REPUBLIC

Region: Marquette Range

An old livery the became the region's 7-UP bottling plant is now an antique shop in Republic.

Koski Corners on U.S. 41 about 3 miles east of Champion marks the intersection with M-95 heading toward Iron Mountain. The town, beach, and mine at Republic, seven miles south, are a worthwhile detour. Today the village of Republic has around 600 residents in two locations. They are separated by the huge, now inactive open-pit iron mine that has been developed into an interesting year-round visitor attraction with outstanding interpretive panels. Our paraphrased history is drawn from theirs; see the panels for a detailed on-site illustrated explanation.

This uncommonly pleasant park at the entrance to Republic is on the Michigamme Basin, a vast lake created first by a spillway in the 1870’s to impound water from the Michigamme River for mining operations. The present concrete dam was constructed in 1875-1876 to provide mechanical energy to compress air to power mining operations.

The original government land survey in 1848 noted the presence of iron ore, which turned out to be a very rich deposit. The village, first known as Iron City, goes back to the first mine in 1870. Some houses and storefronts reflect the earliest boom and the ongoing development of Kloman Street in downtown Republic (today it would be called North Republic) as a trading center for the surrounding area of mining locations as far as Witch Lake and Black River.

The Republic Mine continued in operation until 1926. By the 1950s, new technology enabled low-grade iron to be concentrated and efficiently shipped as taconite pellets, and Cleveland Cliffs Iron decided to develop an open pit mine at Republic to extract low-grade ore closer to the surface. Three streets of houses were moved to a new location south of the future pit, now known as South Republic, reached with its own exit off M-95. The old downtown is now called North Republic. The best way to get to downtown is to take the exit by the town beach, go up the hill, and turn left at the T intersection. A right turn leads to the open pit. Pretty Munson Park is at the T intersection, with a pavilion, picnic tables, and grills.

The open pit mine set off another boom in the 1950s. Solid ranch homes and the new school were built in South Republic. The Republic Open Pit Mine closed in 1981 when the price of iron ore dropped to the point where operations were unprofitable.

The Michigamme River, one of the Upper Peninsula's longest rivers and largest watersheds, flows past Republic. Sandy Republic Beach is right off the highway just west of North Republic on a wide stretch of river above the Republic Dam. It's a beach that you can often have all to yourself. A horseshoe pit and basketball court are by the beach. Jon Mykkanen uses the beach to launch kayaks in the safety-oriented kayaking classes offered through his Quiet Sports Outfitters a block away in downtown Republic.

On M-95 a mile or so south is another river access point for paddlers at a very pleasant Michigan Department of Transportation roadside park with parking and a picnic area. The river is shallow here, sometimes too shallow for paddling.

Today the Republic-Michigamme School District, with some 150 students in grades kindergarten through 12, has instituted a four-day school week to save money. One father and school board member says that his kids love it, and their grades are better. They are in school from 8 a.m. to 4:10 p.m., then stay in the school library - doing homework! - until parents pick them up. He says kids are more rested, sick less, and available to go to medical appointments and other trips on Mondays. The district has saved a whopping $100,000 out of a $1.3 million budget - nearly a 10% savings. Savings come not only from 20% lower transportation cost, but also from reduced heating, cafeteria, and support staff costs. Only the working parents are unhappy with the new schedule.

The Republic area is surrounded by woods, lakes, and wetlands, much of it part of the Escanaba River State Forest. Rustic state forest campgrounds are on Squaw Lake and North Horseshoe Lake west of the town of Witch Lake, which is a little over 10 miles south of Republic. Land prices have climbed so high that younger people in the area can't afford to buy a camp, once a standard perk of Upper Peninsula life.

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