Ahhh The Library!!!! I can almost taste the good food now!

Great shots, our "white gold" in Norfolk Virginia is all gone with flowers coming up out of the ground already. Hope a good day is had by all.

If that's "white gold", the UP is the "Fort Knox o' the North" this year!

Good morning to all...and thanks to Don and all the great pix-takers, and Mary/Toivo/Charlie for keeping Pasty.com running so smoothly, day by day.

Whee, first poster today. It's nice to see some of the "back"
street shots for those of us who wander/wonder to see
what's off the beaten path. The piles of "white gold" don't
look like much more than a little layer. Let's see some real
shots of the deep stuff from Keweenaw County, like John
Dee has at his site. In 1989 the stop signs disappeared just
before Xmas.

Whoops. Sorry about my claim to first poster. While I was
typing three others jumped in. promise to be faster next
time.

There used to be an apartment building across the street from the Library [on the downhill side] I remember when it burned down in the early 70's. It's kind of neat to see the Gazette sign still on the building. The Daily Mining Gazette was in that building for a lot of years, I think the sign was painted by Walter Lindala. [sp on the last name]

I ate at the library last night--MMMMMmmm! chicken pesto sandwich :)

Do they still have the Frisbee Hall of Fame / Museum at The Library?

The Library has gotten too yapee for me.

I always figured Tony's Bar (Tony Buckavitch), Thors North End (in Calumet)or The Bucket (in Mohawk) had a much better atmosphere and more interesting cliental.

Service is way too slow at The Library; don't go there anymore.

Whatsamatta with youse guys in the U.P? From the look of the flag in the background there is a stiff breeze blowin' and the guy in the pic isn't wearing a hat!! Don't cha know you can catch your death that way? Maybe he didn't want to mess up his hair, or maybe he's like all da other yoopers.....hardy as a weed!!

HEY,KATE,CA!!Did you also notice that the sun is out in that pic!We need all the tanning ops we can get this winter.He's just taking advantage.

This calls for a Yogi Berra quote:
"Nobody goes to that restaurant any more; it is too crowded."

I agree with Anita, the Library has gone 'yuppie'. However, the food is still very good. And the view from the back dining area is interesting. I say interesting because some of those old dilapidated buildings across the canal could be construed as an eye sore, but yet they represent our local history.

We discussed Industrial Archeology a few days ago...so those "delapitated buildings" are really important archeological ruins and treasures from the Quincy..........it's all in the "eye of the beholder"..........my grandfathers were European stonemasons who worked on those buildings in 1884....I see art.....and hard work....

We visited the Libray on our visit there a couple years ago and we had a fun time. The crowd was friendly and it was nice to be inside out of the cold for awhile.

Greetings from a new poster!

Ahhh, what fond memories of the Library. I haven't been there in many many many years. Do they still serve those yummy ice cream drinks (I'm thinking of the grasshopper) and have the numbered mugs?

What about the Ambassador? We will be in the Up over the fourth of July and plan on several trips there for subs and chef salads. Haven't been home for several years, so am not sure which of the old favorites are still open.

Yuppies in the U.P.? Since when?

A U.P. Yuppie is anyone under 25 carrying a cell phone, don't cha know?

The Library Restaurant is so good!!!! Just thinking about it makes me hungry. And the restaurant has such a nice view of the lake.

The first time I went there I was amazed by the little elevator that brings up the food from downstairs. :)

Ah yes, the Library Bar. Myself and many of the
of the folks who worked with me at The Sound Center in the mid '70's spent many happy hours there. I don't know if the same person owns it or not, John something, mmm I forget now. He use to race Saab's in the POR. I don't think the race is called that anymore either. Anyway, some of the pictures I have seen of the outside look different than when I use to go there. We always had a good time. Some of the folks worked part time and were Tech students. We would always enjoy going there with everybody. One sandwich that I use to enjoy was the Epicurean Delight. Wow, I'm starting to drool.

The Library was too upscale for most of us.
We preferred happy hour at Al's Halfway.
Free Beer when I started at Tech, then they change to a penny for a glass and nickle for a pitcher.

Whats happening with the proposed renovation/restoration of the Ripley site. It was supposed to be done by a group out ofLansing.??

Yeah...I remember Al's Halfway....but it was a quarter for a pitcher....man I was gettin ripped off ;-)

I guess it must be old age creepin' in but I remember the Library when it was "The Board of Trade" and that's some time ago. How many remember Al's Halfway when it was "Waara's Halfway Bar"? When I was a saloonkeeper back in the eighties, Pooches Pub on Shoepack Alley in Hancock, The B&B on West Memorial in Houghton and Jakee Mickalich's bar in Donken were all regular stops along the way. So was Art Moilanen's Bar in Mass City and Stimac's Musicland in Copper City. Time sure flies!

To any of Lila Lampela Clouthier's family:
I have some nice pictures that we think is Lila at about 17-20? My husband's mother was a Peura from bootjack.

I remember them all!

Went to the Library last year with a friend...it's now just a yuppie restaurant with a microbrewery like everywhere else...Gone is the comfortable feeling and the low prices. Gone are the friendly waiters and waitresses. It is sort of an upscale Applebees now..

What a shame!

By the way the Bucket was in Fulton, not Mohawk..and it had the FIRST widescreen TV in the Copper Country...

It was a great place.

Nothing like a Pickeled(sp?) egg at the B&B.

just how does yoopers go yuppie???

is it that they are successful, or pretentious???

or what???

Mostly they don't...it is the folks who move in from elsewhere, buying up relatively cheap real estate, closing off land, building up everywhere, and generally "Aspenizing" the Copper Country.
If you want to see the Copper Country in 20 or 30 years, visit Door County, Wisconsin now. It is a "pristine" collection of Bed and Breakfasts, strip malls, limited land exposure and yuppie.

Hey Sarah! Want to meet for lunch! I sure could go for a pint at the Library right now!

How is it at Betsy today?

Speaking of "white gold" and Houghton - check out the Statues for Winter Carnival at MTU this week @ http://www.mtu.edu/carnival/2004/statues.html.
I actually couldn't get to the site but I'll bet there are some good ones. Statue building was always a blast.

The Library's gettin' too "yuppy"?
(Hmmm... "yuppies" must be from elsewhere than the UP, 'cuz if they were Yooper yuppies, we'd have to call 'em "Yoopies"!)

I still miss those Sunday nights of yore (late 60's), when the Mich Tech Pistol Club would adjourn to Mike's Bar -- no "yuppies" there! ('tis now the Pilgrim River Steakhouse) for a Bush/Bosch brewski or two after leaving the ROTC shootin' range in the basement of the 'ol MTU library annex. (Here's where I should tip a virtual brewski in memory of Mike Fasana, then the proprietor of Mike's Bar.)

James-Los Gatos: The old Library burned down a few years back. It was rebuilt, and "yuppiefied" within the last few years. The Ambassador is still there, and still the same.

It was great to hear a name from the past. Sign painter Walter (Ducky) Lindala was a great artist and did most of the signs in the Houghton area for many years. He was a product of WPA training and extremely talented. He created and painted many of the signs on places like Tony's Sports Bar with the figures of athletes in competiton. He had his own system and did most of the large sign layouts in a shop at his home on US41 near Chassell. Watching him paint a sign on a window from inside was always fun. He also played in the Alfred Erickson Am Legion drum and Bugle corps where I first met him (late 40's). A real great guy who did a lot of wonderful signs (and got paid) but was virtually unrecognized by the public for his creative ability.

A friend recently sent a Library menu from 1983 to me. He was going through some old papers and found several. He and another guy used to drive 425 miles one way mainly to go to The Library. I now have that menu very nicely framed and hanging on the wall.

Ahh there is a better "library" dwelling atop said gradient teeming with books and literary compilations better suited to ameliorate one's mind rather than abate the senses indeed.

Wheatman

Stimac's in Copper City had been Julie Chopp's before and what a place it was. We were there one afternoon after XC skiing. A groupe of snowcatters, obviously from the city came in and sat at a table. Julie came over to take their order and one of them asked for a very dry martini. Julie said "Mister in here we have three drinks, a beer, a shot and ashot and a beer. Now what can I get you?"

Does anybody remember the matchbooks from the Library?

Steve in Ill. Thanks for the information. I didn't know that. The 2 people who I kept in contact with have both passed on and so I don't know what is going on as much as I use to.

Ric... You sure have it right!!! Door County,Wis is no longer a special place to go.Its fast becoming a mini-city. Illinois residents have been buying up this beautiful land at a record pace. Thats why the place is now called "Chicago North". What an absolute shame!!!

A yuppie in the UP is otherwise known as a troll or a person from Illinois, and they post the land as private do not trespass. Sorry, for being negative but the UP is not much different then Door County Wisconsin.

In the early seventies, I spent so much time at the Library that I nearly had to fill a change of address with the post office. This is probably why I did so poorly in school and enjoyed it so much. I still miss the Gilt Edge beer.

Just uploaded 30+ shots of the MTU winter carnival statues for your enjoyment.

http://pasty.com/pcam/albuo03?&page=1

Hi Yooper in WI...I am in Milw myself...

Unfortunately it is true...the UP, particularly Keweenaw County is VERY much like Door County...
It was sad going last year to various places of great memories (I spent a LOT of my life there)
and finding them "Posted" or simply gone. Whomever dynamited the Kingston Mine shafthouse in Copper City should be shot--well maybe not shot but have his or her head examined. Most of the histiric bars are gone...the Red Garter is gone...a lot of the buildings in Calumet are gone or unrecognizable...

It is sad, sad indeed!

not much snow yet eh ?

I didn't notice the yuppies but all the nice people and memories flooding back from spending summers on my grandma's place in Tapiola. I love it there and having had grown up in the Air Force always concidered it home.
will be going up for next year's carnival as having missed it the last 2 years.
where's all the snow?

Marilyn in Michigan:
What a coincidence! My grandma had a place in Tapiola and I was in the AF... small world

Air Force here too...was at Calumet AFS at Mt. Harace Greeley TWICE!

I'm from Calumet, but was stationed in Las Vegas... what a hardship! :)

i was at Tonopah and Groom Lake for two years too....what a coincidence!

I know where Tonopah is... but not Groom Lake?
Like I said, Small world!

hey walter in flordia we set new record snow for january and 200 inches to date.
just thought to let u snow

If you miss your Bosch beer...Try Lienenkugel's "Northwoods beer" seems the same to me..Since Liene's bought the Bosch brand in 73 or so,it -may be the same thing..

Mr Wheatman, books shouldn't soften the mind, they
should stimulate it.

To Pete in WI--love the story about the drinks served in the bar in CC! Thanks for the laugh! As for you people wondering where the snow is...are you serious??? We are being buried alive up here....there's TONS OF IT!!!!!!

Bob, thanks for the MTU pix

Calling anything in the U.P yuppie is
laughable. Madison Wi or Milwaukee has
$5 beers in some resturants. I do think
it's sad however the developing of the land
and the real estate being bought up. I think
Brockway Mountain Drive with lots for sale
as you drive down into Copper Harbor was
perhaps the most negative thing I saw.

Does Jon Davis still run the Library? Next time you are in there, tell him that Richard of the mustard Datsun sends his regards and promises to return the book next time he's in. Oh my, it has been years!

I thought the waitress at the Library was
most friendly and cute to boot!

It may be a little more expensive but
the food was quite good.

I enjoyed the view of the Portage canal also.

Yes the Bucket in Mohawk had some very interesting cliental. I remember watching the fire that destroyed the upper story which was the theater.Then when Jim Vittone bought out his partner Louis Azzi, he rebuilt the remaining lower portion and turned it into a bar, with flooring purchased from the Glaciadom he also turned one half into Mohawks bowling alley. It was interesting setting pins there"some of the bowlers rolled real hard and the pins flew all over the pit" but the wage was good, two cents a line and maybe a nickel tip

Scott in Wisc. I could not agree with you more, lots for sale on Brockway just signals an end to a once beautiful area. Just picture million dollar homes that will be vacant all but two or three weeks a year. But one will have to see this home while TRYING to enjoy the million dollar view of the lake, freighters, Isle Royale and the wilderness.

Was just having a discussion today about how difficult it is to find good (as in good food, good price, etc...) in the metro Detroit area. Everything is chain after chain. Perhaps I should limit this to the suburbs. I miss the Ambassador's, the Library's, the Quincy's and the Ming's.

Haha...that should state good restaraunts. Maybe I should actually read posts before finalizing posts. :)

Tera..small world indeed...my grandmother's place was across the road from the Kullengee"s(sp?) which the road is now named from and we use to hang out with the gals from there at the dairy farm. Their brother's anme was steve. Could you be a daughter of them??

AND THE POOR PEOPLE OF ST. LOUIS WHERE I LIVE ARE SQUAKIN ABOUT 2 INCHES OF SNOW. GEEZ SEND EM TO DA U.P. FOR A DAY SO THEYLL SEE WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT!

Is Slims still around?

Yes Slims is still there

Hey Jim in Los Gatos - I had a bowl of chili and a piece of very berry pie with ice cream in Slims Cafe in Mohawk just last Tuesday evening. •••• hot chili, too. Great pie as always. Do you know Leonard Viale in Los Gatos?

Uncle Bud - You always seemed like a "Bucket" kind of guy from your comments. First time I saw the Beetles was in the Bucket - 1964, I think. But a dangerous place for toots to hang out. Locals didn't take to kindly to us. Only bars left like they were since the 1960's are the B&B, the Dog House and Luigi's. Well, since the Michigan House reopened it has the same bar but the rest rooms are new. Remember Edna's in Phillipsville and the Wilderness Bar (everything ran on propane since they didn't have electricity down to Lac La Belle yet back in the early 60's)? And the Homestead etc.

Jon Davis bought Christy's Board and Trade when he was a second year student at Tech and never looked back. A lot of us worked, drank, and hung out at the Library. It has gone through many changes. We danced on the second level, long gone, in the late 60's. I had a mug on the ceiling and there were several hundred. You got a dime off on drafts. My mug was "Skyflake" as I was a skydiver and the origianl number was #9. Those mugs are long gone and mine with the rest. Wasted youth etc. and new ownership, but still a nice place for the yuppies to hang. I still like the Ambassador. They do get it right..See you on the 4th of July if not before.

Richard, now from Florida
Jon Davis no longer owns the Library but the current owners wouldn't mind if you return a book because all the books burned in the fire and as they were reopening they had a donate your favorite book to the new Library day.
There still are plenty of books all over the building but not the same uniqueness of the old ones Jon used to have...The Library is still a great place to eat though just the atomsphere is just changed a little.

KLS,AZ...
You gotta try their( Ambassador's)Tostada pizza.Makes me hungry to think of it.

The last great fire was the REX when the lady proprieter moved her classic Model A Ford behind the chickenwire out the night before the joint burned. You just have to wonder sometimes

So is the guy in the pic going to study or what?

The notes about the Ambassador today reminded me a few years ago on the Pasty Cam we featured some of their murals:

THANKS STEFANO THATS WHAT I WAS TRYING TO FIND OUT GLAD YOU CAUGHT SAME I REMAIN WALTER

Yes when I saw the lots for sale
on Brockway Drive I was sad and disappointed.
Real Estate people don't understand they
are destorying what they are selling. The
beauty of a area and the views. I think
that the greed of the two week vacation home
is about as sad as it gets. Wealth sure
clouds your mind doesn't it. Why not use
that wealth to rent a fine lodge in the U.P
and support something. Sure the builders get
some money for the building of the homes
but then they are done.

What happened to the tradition of visiting
a favorite lodge or resort?

So, Scott gimme the names of those UP lodges you'd recommend!

One of my acquaintainces.......not a friend...is building a yuppie shack at "fake lake" or mosquito pond.....your choice. He has never done a winter in the UP but had a nice week at Copper Harbor and enough money to build what he wants. The locals at the Gay Bar laugh and say that every house keeps them working and I understand that. When enough of the "Aspen Crowd" discovers your peninsula, then they will buy it up and you will live in nearby trailer parks and serve their tables........don't shoot the messanger. Ask the folks who used to live in Aspen...the millionaires.....the billionaires ran them out........that leaves us about 7 steps down on the food chain..........

Oh, yeah--are those elves or trolls on the murals?

I agree the word lodge is strong for
the U.P. what I should say is a B@B or Inn....

Lodge sounds like Yellowstone doesn't it.
I have been to Aspen in the past and most
recently about two years ago. It's what
is said in the above posting. It's that
way in alot of places in Colorado now.

The reason I visit the U.P on trips is
to get away from that. I'd rather hike then
sip a $5 coffee from Starbucks. I can't
recall that nice Inn at Copper Harbor?
Near the Brockway Mt. Drive?

I found I use the Subway index for rating
a area. If they have several I don't want to
stay there anymore.

seen it before,

I certainly agree with you about Aspen and some of the other Colorado and Wyoming mountain towns.

There will be (already are) "trophy" homes in the Keweenaw, too.

I haven't been in the Keweenaw in years' have to come and check it out.

Ahh Arcadian,

a·mel·io·rate
tr. & intr.v. a·me·lio·rat·ed, a·me·lio·rat·ing, a·me·lio·rates
To make or become better; improve.

This as opposed to dulling one's senses in the other "Library" with alcoholic elixirs is what was intended to be conveyed.

Wheatman

This discussion is too good to let go....trophy homes....for several generations my family has had a cottage (camps in the UP, cottages here)on a small "fishing" lake in northern Indiana. It's nothing fancy but we love it. The well-to-do from Indianapolis, Chicago, and Detroit are buying up two or three adjacent properties EVEN ON LAKES LIKE OURS and building ostentatious McMansions. Some of them would put to shame even Versailles.

I know of mysterious "fires" that allowed neighbors to buy out next door properties that were deemed unsuitable and prevented expansion of the castle.

In some of these McCottages you never see any signs of life....no campfires, no kids fishing off the pier, but all those toys are out there for us to see--wave runners, big boats under lifts--not used, just on display!

Don't get me started....I am so very sorry to hear that this is what's happening to the UP too. I guess I thought since it was so out of the way
travel wise, that you'd be spared all this.

I like that Subway rating....it's my new gauge.

Abe,
Glad u clarified that the Bucket was in Mohawk, although close to the Fulton Location.
I remember you sitting in the Bucket, with Connie back in the 50's, "looking for a live one" , u had the howling rear axle 49 ford, connie had a 51 olds that was a bear to start. Thats when Slims was in the old hall next to St Marys and Klipper Kemps barber shop. EH EH

I grew up in Michigan and spent many wonderful years venturing in the UP. My father has been telling me as long as I can remember that if he ever came into lots of money he'd buy up land in the UP and leave it as just that - land with no postings. Sorry to say he hasn't been able to do it yet but I made him, my wife and my kids the same promise. He's always taught us kids the value of what's already there in nature like beauty, grace, adventure, mystery and most importantly that it should remain there for everyone.

howdy eh, sure is a memory inspiring photograph. i sure do enjoy perusing the posts, as for the ostentatios architecture,some people find it difficult to enjoy symplicity and serenity. thanks to everyone at pasty central for all that you provide.

I'm looking for our friday picture from Mary?
Hope everything is O.K

Uncle Bud you hit the nail on the head

It does break my heart to see the development. I used to work as a tour guide at the Delaware Mine in H.S. The drive never got old. Is there a way to protect the area? I also liked the pre-fire Library much better, even though their own brews are pretty good.

interesting subjects. we have a place in Green Lake, Wisc, nothing fancy, had it for years in the family. But slowly and surely the big money moved in, lots being purchased and castles being built. If these are their "cottages" what do their regular houses look like. With the castles, the charm, common touch was lost, the sense of neighbor hood was gone. Plus the taxes went sky high. In Green Lake, you saw SUVs, Mersades Benes, and BMW's. You just knew changes were coming,
Hey when I went to Suomi in the early 70's, the places to eat were the Kavela Cafe, The Finlandia, and Sumoi Resturant in Houghton. I forget the name of the place across from Old Main, Pizza something...had good Pizza, hot salads, and great hot subs. Some local family owned it. Those are the places I like to eat at. I know all the chain and theme eateries are there now but but they don't hold a candle to the local places.

I would love to be able to breath in that fresh crisp winter air in the Keweenaw and take in those fantastic views again. Stuck down here in Metro Detroit for a while breathing who knows what. Appreciate what you have.....

Sorry Uncle Bud...I honestly thought the Bucket was in Fulton...but I stand corrected...

Anyone remember playing shuffleboard at Malnar's in Ahmeek?

ric.I played there a few times

Cool.....all the good stuff is GONE...those were the days!

quit your crying!!! the UP is still better than most places on earth. The people who are from the area and have visited or lived in other places really know this. Its just hard to let some things go but that is life. Things change...always have and always will, nothing remains the same for ever. Deal with it.

Just so you locals know I am doing my part to preserve our " UP heritage". I bought a nice piece of property next to a bunch of "moneyed up transplants" and I am being pressured to join their "association" which main goal is to keep property values up, establish a bunch of crazy restrictions like "prohibiting outside lighting during darkness so as not to impede the neighbors view of the night sky" and the list goes on and on. i think their main goal is to bring the "city with them" ...oh yeah get this, they want to establish a gated community with 24 hour security.... Security from what!? squirrels???

Generally they are pain in the rumps to everyone. These people are strange, they have alot of money but are the most uptight and miserable people I have ever seen and they worry so much of what their neighbors are doing that they cannot get on with their own lives. Wait till they find out I am going to clearcut my entire property and raise guinea hens and start a sodium light factory outdoor testing facility!

However the real solution is easy. Just tell them exactly what you think of them and their "associations" and don't worry about them. This is a free country last time I checked. Just carry on with life, heck I don't care what they think of me. I am from the UP and they are not. If they don't like it they can leave.

The thing I don't understand is they say they moved here becasue they love the area and the people and the lifestyle, Then they build a house and want to change all that. Wouldn't it have been easier for them to stay in the city so they can abide by all their rules and regulations like "civilized" people? Another thing they do that ticks me off is posts "no trespassing" signs everywhere.

They also try to keep you out with the "septic permits" and all kinds of crazy tactics. It is interesting to see how many people who have already got their "piece of the pie" have a septic system that is inferior and is not up to current standards...yet they are trying to tell you your septic system is not perfect....well i got two words for them folks.

A rebuttle for the property values issue they talked to me about....here is my thought. If you truly love the UP and your place why do you want property values to keep going up? I can think of only 2 reasons...

1.) They have no intention of staying here for the long haul and are looking to make a quick buck by reselling

2.) They enjoy paying more taxes

you decide

I luv the UP,

Your statement "quit your crying!!!" certainly does not fit the rest of your posting. All you did was cry for seven paragraphs.

You had better enjoy your part of the UP while you can, because when the big money gets there they will force you out.

So far it sounds like you just have the folks that are taking advantage of the tax laws for a second home and have borrowed to finance it.

Watch out when the private planes start filling the ramp at the Houghton Airport.

Watch out when the private planes start filling the ramp at the Houghton Airport?
Careful! Some Yoopers are pilots too!
Maybe you'd prefer they use the Houghton sands as they did in the 60's?

To Dave in Mohawk My uncle lived in that apartment building. He and my Aunt wre lucky to get out alive. They lost every thing
To Marilynn and Tera I to am a summer visitor to the Tapiola area. The Toivonen farm is on the river road. Don't really know who you are? Hang around with any Michaelsons?

when my 92 year old mother was a girl, they held school picnics on otter lake in tapiola. people went there for years, rented boats and fished and picniced there. someone from downstate bought the land and posted it . they put a gate up so you can't even walk to the shore now. I KNOW it's their land but....
by the way i'm marilynn and susans mother.

Jo Ann Hancock
I am sorry to hear that the Library burned. It has been over 20 years since I have been back to Houghton, or Marquette for that matter. I don't think the kids really believe me when I tell them that Johnny the neighbor kid and I got so good at digging tunnels we could meet in the middle and we could make a two story snow fort with a piece of 4X8 plywood. We have no birch and pine down here. I still do not get all the palm tree's names straight. I had some Pasty's flown down (and they were great) but my wife doesn't like them. She's got the pool heater on and its 75°! I used to come out when I turned blue. Tell the new Library people that the book is stuffed in the bookcase right next to the computer here, but I'd probably be keeping it just a while longer.