murder and Trout Madness author John Voelker. He credited this library in part for nurturing his love of books from childhood on. In retirement, his outings often included a trip to the library, followed by a cribbage game and a few drinks at the nearby Rainbow Bar at 120 Canda.
From October through April there's a free puppet show in children's room Saturday afternoons at 2. (906) 486-4381. Library hours Mon-Sat 9-5, Tues & Thurs to 7 p.m. Children's room hours: Mon-Sat 12:30 to 5, Wednesday to 7 p.m. No wheelchair access. Five steps.
Another interesting building off the beaten path is the • ISHPEMING FIREHOUSE AND POLICE STATIONat . 100 South Lake. From Main at Division, go west on Division two blocks, then north a block to see this classic early 20th-century fire station, recently restored. It has an enormous tower for drying hoses.
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