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Hunts' Guide to Michigan's UPPER PENINSULA

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MARQUETTE
POINTS
OF INTEREST

Downtown Marquette. A major U.P. destination for people who like to shop, nibble, drink coffee, dine, and explore interesting downtowns. Stroll past ornate buildings, a historic hotel, many restaurants, a classic department store, an 1883 saloon ... more

Marquette County History Museum. Choice artifacts, some life-sized exhibits with audio, and a good gift shop make this stand out. See an Ojibwa family group,the Burt survey party, a child-scale street of shops ... more

Peter White Library. A dream library renovated and expanded through community visioning: restored 1904 reading rooms, an exhibit gallery, a children's room designed by kids, a community art gallery and shop, and a café/coffee bar with fresh Greek specialties ... more

Ridge and Arch Historic District. A well-maintained neighborhood of historic homes in a variety of late 19th-century styles, and two richly detailed red sandstone churches with unusual stained glass windows, one by Tiffany ... more

Upper Peninsula Heritage Center

Former NMU President Bill Vandement wanted the Superior Dome to be about more than sports. He teamed up with history professor Russell Magnaghi (developer of NMU's Center for Upper Peninsula Studies) to create the ambitious Upper Peninsula Heritage Center. It's housed in The Dome's outer concourse and open without charge. Each display window is over 30 feet long and 10 feet deep. Russ solicited donations from celebrated U.P. people and their families, who were astonishingly generous with artifacts and papers.

"Legends of the Upper Peninsula" honors legendary lawyer-author and trout fisherman JOHN VOELKER (a.k.a. Robert Traver). Here is a model of his cherished fishing camp, and the desk where he wrote Anatomy of a Murder. Also represented are the late State Representative DOMINIC JACOBETTI of Negaunee, patron saint of the U.P. for all the regional projects he funded during his long career; Marquette watercolorist NITA ENGLE, winner of the prestigious American Watercolor Society artist of the year award; and 1951 Nobel Prizewinning nuclear chemist GLENN SEABORG (1912 to 1999) Son of a Swedish railroad mechanic, he lived in Ishpeming until the age of 10, when his family moved to California. His influence was enormous for most of the 20th century. He co-discovered transuranium elements numbered 94 to 102, advised 10 U.S. presidents, became chancellor of the U. of California at Berkeley, and advocated for science education until his death. (His mother had advised him to go into bookkeeping. He owed his illustrious career to one high school science teacher.)

Other exhibit cases feature "NMU Sports Championships," "The Natural World of the Upper Peninsula" (the mineral specimens are beautiful), and "Upper Peninsula Ethnic Groups," illustrated with riveting historic photographs in front of a wall of flags representing countries which produced many U.P. immigrants.

But the display of animals native to the Upper Peninsula is the popular favorite. Rob Aho of the DNR often donates animal remains. He'd like to display all U.P. native animals. A special case has been constructed for a mounted moose found as roadkill. He is a very large animal even though immature. The rack of a large bull moose is next to it, for comparison.

A new project underway in the realm of Upper Peninsula history is the BEAUMIER HERITAGE CENTER, temporarily housed here until funds are raised for a new space on campus. Dr. John Beaumier, from Escanaba, became a successful orthopedic physician at the Mayo Clinic. He and his wife, Mary Jane, continuing their long interest in helping others, have given $1 million to NMU for a center showing how the ethnic and religious backgrounds of Upper Peninsula people made it the distinctive region it is today.

Relevant U.P. materials and objects for the Beaumier Center are already being collected — things as varied as boardinghouse expense records and apple juice cans — as it launches a new capital campaign and seeks an archivist/fundraiser. Papers and artifacts of the late Sam Cohodas, Marquette philanthropist and business legend, are already here. They show how he, with his brother, as teenagers, came from Byelorussia to avoid anti-Semitic persecution and the czar's army. They worked to bring their mother and siblings over, then parlayed a simple business selling apples and cabbage from a pushcart in Keweenaw mining communities into a large regional produce wholesaler and orchard owner. Sam Cohodas also established a Marquette bank that became a regional banking empire. His own artifacts include early Green Bay Packers memorabilia (he was an original Packer Backer) and old Jewish lamps.

Temporarily the Beaumier Heritage Center is in Room C-108 of the Superior Dome. Open Tues & Thurs 1-5 during the semester, perhaps later. Also open during Superior Dome athletic events. Enter the Dome's main entrance.
The Dome is at 1401 Presque Isle north of Fair. Main parking lot at the head of Third. (906) 227-2850. Superior Dome open recreation hours: Mon-Thurs 6 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri to 5 when NMU is in session. Call to confirm. Usually used weekends for special events. Wheelchair-accessible.

Lower Harbor. The beautifully designed focus of the city's Lake Superior waterfront, with a fresh and smoked fish shop, a playground/picnic park next to the marina, a historic lighthouse, a breakwall to walk out on ... more

Marquette Maritime Museum. A low-key museum with lots of great stuff: superb replicas of freighters, three Fresnel lighthouse lenses, hands-on fishing nets and a pilot house, colorful flags from Great Lakes freighters, a miniature reconstruction of a famous WWII naval battle ... more

U.S.S. Darter-Dace Silent Service Memorial. A fascinating computerized, narrated diorama of the Philippine naval battle that crippled the Japanese navy, highlighting the critical role of two subs with U.P. crews and a replica conning tower are part ... more

Marquette Harbor Light. Visitors can now tour this oft-photographed lighthouse on the rocks and take the catwalk 300' out to Lighthouse Point, with great panoramic views of Presque Isle, ore dock, harbor, and town ... more

Lakeside bike path from the Inner Harbor to Presque Isle. You can rent a bike or rollerblades for this beautiful, busy shoreline path from the inner harbor to magical Presque Isle Park, passing a beach and picnic area for students and one for families ... more

Lake Superior & Ishpeming RR Ore Dock. Extending a full quarter mile out into the lake, this huge 75' landmark is where you can watch taconite pellets of iron ore delivered by train and noisily dumped into a waiting ore carrier ... more

Studio Gallery. Four prominent artists display their paintings, jewelry, and welded garden sculptures, gates, and hangings here at their gallery and working studio ... more

Moosewood Nature Center. Started by science teachers, the enthusiastic young staff offers 20 programs and outings a month for families and has some live native reptiles and amphibians to watch. A paved Bog Walk Trail is outside ... more

Presque Isle Park. One of the coolest city parks anywhere, it's a rocky, wooded peninsula jutting into Lake Superior with great vistas, 5 miles of walking paths, swimming pool and water slide, picnic grounds, bandshell ... more

The Village shopping district on Third Street. Between downtown and campus, Third Street has several popular restaurants; an excellent outdoors shop with stylish and functional outerwear; Scandinavian crystal, jewelry, and textiles ... more

Superior Dome. See the wood framework of the world's largest wood dome, used for athletics and community walking and jogging. Interesting exhibits in its outer corridor feature U.P. minerals, ethnic groups, and Upper Peninsula legends John Voelker, Dominic Jacobetti, Nita Engle, Glenn Seaborg, and Sam Cohodas ... more

DeVos Art Museum at Northern Michigan University. With this new facility, the Upper Peninsula has a real art museum, open year-round, with some high-level nationally important exhibits along with local and regional shows ... more

Father Marquette Park/ Chamber of Commerce.. Tourist info with a grand view of a picture-perfect town, harbor, and lighthouse ... more

Marquette County Courthouse. A grand public building from 1902, used with respect. See the impressive courtroom where the Anatomy of a Murder case was tried, the great view from the steps, and the display of Voelker legal memorabilia ... more

St. Peter Cathedral and Baraga Archives. In the cathedral, stained glass windows of saints and scenes from Jesus's life. Next door, the papers of the snowshoe priest from Slovenia involved with the early history of many Michigan communities ... more

Upper Peninsula Children's Museum. Low-tech, free wheeling, imaginative fun in a whacky micro city, a recyclatorium, and a great gift shop. Kids learn about microbiology after sliding down a toilet, fly in a real fuselage cockpit ... more

Marquette Food Co-op. Cheerful one-stop shopping with good produce and more trail mixes, energy bars, soy milk and juices for travelers in the attractive new location downtown ... more

Park Cemetery. Download WMOT deejay Jim Koski's chatty Park Cemetery walking tour and a stroll through this hilly, wooded cemetery becomes a guided tour of the graves of Marquette's founding elite ... more

Jilbert's Dairy. An ice cream parlor is the centerpiece of this headquarters complex of the U.P.'s premier dairy, where you can see milk being processed, picnic next to a giant cow, and shop for various U.P. foods and knick-knacks ... more

Brewmaster's Castle Home. The exterior is exotic, but get a look at what's inside ... more

Bingo and Bargains at the Women's Center. See a favorite U.P. pastime in action any evening. The 3,000-square-foot resale shop is open daytimes ... more

Mount Marquette Scenic Lookout. A rocky summit provides a glorious views of the city, the bay, and the vast expanse of Lake Superior beyond ... more

Marquette Branch Prison. The 1889 part of the prison that looks like it's out of Victorian England, with pretty inmate-tended flower gardens out front ... more

U.S. 41 road cut with ancient algal stromatolites. Looming above Highway 41, this rocky cliff reveals eroded remains of ancient (2 billion-year-old) mountains once far higher than today's Rockies ... more

Michigan Welcome Center. The picnic area provides a striking view of Marquette Bay and the distant city of Marquette, with helpful tourist info in the log Welcome Center ... more

Blueberry Ridge Cross-Country Ski Trail/Escanaba River State Forest. 12K of trails, 1.7 miles of them lighted, are groomed for ski-skating and diagonal stride ... more

Lakenenland. One of the U.P.'s most unusual roadside attractions, a pipefitter's quirky sculpture park. Part political, part fanciful, done just for fun. No fee, nothing to buy. ... more

MARQUETTE

Lower Harbor

Long a Marquette landmark on the Lower Harbor, Thill's sells both fresh and smoked fish. The gill-net tug Kathy docked along side the shop is now retired. The open-deck Linda Lee now live-nets most of the shop's whitefish.

The Ellwood Mattson Lower Harbor Park on Marquette's waterfront on Lakeshore Boulevard at the feet of Washington and Main streets has become a community focal point. It has all the elements for an after-dinner stroll or community celebrations like the International Food Festival (July 4 weekend) and holiday fireworks, the Seafood Festival just before Labor Day, and the Labor Day Parade.

The railroad that used to carry iron ore to the Lower Harbor ore dock has been removed, making the enormous landmark more visually stunning than ever. Plans call for developing condos in the ore dock, while an exterior walkway on one level would allow the general public to take in the harbor view.

The Lakeshore Bike Path goes all the way from here to Presque Isle Park. Much of this nearly five-mile distance is lined with parkland, and all is accessible from the bike path.

Here are the current components of the Lower Harbor area, arranged from the south to the Marquette Harbor Light at the north. More improvements are in the works at Founders' Landing, where rail yards used to be.

• Lower Harbor ORE DOCK. Once rail cars moved onto this massive sandstone dock to unload iron ore into the holds of waiting ore carriers via "pockets" or chutes. After a 1971 strike the Lake Superior & Ishpeming rail line through downtown was no longer used. The newer ore dock by Presque Isle was enough to meet later needs. As part of a plan to redevelop the Lower Harbor and South Rail Yards, the 3,000-foot trestle approaching the docks was torn down, removing a longtime landmark across Front Street and opening up a long waterfront corridor for public use. The ore dock looks even more monumental now. It forms a striking backdrop to pleasure boats moored there.
Now that new condos in recent harborfront projects have been snatched up for prices of hundreds of thousands of dollars each, a proposal to build 35 to 50 $500,000 condos in the ore dock's pocket spaces don't seem farfetched. Parking would occupy the lower level. An 8' public promenade would be built at a level below the condos and their terraces.

• THILL'S FISH HOUSE is the last commercial fishing operation of what was once a thriving Marquette-area fishery. Thill's two fishing boats dock here. Prices for fresh and smoked Lake Superior fish are somewhat lower than at supermarkets, and, of course, the freshness can't be beat. Thill's makes smoked whitefish sausage, a smoked fish spread, and pickled trout, herring, and whitefish. It also sells a complete line of frozen seafood. At the foot of Main, a block south of Washington, just north of the downtown ore dock. (906) 226-9851. Open year-round, Mon-Fri 8-5:30, Sat to 3. Wheelchair- accessible.

• CINDER POND MARINA, with 101 slips, serves seasonal and transient boaters and has a boat launch. It's an ideal location, next to a beautiful, lively park and a block away from downtown, with groceries at the Marquette Food Co-op on Baraga at Front. Of relevance to rustic campers: it has public showers. It's the home of the well-regarded Uncle Ducky Charters and Cruises (228-5447). Marina phone: (906) 228-0469. Open May-Oct. Handicap accessible.

• MATTSON Lower Harbor PARK has a playground, picnic area, concession stand, restrooms, and fishing. Benches are positioned to look out on the lake. Details of the benches, pavement and landscaping, and accessory buildings stand out. This painstaking, spare-no-expense, architecturally sensitive approach to designing a space is hardly ever seen in the Upper Peninsula. Just take a look at the concession stand and restroom building, a scaled-down version of a Shingle Style house. The concession stand is open with hot dogs, ice cream and such from Memorial Day through Labor Day, noon to 8.
Many events are held here, including sailboat regattas each Wednesday evening and some weekends. Amateur sailors maneuver around the five-mile buoyed course.
One Lower Harbor display that will long live on in local memory was the family tree project by community artist Mary Wright. Here at the Lower Harbor over a hundred donated telephone poles were transformed by families into family history totem poles, using paint, wood, metal, applied photographs and much more. Wright's career in masterminding community-made environmental art projects took off after hundreds of old chairs, painted by local people in the Finnish national colors of sky blue and white, lined downtown streets to celebrate The effect was sensational at Finnfest, the annual get-together of North American Finns held that year in Marquette. 250 Lakeshore. Open year-round. Handicap accessible.

• LAKE SUPERIOR THEATER. A striking converted boathouse is home to original summer musical theater, often with regional themes based on Upper Peninsula history and music traditions. 2005 plays: 1776 musical July 6-10, 13-17. Songs for a New World July 27-31, August 3-7. Honk, Jr. July 20-24. A Gala Day at the Co-operative Store August 10-14 (Finnfest). See www.mqtcty.org/departments/arts or call (906) 227-7625. Advance reservations advised - a month ahead may be needed.

• MARQUETTE MARITIME MUSEUM..

• S.S. DARTER CONNING TOWER, part of the U.S.S. Darter-Dace Silent Service Memorial. (More exhibits, with no admission fee, are inside the Marquette Maritime Museum next door.) Actually this is a replica of the conning tower of the WWII submarine that supplied vital reconnaissance information and fired the first torpedo in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the decisive naval battle against Japan and the largest naval battle in history thus far. Marquette High School students fabricated the replica with help from Northern Michigan University. Two 20mm guns have been mounted atop it, and a vintage WWII torpedo installed in front of it.

• Lower Harbor BREAKWALL is a very popular spot for fishing for coho, steelhead, lake trout, and whitefish. You can walk on it half a mile out into the harbor. It's a pleasant place for a stroll on a nice summer evening, but to be avoided when it's stormy and waves are high. The breakwall offers excellent views of the harbor, city skyline, and lighthouse.

• MARQUETTE HARBOR LIGHT. One of Michigan's most picturesque lighthouses perches atop a rock bluff on Lighthouse Point. Guided tours of the lighthouse and grounds are offered by the Marquette Maritime Museum.

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