Mass City - Michigan's Upper Peninsula

<html> <head> <title>Mass City - Michigan's Upper Peninsula</title> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1"> <META Pragma: No-Cache> <META name="Pragma" No-Cache> <META Cache-control: No-Cache> <META HTTP-EQUIV="expires" CONTENT="Wed, 26 Feb 1997 08:21:57 GMT"> <META name="description" content="Wonderful walk up to dramatic bluff with grand vista highlights visit to this isolated village along pleasant highway."> <base href="http://hunts-upguide.com/"> <link href="/style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <center> <table width="100%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0> <tr> <td width="18%" colspan=2 height=82 bgcolor="#306799" valign="top"> <table width="100%" cellpadding=22 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td align="left"> <b><font size="-2" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <font color="#FEE384">We welcome<br> your comments<br> experiences &<br> corrections.<br></font> <img src="images/1x1.gif" 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width="18%" rowspan=3 valign="top"> <a target="_top" href="/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/dehunt/click.pl?nextfile=http://hunts-upguide.com/up_travel_map.html"><img src="/ads/Small_map_ad_ver_6.gif" border=0 ALT="UP Travel Map ad" width=160 height=418></a> <p>  <a target="_top" href="http://www.wunderground.com/US/MI/Mass_City.html?bannertypeclick=bigtemptr"> <img src="http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/bigtemptr_both/language/www/US/MI/Mass_City.gif" border=0 alt="Click for Mass City, Michigan Forecast" height=94 width=185></a> <br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=20 height=3 alt="---"><br>  <center> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=5 width="100%" height=9> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=790 height=9 alt="---"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="17%">  <table width="100%" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td width="100%" valign="top">  <table width="100%" cellpadding=10 cellspacing=0 border=0 bgcolor="#306799"> <tr> <td valign="top" bgcolor="#306799"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <b> <a class="sidebar" href="/" target="_top">Home</a><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="85" height="5"><br> <a class="sidebar" href="porcupine_mountains_and_ontonagon.html" target="_top">Back to Porcupine Mountains and Ontonagon</a> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="85" height="20"><br> </b> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="100%"> <table width="100%" border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=10 bgcolor="#FFE09B"> <tr> <td align="left"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=100 height=10 alt="-"><br> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-1"> <center><font color="#C82F2C"><b>MASS CITY<br>POINTS<BR>OF INTEREST</b></font><br> </center> <font color="#263692" size="-2"> <p> <a name="e110"><b>Mass City Knob.</b></a> A wonderful vista awaits those who take a 20-minute hike above the town ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/mass_city_mass_city_knob.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e111"><b>Mineral collecting at the Caledonia Mine.</b></a> The U.P.'s only remaining active copper mine (for specimens only) attracts rockhounds from far and wide ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/mass_city_mineral_collecting_at_the_caledonia_mine.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <p>   </font> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td>   </td> </tr>  <tr> <td align="center"> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> <td valign=top width="1%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="9" height=500 alt="|"> </td> <td valign=top width="63%">  <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0> <tr> <td valign=top align=center bgcolor="#018650" colspan=2> <center> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="30" height=8 alt="-"><br> <b><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-1"><a class="whitelink" href="porcupine_mountains_and_ontonagon.html" target="_top">Region: Porcupine Mountains and Ontonagon</a></font></b><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="100%" height=3 alt="-"><br> <h1>MASS CITY</h1> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="30" height=8 alt="-"></center></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="63%">  <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=8 border=0> <tr> <td align="left">  <font face="Georgia"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=6 alt="-"><br> <center> <table cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=0 width=420> <tr> <td> <img src="http://hunts-upguide.com/photos/467.gif" width=420 height=175 alt="Elm Country Market" border=0> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <b>As in so many small U.P. towns, the Harvest Country Market in Mass City is a true general store, with groceries, even produce and meat, plus beer and liquor, hardware, and everyday necessities. It's at the far end of Mass Avenue, which joins M-26 at the corner where Tiges Bar is. </b> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </center><p> Plain but intriguing — that's the image of Mass City, an old copper mining village on M-26 just south of M-38. First, there's the dramatic exposed rock bluff at the head of the main street, a picturesque, mostly abandoned downtown. The Mass City knob just west of town is an extension of the Trap Hills. Viewed from town in the morning, it seems to glow. The bluff is especially handsome in fall color season. Unfortunately, the bluff is on private property, now gated to keep out ATVs. But there's even a <B>more spectacual vista</B> up a road and trail from <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/greenland.html" target="_top">Greenland</a>. Go to that page on our website for directions on how to get there.<br><br>Mass City has an old general store, <B>CHANCES</B> (named after the owner's dog), on M-26 across from the Fireside Gallery. It sells hardware, clothing, etc. More atmospheric is the century-old <B>COUNTRY MARKET</B> grocery store, not visible from the highway. (It's on Mass Street, toward the bluff from the highway). With its ancient hardwood floor and genuine vintage atmosphere, it's a pleasant stop on any journey along M-26.<br> <br>The <b>FIRESIDE GALLERY</b> (906-883-3268), on U.S. 26 at Mass City's only blinker light, is generally open from 9 to 5 year-round. It opened over 20 years ago when proprietor Gail Maloney, then a mother of four small children, got interested in oil painting. Her friend, the wife of future State Senator Don Koivisto, then of Mass City, also painted. The women couldn't conveniently get art supplies, so they started a business which has grown into a gallery of local art and crafts with art classes. Gail is one of those people who radiates energy to others. Her art center led to the <b>Adventure Artisans Theater</b> in the township hall, which produces two plays a year. <br><br>Another creative resident of the Mass City area is acclaimed jazz pianist and composer <B>Bill Carrothers</b>, best known for his concerts and workshops in Europe. He lives in a wooded area with his wife and children. Living here lets him compose without distractrions and pursue his other passion, snowmobiling. (Hear his music, often influenced by his longtime interest in historical events like the Civil War and World War I, by Googling "bridgeboymusic.") He and his wife had been in the area snowmobiling, liked it, and found their house on the internet. When he tours, he flies out of Rhinelander or their home town of Minneapolis.<br><br><center> <table cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=0 width=420> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-1"><b>...continued below...</b></font> <br clear="all"> <hr> <center> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </center> <hr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://hunts-upguide.com/photos/466.gif" width=420 height=189 alt="Mass City home" border=0> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <b>Handyman special: call the number on this Mass City house if you're looking for a fixer-upper. In many parts of the Upper Peninsula, locals and visitors appreciate the sight of gently decaying buildings in the landscape. </b> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </center><p> Once Mass City was a center of dairying and Finnish culture. It even had two Finnish co-operative stores — a "red" co-op (deeply political and socialist) and a "white" co-op (more mainstream in politics and religion, and far more widespread). Up through the 1940 and the dairying era, a sizable maker of Italian cheeses, the Stella Cheese Factory, was here. It is said to have been owned by a German count, and its workmen, they say, would throw the whey byproduct down an abandoned mine shaft on Adventure Mountain. All that's left of the once-prominent cheese factory is its well, which you can still see down by the railroad tracks on the south side of town. <br><br>Today the major employers for Mass City residents are small logging companies. Mass City has The Adventure Café (open 'til noon) and two bars. <p align="right"><a href="porcupine_mountains_and_ontonagon.html" target="_top">Back to Porcupine Mountains and Ontonagon</a></p> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="37%" valign="top"> <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=8 border=0> <tr> <td height="4" width="37%">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=1 alt="-"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="center" bgcolor="#C7302D" width="37%">  <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" color="#FFFFFF"> <b> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> <font size="-1"> MASS CITY<br> RESTAURANTS,<br> LODGINGS<br> & CAMPGROUNDS </font> <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=6 alt="-"><br> <font size="-2">These are our choices, not ads.</font><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> </b> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top bgcolor="#FFE09B" width="37%">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>MASS CITY<br>RESTAURANTS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> <a name="e1401"><b>Adventure Cafe</b></a><br> (906) 883-3520 <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> Breakfast cafe offers homemade white toast. Also popular is the "Adventure Omelette"—3 eggs with ham, cheese, onions, green peppers, and hash browns. Adjoins a 9-room motel by same owners. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>On M-26 next to Plutchaks convenience store in the middle of Mass City. Open 7-noon.</i> <p> <a name="e1400"><b>Copper Country Cafe</b></a><br> (906) 883-3970 <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> The $5.25 Lumberjack Special (2 eggs, 2 pancakes, 2 sausages, 2 pieces of bacon) is a favorite breakfast offering here. The half-pound burger basket starts at $6.25 Friday night fish fry offers either beer-bttered cod (6.95) or fried jumbo shrimp ($5.95). <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>On M-26 "downtown" Mass City. Open 7-3 Sun-Thurs, 7-7 Fri & Sat.</i> <p> </font> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#CDCCAD" valign="top"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>MASS CITY<br>LODGINGS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> </font> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#B6DBA4" valign="top"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>MASS CITY<br>CAMPGROUNDS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> <a name="e1405"><b>COURTNEY LAKE CAMPGROUND</b></a><br> (906) 884-2411; TTY: (906) 884-6577. fs.fed.us/r9/ottawa Not reservable. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> 17 large sites, under a canopy of mature maples, are up on a hill above 30-acre Courtney Lake in the <B>Ottawa National Forest</b>. It's managed as a <b>trout lake</b> and shared with the Ottawa Sportsmen's Club. There's not a lot of shrubby buffer between sites. Tap for water, scattered outhouses. The boat ramp, small beach and picnic area are a short walk away, but not adjacent. This is a no-wake lake. It's is warm enough for good summer swimming but still refreshing on a hot day. Beautiful in fall — a favorite with Minnesota and Wisconsin couples who like peace and quiet. Nearby highway makes it easy to reach Mass City/Greenland, Ontonagon, the the Porkies, under 25 miles away. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>South off M-38 (the highway between Baraga and Ontonagon) halfway between Nisula and on the west M-26. About 8 miles from Mass City and Greenland. Watch for Forest Service sign, then 1 mile south on Courtney Lake Rd. Handicap access: call. Open from late May thru Nov. $10/night. </i> <p> </font> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=5 align="center">  <br> <center> <font size="+1" color="#454545" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica">Copyright © 1997-2007 Midwestern Guides</font> </center> </td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>