Photo courtesy of MTU Archives. The historic Alberta Sawmill, in Baraga County, is receiving preservation work this summer, including new siding donated by Louisiana Pacific. Michigan Tech has owned the mill since 1954. The photo is dated Oct. 2009.

ALBERTA — The Baraga County Historical Society and Michigan Technological University have announced a ribbon-cutting ceremony for 3 p.m. on September 12, at the historic Henry Ford Alberta Sawmill pump house.

The sawmill, located on U.S. 41 10 miles south of L’Anse, has been an icon of Upper Peninsula Ford history since its establishment ninety years ago, says the Baraga County Chamber of Commerce. The preservation project ensures that future generations can appreciate and learn from this important piece of history.

“We are proud to celebrate the preservation of the Ford Alberta sawmill,” Paula McElroy, president of the Baraga County Historical Society, is quoted as saying in the Chamber’s release. “This project, spearheaded by Mike DesRochers and his Historical Society committee, reflects our commitment to preserving our local history and contributing to the cultural enrichment of our community.”

DesRochers, chairman of the Committee to Save the Alberta Sawmill, under the Baraga County Historical Society, said the ribbon-cutting ceremony is to celebrate the opening of the pump house museum and to showcase ongoing preservation work to the sawmill.

The Historical Society has secured a lease of the pump house from Michigan Tech, which owns the sawmill and surrounding settlement of Alberta, DesRochers said. The pump house is next to the sawmill.

The Ford Motor Company donated 1,700 acres, which included the historic village of Alberta, to Michigan Tech in 1954. Now, the Ford Center occupies 5,500 acres and consists of a conference center, research forest, the historic village of Alberta, and a sawmill museum. “Half of the pump house was a public relations welcome center that Henry Ford incorporated into that building,” DesRocher said, “and the other half was pumps. So, we are preparing to have a mini-museum there.”

The sawmill is also receiving much attention. Michigan Tech’s College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science webpage, on Aug. 18, announced the sawmill will receive new siding, complements of Louisiana Pacific and a local donor.

“They took the old siding down, and put a house wrap on it,” DesRochers said. “The siding is there, it was shipped up three months ago from Green Bay,” adding the contractor has experienced delays in the work. “They got a new roof on, and they’ve been working on the trim,” he said.

DesRochers said the hope is that by the day of the ribbon-cutting, some of the new siding will have been installed so people can see it while visiting the mini-museum in the pump house.

DesRochure said he doesn’t think there are any long-term plans to make the mill operational again. “The previous sawyer, Dave Stimac, says all you’d have to do is throw the switch and it would run again, but I don’t think that’s our goal.”

The goal now, he said, is re-establish tours of the sawmill, either guided or self-guided. In 1996 Ford Motor Company funded renovations to turn the sawmill into a museum. DesRochers said Ford donated a large amount of money to convert the mill into a museum. It featured guided tours, until 2017 when an inspector came through and said a number of issues needed to be fixed, safety, ADA compliant bathrooms, and Michigan Tech backed away from the improvements as there was no connection between their mission of education and a museum.

According to Michigan Tech, the electrical systems, walkways, and lighting in the sawmill did not meet minimum standards for the safety of visitors, compelling the university to close the mill to the public.

The ceremony will feature remarks from Michigan Tech and Baraga County Historical Society leaders and special guest Todd Bryan, president of the Henry Ford Heritage Association, according to the Baraga Chamber of Commerce. Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the former pump house and welcome center, now a satellite of the Baraga County Historical Museum, and meet with preservation committee members to learn more about the history and significance of the site.