4 years ago
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Monday, July 20, 2009
Summer of '09 Part 1
For me, the summer of 2009 was going to be a summer of epic adventure. It didn't happen the way I had planned, but it was the summer during which I saw and experienced more of America than in my entire life.
The following is a record of my summer adventures, with pictures taken by myself and friends, with excerpts from my journal. This isn't a diary, this is a story- and I've been careful to tell it as such, leaving out drama, feelings, and the boring bits. So here's what happened.
The idea to walk around Lake Michigan came after watching Into the Wild for the first time, during the winter of 07/08. Watching Alexander Supertramp's enacted adventure made me want one of my own. From the start, I didn't delude myself; I understood that Lake Michigan was pretty developed. I had no grand illusions of a pristine beach that I could spend a summer on, but I hadn't quite pictured the reality either.
I packed my bag, and left on May 7th at 10:15. I said to Dan: "See you in a few months" and walked off. It should have been scary, or difficult, or something. Some feeling of hesitation. It didn't come. It was a Thursday, and sunny. It wasn't long (a mile or two outside Houghton) that I got bored with walking by the road, and wanted to get to the lake. The road wasn't the destination, and I didn't exactly have a surplus of time. So, for the first time in my life, I stuck out my thumb. I caught one ride, which took me to where 41 splits from 141. I took 141 south, on foot. I camped early because a storm was coming in. I began reading "Into the Wild"
"Eager to see the lake. Took full inventory, plenty of gear, plenty of food. Morale is high"
The next day, I got three rides. One from a talkative man in a Jeep who built everything he owns and his silent partner. One from a guy in a truck who loved motorcycles, and one from a woman named Sarah, who was a nurse, and who assumed I was a Christian. I made camp somewhere south of where US-2 leaves 41.
"Train scared the shit out of me last night. Real slow start due to rain. Feeling cold but good. When thing dry out, I head for Menominee. Later- Lake Michigan! Made Menominee in three days. Mary had no pot, but drove me the last leg. Tim the bartender doesn't seem to think much of the place. I was thrilled to see the lake. Drinks as celebration. Set up near the park. Bar is a short walk, want to have a fun night, planning on staying another day. We'll see if the itchy feet agree. Still lots of food & gear. Plenty of $. 2 rides today. Very happy with progress. Morale is very, very high."
The train that scared me was on tracks maybe 50 meters away, on the other side of a small swamp. When it came through at 2am, I was sure that it was going to run me over. The reference to the pot came from one of my rides. I got into the Subaru, and the big lady behind the wheel suddenly: "Oh man! I don't have any pot! I always pick up hitch-hikers and I always give them pot!" I told her it was fine. The girl in the front seat kept looking back at me with a nervous smile, and her brother next to me offered me a smoke. They looked expensive, I declined.
I was very popular at the bar that night, my new acquaintances bought me lots of shots. I got pretty drunk, and met a dog named Oreo at the house of one of the gals I had met. I liked the dog better.
The next day, Matt Stachiowiak came to visit. We walked around and took pictures.
When I got back to my camp, my stuff had been tossed and my pack was gone. In a rare and random act, I had taken everything out of it. All they got was my pack, camera case, med kit and survival kit. For the first time, I was afraid.
"Went to sleep wondering what will happen"
The next day (day 5) I "...bought a pack from Freddy. Hours lost @ dead fish point. Must be more aware of surroundings. Roughly 1 mile of beach to walk on. The rest was houses. It was not difficult in the least but very boring. I'm very discontent with the trail so far" It was the events at Dead Fish Point- a name given by me- that made me question my plan for the first time.
Dead Fish Point:
"My one mile of beach was a peninsula that I named dead fish point (after the large number of big dead fish). I was walking on the beach next to cut grass and trails & I was happy. When the little park area ended, I was even happier. No trails here, I'm making my own way. It wasn't long before the going got tough. That was okay, I'm a tough guy, so I kept going. After all, I'm planning on doing some bushwhacking anyhow. I soon got lost in the quagmire (literally). The swamp thwarted every path. The only way back was the only way across. I had to backtrack to the prissy park or wade through chest deep muck. I come to the realization that it's either housing, dog walking area, or chest deep muck"
The next day, I wake early and walk until late. Bored stupid. That night, I weigh my options.
The thought process as it appears in the journal:
Why I wanted to do this:
1. Explore -Nothing to explore, it's all houses
2. Prove I can wander -I can wander, and well. I've proven this and my perspective has changed.
3. Fun -It's not ll that fun
4. Experience open road -Open road kicks ass
5 Meet people -Crappy way to meet people. very lonely trip
Adventure was always game. LM was the where and walking was the how.
I love my solitude but NEED people.
Reasons for changing the were and how of the game:
So I helped him with his last two deliveries and we talked about science and religion and astronomy. He was a retired cop, going to school to be a teacher. The stories he had about his time on the force... When he dropped me off, he offered to let me live in the house he was moving out of for a week. It needed to be painted and remodeled before they sold it. It would be some food, some cash, some work, and some place to stay for a bit. After a background check, of course. I considered, but decided to hit the road.
I called Mena, and shaved in a creek while I waited for her to get back from work. We toured the city, spending time in the part of the Oshkosh library full of books on lineage. I learned stories of my ancestors, of the tradition of Thomas Maynards, and verified that our family crest matches the one in Grandpa's basement.
After this, I return to Houghton courtesy of my good friends Bryant and Stacy. They were itching for a road trip and I was an excuse. I spent a couple days in Houghton, until I got two phone calls. One was from Dad, the other from Brad. Upon calling back, I got the worst news on my life. It's good to have friends in a time like that. Lauren talked to me about Eric Verhaar for a while, then we watched Dr. Who to get my mind off of it. I leave her place, pack, help Bryant move with Mikey B, and head south to mourn my friend.
I get to camp at around 4am, and wake up to friends. We do work and tell stories all day. That night is very emotional, so details are foregone. Suffice it to say that it's good to have friends and family, the whole scouting community was there. The next few days are occupied with visitation and the funeral. Bonfires and stories and toasts.
The days following that are for fun. Running around with Phil and the gang. Shens in GR, yard work, relaxation, more shens. Go back to camp, and repair the bridge. Time spent at Dad's place alone with the fire and my records. A couple days there, and I journey back up to Houghton. There's a week of friends, fun, and relaxation there, and then back down to Mackinac for my birthday. Spend time on the island with Dad, Ted, and Katie. We bike around it in no time flat, and look at the fort and other attractions. We have a great time, and the next day I say my goodbye's and truck on back to Houghton.
This concludes part 1 of my summer. Coming in part two: The greatest adventure of my life, excitement, romance, danger and a pretty wicked soundtrack.
The following is a record of my summer adventures, with pictures taken by myself and friends, with excerpts from my journal. This isn't a diary, this is a story- and I've been careful to tell it as such, leaving out drama, feelings, and the boring bits. So here's what happened.
The idea to walk around Lake Michigan came after watching Into the Wild for the first time, during the winter of 07/08. Watching Alexander Supertramp's enacted adventure made me want one of my own. From the start, I didn't delude myself; I understood that Lake Michigan was pretty developed. I had no grand illusions of a pristine beach that I could spend a summer on, but I hadn't quite pictured the reality either.
I packed my bag, and left on May 7th at 10:15. I said to Dan: "See you in a few months" and walked off. It should have been scary, or difficult, or something. Some feeling of hesitation. It didn't come. It was a Thursday, and sunny. It wasn't long (a mile or two outside Houghton) that I got bored with walking by the road, and wanted to get to the lake. The road wasn't the destination, and I didn't exactly have a surplus of time. So, for the first time in my life, I stuck out my thumb. I caught one ride, which took me to where 41 splits from 141. I took 141 south, on foot. I camped early because a storm was coming in. I began reading "Into the Wild"
"Eager to see the lake. Took full inventory, plenty of gear, plenty of food. Morale is high"
The next day, I got three rides. One from a talkative man in a Jeep who built everything he owns and his silent partner. One from a guy in a truck who loved motorcycles, and one from a woman named Sarah, who was a nurse, and who assumed I was a Christian. I made camp somewhere south of where US-2 leaves 41.
"Train scared the shit out of me last night. Real slow start due to rain. Feeling cold but good. When thing dry out, I head for Menominee. Later- Lake Michigan! Made Menominee in three days. Mary had no pot, but drove me the last leg. Tim the bartender doesn't seem to think much of the place. I was thrilled to see the lake. Drinks as celebration. Set up near the park. Bar is a short walk, want to have a fun night, planning on staying another day. We'll see if the itchy feet agree. Still lots of food & gear. Plenty of $. 2 rides today. Very happy with progress. Morale is very, very high."
The train that scared me was on tracks maybe 50 meters away, on the other side of a small swamp. When it came through at 2am, I was sure that it was going to run me over. The reference to the pot came from one of my rides. I got into the Subaru, and the big lady behind the wheel suddenly: "Oh man! I don't have any pot! I always pick up hitch-hikers and I always give them pot!" I told her it was fine. The girl in the front seat kept looking back at me with a nervous smile, and her brother next to me offered me a smoke. They looked expensive, I declined.
I was very popular at the bar that night, my new acquaintances bought me lots of shots. I got pretty drunk, and met a dog named Oreo at the house of one of the gals I had met. I liked the dog better.
The next day, Matt Stachiowiak came to visit. We walked around and took pictures.
When I got back to my camp, my stuff had been tossed and my pack was gone. In a rare and random act, I had taken everything out of it. All they got was my pack, camera case, med kit and survival kit. For the first time, I was afraid.
"Went to sleep wondering what will happen"
The next day (day 5) I "...bought a pack from Freddy. Hours lost @ dead fish point. Must be more aware of surroundings. Roughly 1 mile of beach to walk on. The rest was houses. It was not difficult in the least but very boring. I'm very discontent with the trail so far" It was the events at Dead Fish Point- a name given by me- that made me question my plan for the first time.
Dead Fish Point:
"My one mile of beach was a peninsula that I named dead fish point (after the large number of big dead fish). I was walking on the beach next to cut grass and trails & I was happy. When the little park area ended, I was even happier. No trails here, I'm making my own way. It wasn't long before the going got tough. That was okay, I'm a tough guy, so I kept going. After all, I'm planning on doing some bushwhacking anyhow. I soon got lost in the quagmire (literally). The swamp thwarted every path. The only way back was the only way across. I had to backtrack to the prissy park or wade through chest deep muck. I come to the realization that it's either housing, dog walking area, or chest deep muck"
The next day, I wake early and walk until late. Bored stupid. That night, I weigh my options.
The thought process as it appears in the journal:
Why I wanted to do this:
1. Explore -Nothing to explore, it's all houses
2. Prove I can wander -I can wander, and well. I've proven this and my perspective has changed.
3. Fun -It's not ll that fun
4. Experience open road -Open road kicks ass
5 Meet people -Crappy way to meet people. very lonely trip
Adventure was always game. LM was the where and walking was the how.
I love my solitude but NEED people.
Reasons for changing the were and how of the game:
- I want to do more than one thing this summer. The idea of one activity for four months seems rather bleak now.
- Freeze dried food
- need people
- Lake Michigan is housed, I'm tired of trespassing
- Music! Books! Ticks!
- Boredom- I've seen enough houses, thanks much
- Pack stolen. Monetary and morale cost. Plus the idea that my camp could have been gone is scary. By scary I mean terrifying. It's just stuff, but it's the stuff I chose to keep me ALIVE!
- I realized what I'd miss out on if I did this all summer. Too many experiences passed up if I walk & sit, walk & sit for four months.
- Bridges- some of these rivers are deep!
So I helped him with his last two deliveries and we talked about science and religion and astronomy. He was a retired cop, going to school to be a teacher. The stories he had about his time on the force... When he dropped me off, he offered to let me live in the house he was moving out of for a week. It needed to be painted and remodeled before they sold it. It would be some food, some cash, some work, and some place to stay for a bit. After a background check, of course. I considered, but decided to hit the road.
I called Mena, and shaved in a creek while I waited for her to get back from work. We toured the city, spending time in the part of the Oshkosh library full of books on lineage. I learned stories of my ancestors, of the tradition of Thomas Maynards, and verified that our family crest matches the one in Grandpa's basement.
After this, I return to Houghton courtesy of my good friends Bryant and Stacy. They were itching for a road trip and I was an excuse. I spent a couple days in Houghton, until I got two phone calls. One was from Dad, the other from Brad. Upon calling back, I got the worst news on my life. It's good to have friends in a time like that. Lauren talked to me about Eric Verhaar for a while, then we watched Dr. Who to get my mind off of it. I leave her place, pack, help Bryant move with Mikey B, and head south to mourn my friend.
I get to camp at around 4am, and wake up to friends. We do work and tell stories all day. That night is very emotional, so details are foregone. Suffice it to say that it's good to have friends and family, the whole scouting community was there. The next few days are occupied with visitation and the funeral. Bonfires and stories and toasts.
The days following that are for fun. Running around with Phil and the gang. Shens in GR, yard work, relaxation, more shens. Go back to camp, and repair the bridge. Time spent at Dad's place alone with the fire and my records. A couple days there, and I journey back up to Houghton. There's a week of friends, fun, and relaxation there, and then back down to Mackinac for my birthday. Spend time on the island with Dad, Ted, and Katie. We bike around it in no time flat, and look at the fort and other attractions. We have a great time, and the next day I say my goodbye's and truck on back to Houghton.
This concludes part 1 of my summer. Coming in part two: The greatest adventure of my life, excitement, romance, danger and a pretty wicked soundtrack.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Editorial Comments, Re: From Letter to Litter
http://www.mtulode.com/article/2009/04/15/letter-litter
First and foremost, I'd like to applaud Ms. Wilson on taking a stand on the issue. (Along with comma over-use awareness) Most people don't stand up against litter, but it is a problem and we do need to talk about it. Now that we've named the elephant in the living room, lets think of some ways to get it out of the house. We've already ascertained that Styrofoam is the bane of campus. (If only they made a sort of biodegradable and Eco-friendly form...oh wait...) Anyway, lets try to think of a better solution. Of course Ms. Wilson was only joking in her article when she referred to items like shoes, fruit, and fabric. I realized she was pulling our respective legs after trying to figure out how in the world any of those items would change the fact that the letters weren't picked up. It wouldn't make any difference, it didn't make any sense! Good one Lena. (Almost as good as the one about Styrofoam melting)
So after a hearty laugh at Ms. Wilson's joke, i started to think of serious answers to her brave question. I came up with the perfect solution: Paraffin wax! This wax is naturally made, easy to cut, has no ecological impact, and can be easily picked up by the sweeper machines that maintenance busts out every spring! (It doesn't melt until roughly 120 F, so it won't discolour the lawns) Well now we have a solution, i think it's the best solution we've had since the Jell-o ban (See Ms. Wilson's article) Now it's time to implement our plan. On behalf of Lena Wilson, I'm calling on all statue builders currently using Styrofoam to label your statues to switch to wax this coming year.
Oh, and while we're at it, let's do something about that cigarette butt problem too. I'm calling on the university to put out some kind of receptacle near the smoking entrances to buildings. If i were to design one, it would have a large base and slope up towards a smaller post about hip-height with a small hole about the size of a quarter near the top. I would also make them grey.
NOTE: This article is 100% pure, USDA certified satire, and should not be taken seriously. Have a nice day and thanks for shopping with us.
Fanmail/Hatemail can be sent to bodhicoyote.mtu@gmail.com
First and foremost, I'd like to applaud Ms. Wilson on taking a stand on the issue. (Along with comma over-use awareness) Most people don't stand up against litter, but it is a problem and we do need to talk about it. Now that we've named the elephant in the living room, lets think of some ways to get it out of the house. We've already ascertained that Styrofoam is the bane of campus. (If only they made a sort of biodegradable and Eco-friendly form...oh wait...) Anyway, lets try to think of a better solution. Of course Ms. Wilson was only joking in her article when she referred to items like shoes, fruit, and fabric. I realized she was pulling our respective legs after trying to figure out how in the world any of those items would change the fact that the letters weren't picked up. It wouldn't make any difference, it didn't make any sense! Good one Lena. (Almost as good as the one about Styrofoam melting)
So after a hearty laugh at Ms. Wilson's joke, i started to think of serious answers to her brave question. I came up with the perfect solution: Paraffin wax! This wax is naturally made, easy to cut, has no ecological impact, and can be easily picked up by the sweeper machines that maintenance busts out every spring! (It doesn't melt until roughly 120 F, so it won't discolour the lawns) Well now we have a solution, i think it's the best solution we've had since the Jell-o ban (See Ms. Wilson's article) Now it's time to implement our plan. On behalf of Lena Wilson, I'm calling on all statue builders currently using Styrofoam to label your statues to switch to wax this coming year.
Oh, and while we're at it, let's do something about that cigarette butt problem too. I'm calling on the university to put out some kind of receptacle near the smoking entrances to buildings. If i were to design one, it would have a large base and slope up towards a smaller post about hip-height with a small hole about the size of a quarter near the top. I would also make them grey.
NOTE: This article is 100% pure, USDA certified satire, and should not be taken seriously. Have a nice day and thanks for shopping with us.
Fanmail/Hatemail can be sent to bodhicoyote.mtu@gmail.com
Saturday, April 4, 2009
The Lode: Journalism in Question
Ladies and gentlemen, something very troubling has taken place: the integrity of the Michigan Tech Lode is in question. I came to this startling conclusion as I was playing my favorite game: Where's the Typo? In this game, I go through the Lode news articles and highlight the grammatical and spelling mistakes with a yellow highlighter. In the past three issues I've found 29 spelling, grammar, and journalistic mistakes. Some more nit-picky than others, but i think within reason. I generally forgive most run-on sentences and pretty much have to forgive nonsensical dribble. (I don't do the opinion section, the doctor says I'm not allowed to read those anymore since the episode with the 9-iron and the fan-boat. Two more meetings!) This last week though, something awful happened: I found an article with no errors! In the April 1, 2009 edition of the Lode, on page 2-A, there is an article written by a Mr. Justin Jones which had no errors whatsoever! It was even interesting! I called up the Lode office and asked if this was some kind of sick April Fools joke. I mean, a Lode article with no spelling or grammar or otherwise mistakes? This had to be a ruse. They assured me that it wasn't and hung up (rather rudely, I thought). Personally, I'm worried about the direction that the Lode is headed. What if there's even less mistakes in the next one? What will we do? That's why I'm urging everyone to get out their dictionaries and highlighters when they read the Lode, look for mistakes, if only to put our minds at ease. I think we owe it to ourselves as a student body to be sure that the Lode stays as batshit crazy as possible. We need a paper that prints hearsay without checking sources and facts. A paper that doesn't edit their work before it's printed! A newspaper that writes articles on events that they may or may not have attended, and then just completely makes shit up. The last thing we need these days, ladies and gentlemen, is journalistic integrity. Please write your senator and local Lode editor and support our cause.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
GMG: Preachy Snow Statues
So this is another "Grinds My Gears" style post, I'll try to keep it brief, and leave out the whining. Here's what gets my goat: Preachy snow statues. This year, there were two such statues, and it bugged me that anyone would be that in-your-face about religion.
My beef is not with the religion itself, i respect it's right to exist. Nor do I have a problem with free speech, anyone who reads this blog will realize that I'm a big advocate of free speech. It is often said that free speech is not respected when you shout fire in a crowded theatre, but it is also not acceptable to yell 'fuck you' in a crowded room. This issue is not safety, nor is it really quality of life. Its a question of prudence, manners if you will.
It is true, that technically your right of free speech allows you to draw obscene pictures in chalk outside the post office. But you don't do it, because it accomplishes no good and does only harm. Basically, you don't do it because you're not an asshole.
So lets move on to religious statues. What's up with that? Most of the churches along college ave opted to do statues, and guess what? They were religious. That i get, what else would they do? What i don't understand is putting a religious statue on a public bit of land publicly putting a religious slogan publicly in front of that public bit of statue. To borrow a phrase from Mr. Webster: "What...the...hell?"*
Why do this sort of thing? I don't go around posting my beliefs in public. If they are publicly displayed (such as this blog) it is an optional read and has minimal in-your-face effect. The statue captions could have been so much more benign if prefaced with: 'We believe'. Instead, there's a only a blatant sentence, as if anyone who does not agree soon will after reading enough religious statements. This is extremely narrow minded and blatantly offensive. This would be akin to me making a statue of a finch with the caption 'God does not exist'. Of course i would not do such a thing, and if i did, i would be assaulted on all fronts. Take a look at the photos and just think about the juxtaposition that would be created if i committed an equal and opposite act. Ask yourself, what's up with that?
*See Webster's dictionary, edited for context.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
GMG: Escaped Plane Crash Victims
This is a "Grinds my Gears" style post. So here's what grinds my gears.
First off, I don't like it when planes crash. That's a big bummer. Second, I don't like it when there are fatalities, especially if all the passengers fall under the aforementioned condition. The whole thing is sad, and awful. But what grinds my gears is when that one guy is flying home to his family, and he misses the flight, and does an interview with some bullshit news station.
The guy tells the story of why he's late, and then mentions that he "had a funny feeling". And then it always cuts to the wife and she talks about her "funny feeling" and how she felt when she heard that the plane crashed. (Whether she knew her husband was on the flight or not.) Then, invariably, we go back to the husband and he says that he thinks that God was watching out for him.
That's the part that really steams me. What exactly does that mean? Does this imply that God was not watching out for the other passengers? That's an odd statement to make, considering God is supposedly omnipotent, omnipresent, and omnibenevolent. If you go with the "It was God's plan" defense, then why would you say that he was watching out for you? Wouldn't that mean that you're just part of the plan? Maybe he's got you scheduled for a train wreck next week, does this still mean that he was 'watching out for you'? This is akin to claiming that Jesus helped you win a Grammy, or score a touchdown. Does Satan help every time you do not score a touchdown? Every time a QB is sacked behind the line of scrimmage, the devil was at work?
So religious folks, if you make your god a petty squabbling and predictable being (Zeus) then go ahead and by all means attribute your daily events to this god or that god. But if you follow the Abrahamic god, then stop saying he saved your cat, or kept you off the plane or helped your record go platinum. You don't know what He's up to, you never have and you never will, so stop going around and saying ignorant things like "I think God was watching over me today". The statement renders itself nonsensical by its very nature. Making you sound like a moron by your very nature. So take some advice from one of my people: "Be silent, or say something better than silence" -Pythagoras
First off, I don't like it when planes crash. That's a big bummer. Second, I don't like it when there are fatalities, especially if all the passengers fall under the aforementioned condition. The whole thing is sad, and awful. But what grinds my gears is when that one guy is flying home to his family, and he misses the flight, and does an interview with some bullshit news station.
The guy tells the story of why he's late, and then mentions that he "had a funny feeling". And then it always cuts to the wife and she talks about her "funny feeling" and how she felt when she heard that the plane crashed. (Whether she knew her husband was on the flight or not.) Then, invariably, we go back to the husband and he says that he thinks that God was watching out for him.
That's the part that really steams me. What exactly does that mean? Does this imply that God was not watching out for the other passengers? That's an odd statement to make, considering God is supposedly omnipotent, omnipresent, and omnibenevolent. If you go with the "It was God's plan" defense, then why would you say that he was watching out for you? Wouldn't that mean that you're just part of the plan? Maybe he's got you scheduled for a train wreck next week, does this still mean that he was 'watching out for you'? This is akin to claiming that Jesus helped you win a Grammy, or score a touchdown. Does Satan help every time you do not score a touchdown? Every time a QB is sacked behind the line of scrimmage, the devil was at work?
So religious folks, if you make your god a petty squabbling and predictable being (Zeus) then go ahead and by all means attribute your daily events to this god or that god. But if you follow the Abrahamic god, then stop saying he saved your cat, or kept you off the plane or helped your record go platinum. You don't know what He's up to, you never have and you never will, so stop going around and saying ignorant things like "I think God was watching over me today". The statement renders itself nonsensical by its very nature. Making you sound like a moron by your very nature. So take some advice from one of my people: "Be silent, or say something better than silence" -Pythagoras
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Archimedes Redux
A friend of mine recently posted a quote and it read: "Find a place to stand and move the world"
At first i thought that she had misquoted Archimedes ("Give me a place to stand and a long enough lever and I will move the world")
It's not particularly deep or encouraging or insightful, but i thought it was a good thing to say, and I'm all about saying good things.
At first i thought that she had misquoted Archimedes ("Give me a place to stand and a long enough lever and I will move the world")
It's not particularly deep or encouraging or insightful, but i thought it was a good thing to say, and I'm all about saying good things.
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On September 25th of 2010 Jaclyn went out to make a phone call, then rushed back in to tell us that the smelter was on fire. We all ran out to see the blaze, this was at about 11:30pm, after the fire had been going for approx. 30 minutes. It was still pretty small, but quickly spread to engulf the building.
The most comprehensive article I found on the subject was by the National Parks Service, but it still only states the basic information.
http://www.nps.gov/kewe/parknews/smelter-fire-pr.htm
The TV 6 article mentions that the Isle Royal Park Headquarters has been considering moving across to occupy the smelter.
http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/news/story.aspx?id=517261
The article also had some interesting comments that fairly well summarized the opinions held about whether it should stay or go:
7 Comments
wastfull said: Monday, September 27, 2010
it looked like a junk yardbefore and a million dollars later it still does. one big eye sore that whole lake shore area.
yooperqueen said: Monday, September 27, 2010
One of the buildings did have power and it's a shame that it's now gone. :-( It was a building that had been cleaned out and cleaned up by another company a few months ago. All the work and hours put in to fix it up for tours and now it's gone. :-(
Fritz Shurmur said: Monday, September 27, 2010
Urban renewal. Burn them all down and put some condos there.. Eyesores!
brrepublic said: Monday, September 27, 2010
11PM on a Saturday night sounds a little fishy to me.How could a fire start there?Was there electricity to the buildings? Did any of them have heat? I have never seen this site so I would not know. And Junior I will bet that you have had your mouth slapped for running your tongue before your brain was in gear.It was probably by your Grandpa who worked at the Smelter.
goofyjr said: Sunday, September 26, 2010
eye sore gone
houghton man replied: Monday, September 27, 2010
along with history and tourism dollars. Happy about that Junior?
concernedyooper replied: Monday, September 27, 2010
However unique the smelter is, don't you think that if it had any true economic value that private investors lined up?
The follow-up article summarized the damage; the carpenter's shed and storage barn had been completely burnt, but the rest of the structures remained intact, thanks to the volunteer fire-fighters.
http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/news/story.aspx?id=517824
For more discussion visit: http://www.coppercountryforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=316
Michigan Tech Lode Article
http://www.mtulode.com/news/2010/09/25/fire-destroys-structure-near-quincy-smelter/
Other Blogs
http://industrialarchaeology.blogspot.com/2010/09/fire-at-quincy-smelter-site.html
A Flikr user’s photostream, some alright photos (all rights reserved)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/steven-michael/5024559807/in/photostream/