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Life

The wonders of curiosity

Undoubtedly, the most curious person in American history must be Thomas Alva Edison, whose curiosity led him to become famous for his undying need to know more – leading to hundreds of useful inventions involving lighting to television. Rumor has it that he lost his hearing as a child due ...

Housing just one cost of corporate paternalism

By 1912, it was impossible for an employee of a Lake Superior copper mine to find any semblance of true independence or freedom from his employer, particularly if he worked for a larger company like Calumet and Hecla, Quincy, or Champion. The employee rented a company-owned home on ...

Having mixed and early feelings about Spring

February isn’t normally the month where I’m thinking about Spring. Last year on May 1, we had a snowfall that should only happen in January or February, and here we sit now where the snow comes, the snow goes, it accumulates, and then melts. As I venture further into my homesteading ...

Changes in the Lake Superior mining district over time

Curtis Grubb Hussey first became interested in the Lake Superior copper region in 1844 when he invested heavily in the Pittsburgh and Boston Mining Company, which owned the Cliff Mine, on Keweenaw Point, along with the Northwestern and Central mines. Hussey, who made his initial fortune in dry ...

WFM addresses Copper Country workers in native languages

Several labor organizations had attempted recruiting Lake Superior copper district mine workers over the latter decades of the 19th century. Some of them were even successful in initiating strikes and walkouts. The strikes were localized, however, because the unions were not strong enough to ...

Collaborative efforts

HANCOCK — Agriculture and food production has been gradually increasing in the western Upper Peninsula for more than a decade. There are many programs and services available to both established food growers and people who want to become commercial growers. Among the organizations dedicated ...