• Wednesday-What'sUP August 5 - 05:50 pm

When summer is upon us here in the Keweenaw, we're lucky enough to have a number of lakes nearby, including Portage Lake which is featured today from Ashely Byykkonen. She visited The Green Camp recently and as you can plainly see, it really IS green. What a truly relaxing spot to spend some time, not only the quaint looking cottage itself, but look at that view from the seat of the swing. What I wouldn't give to be sitting in that very spot right now, just watching the Lake roll in.

Someone knows how to do it right.

I'm green with envy! Looks like the perfect spot to get away from real life!

Hi
A park ranger pointed out to me once that some people say "cottage", some say "cabin" and others say "camp". I think "camp" might be more of a U.P. and northern Ontario thing; what do you all think?

Whatever you call it, it's priceless. I was up to our cabin last weekend.

The ferns in the first picture are abundant in the U.P. They
remind me of a camping trip with my family in the 1960's. We
camped on an island on Slatter's Lake (spelling?). It was remote
and peaceful. My mother taught my sister and I how to make a
welcome mat out of the ferns for the tent to help keep the sand
out. We bathed in the lake and caught our dinners out of it too.
The fish was delicious cooked over the camp fire. Deer and bear
were abundant on the main land which we saw clearly from time
to time, but we were safe on the island. The lake is located at
the tip of the Keewenau penninusla. It is a beautiful area. No
electricity, no radio, no phone, (not even a cell). We were brave
but we sure did talk to each other a lot more. The swing in the
last picture by the lake makes me almost feel the fresh cool
breeze that comes off Portage Lake. I too wish I was there right
now.

Camp is most definetly a UP word. Almost all the family
properties have the word camp on their sign. Location is also a
name frequently found on signs in the UP.

The grass is really green!

A pretty place and a gorgeous view. I'm so jealous! I tend to call places like this cabins or cottages. By the looks of things, The Green Camp at least has electricity. I'm guessing it has running water and easy access to a road, too. To me, a camp is a place out in the woods that is a bit challenging to reach and doesn't have any modern conveniences (modern bathroom, electricity, running water) -- a distinction that I know is probably not shared by others. :) Happy day, everyone!

In 1950, my dad built his retirement home on Sylvan Lake outside of Pontiac. Though it was a two story, three BR house with attached garage, we all referred to it as the "camp" at first Finally, dad admonished us to use another term and it was then that we started referring to it as "the lake."

I have a co-worker from New England who reffered to going to camp, and we had a discussion on that. I hadn't heard it outside of the UP or northern Wisconsin. I think you can find it in the North Central and North East States where there was a tradition of logging camps. It may have fallen out of use in a lot of areas, but in the UP it is still going strong.

When I was a kid in the 50's and 60's we used the term 'camp' for anyones house on the lake. Back then few of these camps had electricity or running water so the term probably fit anyway. Some of my best memories were family get togethers and cookouts at these camps.

I had 3 uncles that built/owned "camps" out on Lake Superior and Eagle River.
While growing up in the Copper Country as kids we would drive to Copper Harbor and go a few miles north on a dirt road and then hike in about 3 miles to Schlatters Lake along a telephone line that ran out to Gull Island Light House.
Every time we (Ken, Donnie Mac, Don) went there fishing we would get on a flat bottom pram that was left at the shore and paddle out to the island that Morning Glory refers to above ..Fishing for northern pike was so good that every trip that we made we would have to carry them out on a pole set-up like porters in the jungle..I relate these type of stories to my grand kids (when they are not texting) about my growing up in Gods Country.
On my first trip there we went with Jim Moehrke in his old car that had to be cranked by one guy and the other inside adjusting the magneto. As we were traveling north passing the Keweenaw Golf Course we could hear a click, click coming from somewhere in this old car..We just passed it over as something to do with age and mosied on to our fishing destination. When we were returning back to Hubbell as we left Copper Harbor and down again over hill and dale near the golf course we again began to hear this elusive ticking, ticking only this time we figured it was something in the front of the old '32 auto. After about three minutes of this we all of a sudden saw the drivers side front wheel/tire take off and go into the woods knocking down a pole as it flew 10' into the Keweenaw Forest...after some looking brother Don found the wheel and now we were with the dilema of how to mount the wheel with no lug nuts..Don and Chris were older than me and figured out if they took one lug from the other 3 wheels we could make it into Mohawk or Phillipsville where we may find an additional lug..sure enough they figured it out and we made it safely down the Calumet Hill and back to Hubbell. (I don't think we told mom about this)

I love the swing & view! It would be wonderful to be out sitting on the swing, watching Portage now! My oldest son is UP there now. He took our small boat up there for a few days. Last night, he and some friends went out to the Upper Entry, and ventured out beyond the break waters, but not very far, as Mother Superior was too rough for a little boat. It is gorgeous UP there! For this year, I have to rely on my memory, the pictures that we have taken in the past, and pictures that my son takes while he is up there, as we will not be able to make it up there. I miss it!

Great Pics little sis'!

I'd love to be at the camp now.... it looks so serene.

Camp is a UP word. Out in Minnesota where I live now, it's known as a cabin. I still say "camp". My uncle has a "camp" in Freda. Yet his grandson calls it a "cabin", as he was born and raised in Wisconsin. Whatever you want to call it, I'd love to spend some time at this particular camp. It looks so inviting! I might stop at my ex-in-laws "camp" out by Little Betsy. Try to see if I can find Uncle Chuck's place!

To me, this beautiful place would be called a "cottage" due to the location and the fact that it probably, just guessing, has electricity, running water, etc. When I grew up here, "camps" were small, wooden structures, sometimes made of logs, stuck in the middle of nowhere deep in the woods with no running water and kerosene lamps for electricity. Those by the water were usually called cottages, even then, rather than camps. Wonderful picture. Thank you!

I was in the CC this past week. I stopped in at Pasty Central to inquire about wireless hot spots. I thought I was going to find Mary Drew there. Nope, I talked to Deb-----she told me Mary is in Lake Linden and works out of her home there.
And another person works out of his home in Eagle River. Modern technology.
All my life a summer cottage in the UP was a camp. In my family it was called that because back then they were hunting camps. No matter how civilized they eventually became.
My friends in the CC and I got into the same discussion about the use of the word camp and also the word location.
The CC was really nice this trip. Not hot nor cold. Very good quality air I always say.

Eddyfitz, I was surprised reading you post about the pram on Schlatters lake. In the early 50s my Dad built that and a buddy helped him carry it in. They fished there quite often.

Tom (and others), I'm curious as to what your take on "location" is. To me, it's a neighborhood or other small, tight-knit community that may have "grown up around" something, like a mine or a logging ... er ... camp. ;) Does that sound about right?

Lisa R. (Sisugirl):
"… what your take on "location" is."
Good question! I've never heard the origin of that term either, it seems pretty ambiguous, and ill-defined

Like "Florida Location", which apparently includes the area along M-26 just south of the south boundary of the Village of Laurium, in Calumet Township, but how far along M-26, to the southeast corner Calumet Township?

And "Highway Location"; I always loved that one, like there was only one "highway" that it could be associated with?)

There don't seem to be any clear, well defined boundaries, for "locations", as far as I can tell. Yet everyone in da Copper Country seems to know 'em by those names. That does make it interesting tryin' to 'splain to the touristas where these places are.

'Tis, to my knowledge a true Yooper term, as well.
(Or is the term used elsewhere?)

I just looked up "location" in Merriam-Webster Online (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/location) and it came up with an interesting set of definitions. Here's the most relevant:

"1 a : a position or site occupied or available for occupancy or marked by some distinguishing feature : situation. b (1) : a tract of land designated for a purpose (2) Australian : farm, station."

Even U.P. kids call their play shelters camps, while kids from a lot of other places call them forts.

Eddyfitz, I was amazed to read your lug nut story. Get this: in 1975 my buddy Scot had a Volkswagen bug tricked out with big tires and leaky air shocks, and four of us took it out onto High Rock Bay Road east of Copper Harbor. On the way back, the bug started shaking and rattling and we discovered one of the front tires had only one lug nut left and was hanging on by a prayer. Not only that, but several lug nuts had come off other wheels, so we really didn't have enough to go around. We walked back up the road and actually found two of the lost nuts, including one that had fallen into a mud puddle. We limped her back down to Houghton OK. So, it was you guys that left the Lug Nut Hex up there in Keweenaw County! I wonder if it got anyone else since 1975?

and ya know what they say; "Location...Location...Location!

Ohhhhh....Many great memories have been made an The Green Camp!

Ohhhhhh ...Many great memories have been made at The Green Camp!

I always thought "Location" was a name given to an area by a mining company because they were, or were planning to seek copper there. Boston location,Menard location, etc..

Hei Eddyfitz and Dunerat, in '58 a friend and I were in the Florida Location. Suddenly a wheel and tire went by us on the driver's side. We couldn't understand how it could happen 'cause the car ( a '30 soft top Model A with a rumble seat.)didn't go down until we came to a corner, then down it went. The wheel went through a fence into a field. We found 2 of the lug nuts on the road behind us and got her going again down to Antilla's junkyard in Hubbell. Alec had LOTS of 'em. :o) The model A was yellow with black fenders, a pretty neat little car.

Back in '53 or '54 Hugo and Mary Pelto from Hubbell, had what they called their 'cottage' in Point Mills. It was an old schoolbus and a small addition built for a bedroom. Kind of a nice place with a sauna right on the lake. Really rustic, I liked being there.

My aunt (formerly from Traprock) and uncle are staying at the Green Camp this week. There is even cell phone service out there :)

My aunt (formerly from Traprock) and uncle are staying at the Green Camp this week. There is even cell phone service out there :)

In my opinion, (not necessarily correct-yet according to CC
tradition), location was a term used to describe the ownership of
a property. Such as Peterson Location (owned by the Peterson's).
Maybe at one time all they had was the deed to the property but
it was their location. There is a Peterson Location on the lake in
Dollar Bay and it is now a complete house with a sauna and they
still call it a location, perhaps nostalgically. My Grandfather had
a rustic hunting cabin in Dollar Bay with no electricity or running
water and it was called a camp. (torn apart by bears several
times). To me location describes ownership. Camp usually
describes something that is rustic and remote. Again in my
opinion a cottage is the term for a "fancy" small house in most
cases used as a second home. But, a property owner can put a
sign on the place and call it the "ritz" if they want to. :)

Yes, some even call the old Quincy Reclimation plant the MASON LOCATION.

I'll throw out a word that is unique to the Copper Country---"pank the snow down to make it hard."
Did your parents always end their letters as "So Long Pa" or Ma. It seems to be only Finnish in nature,eh? Or I would tell my father-in-law down here that the car dealer is just around the corner. He got upset when he was still driving twenty miles and I said he had a ways to go.

Our family has a place in Green Lake Wisconsin, we don't call it a camp, cabin or house. We refer to it as the hutta, Norkis for hut. What ever it is we love it.