Gay Sands Beach along Lake Superior on the Keweenaw peninsula is beautiful, but looks can be deceiving. This “sand” is actually a superfund site containing copper mixed with arsenic, silver and nickel from decades of dumping mining waste. For more than a century 50 billion pounds of crushed ore had […]
History and Culture
107 posts
The Keweenaw peninsula’s mining era spanned over 100 years starting in the mid 1800’s through the 1960’s. Join my husband, Chuck (A.K.A. DaViking), and I as we investigate this abandoned copper dredge. From the roadway, M-26, a fence had blocked access to this site. DaViking had other plans. He always […]
Did you know that plank roads had once been created to make travel easier? As civil unrest between the northern states and the south slowly simmered (1845-1855) over 100 plank road companies organized, constructing miles of timber laid paths throughout our nation. Many had toll houses to sustain revenue for […]
After watching a short film about the history of the Delaware Copper Mine, Dennis, the manager and travel author, invited us to put on hard hats and head to the mine shaft. I was excited to be on a self guided tour of an abandoned copper mine. It had been […]
The Alto Active Achievers Community Club brought Lowell’s history to life last weekend along the banks of the Grand River. This professionally executed production, sponsored by the Lowell Area Historical Society, and had a cast of 42 youngsters and several dedicated adults. The authentic story held strength, perseverance, loyalty and […]
My heart beat quickened as I walked along the wooden dock at South Haven’s Michigan Maritime Museum. There before me was a replica of the 1810 ship – Friends Good Will. Standing along the starboard side was Chuck, my strikingly handsome husband, dressed in era appropriate attire. After completing coursework, […]
I had heard about The Jam Pot bakery, located in the Keweenaw peninsula of Michigan, when I watched an episode of Gordon Ramsey’s “Uncharted” series about culinary and cultural occurrences. I distinctly recalled a grinning Monk, dressed in a flapping black gown, competing in a wheelbarrow race with the famous […]
I was amazed to learn from our friend, Brian Toronyi, that a bomb had accidently been dropped near his home in South Carolina on March 11, 1958. The Mark-6 left a 50 foot wide crater that was 25 feet deep at Mars Bluff. With a little research we learned that […]
Giovanni, our guide, met us outside the gate of Vatican City’s wall in February 2020. (Our visit to Rome preceded the world shut down due to Covid-19.) Giovanni’s enthusiasm for the intricate art showcased in the Holy City was inspiring. From the moment we entered the hallway lined with artifacts, […]
I was curious to see who was sitting at the top of the hill at a Catholic cemetery in Brighton, Michigan. The figure was a person of about my height. There were seats surrounding a large table. As I approached the blue tarp informed me that this was a piece […]