• Father's Day-What'sUP June 18 - 07:26 am

Happy Father's Day!

There have been lots of Dads throughout the history of the Copper Country, who provided for their families, and made a difference in the community. One such historical figure is John T. Reeder. Born in 1857 in Wayne County, John grew up to be an accomplished accountant and photographer. He was the first President of the original Keweenaw Historical Society, which was formed 100 years ago this month.

This is where we live, right next to the Douglass Houghton Monument in Eagle River. It is one of three monuments to the Michigan's first State Geologist.

I'll have some more current picture to add to our "Then and Now" exploration of this scene a bit latter. The sun was just rising this morning when I took the current picture to compare on the main Pasty Cam page. As always, our thanks to Erik Nordberg and the crew at Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections.

Have a good week :o)

You can see a freighter on the lake in the W. Main picture, just above and slightly left of the lighthouse.

The pictures are just awsome. There are some homes still there from a 100 years ago. Like the saying goes "If walls could talk". Thank's Charlie for the awsome walk thru history in pictures.

Historic "before" and "after" pictures are a favorite of mine!

Happy Father's Day Robert C. Wetton. We love you!!!

Rob & Grace

Charlie is your house one of those that made it through or was it built after this was taken?

Historic photos. Thanks 4 sharing.

Paul,

The cedar shake house in the second photo ('Along W. Main')
is our home, basically the way it looked when we remodelled
in 1989. The amazing thing is the absence of trees next to our
house. Today we have some of the tallest pines in town.

happy birthday momma, miss you lots.

What a beautiful place to live, Charlie!
Happy Dad's Day to you and all those blessed with children!

Wise Words
"Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make about their fathers
sooner or later... that the man before him was not an aging father but a
boy, a boy much like himself, a boy who grew up and had a child of his own
and, as best he could, out of a sense of duty and, perhaps love, adopted a
role called Being a Father so that his child would have something mythical
and infinitely important: a Protector, who would keep a lid on all the
chaotic and catastrophic possibilities of life."
—Tom Wolfe,
The Bonfire of the Vanities

Today's Affirmation
I am blessed by all who have stood in the role of father to me.

Today's Meditation
Heavenly Father,

I am been reflecting on the role of father today,
recalling my own father and all those who been like a father in my
life.
So many images of what a father can be, flood my mind:
Strength, tempered with gentleness,
Willingness to put another first,
Courage to live convictions,
A huge heart,
A protector who doesn't smother,
A teacher who is patient and dedicated,
Love without conditions,
Someone who doesn't give up or give in,
Courage to do the right thing,
Knowing when to let go and when to hold fast,
Willing to love with a heart as big as the sky.
Bless the fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, uncles and others
who embody these qualities.
Not all people have had such a father,
for each of them—may You now heal their hurts.
You are Father and more for which I am exceedingly glad.
May all fathers turn to You for guidance and direction.
May every child have a father who loves and cares for them.
Teach us how to love as You love.
Amen
—Ric Beattie

My grandfather, Wagner Dahlgren, grew up on West Main, along the curve just before the bridge! Love these old pictures!

Donna, Love your Wise Words and Blessings today!

We always like the old pictures...
The old folks die away, and their children bunch together in brick suburbs, where they cannot hear the screen door of the home-place banging in the wind.
.....but if we never listen to the quiet, knowledgeable voices of the past, which of us can ever distinguish between the truth and shallow illusion?

Two Great-great-grandfathers from my Mother's side were among the first residents of the Eagle River/Cliff area. The first was Joseph Long, followed shortly by Louis Haun who arrived with one of the Sibilsky brothers from the same town in Saxony (Germany now). Haun was a carpenter at the Cliff mine and met a girl named Mary Gipp in Eagle River during the civil war. If walls could talk.
I was in Charlie's home several times when Mrs. Yokie owned it. The home just down the hill used to belong to the Gardener family as a summer home. Octave Gardener was a high ranking engineer for C&H. In later years his son Van, also and engineer, had the place and lived there permanently after retiring from GM. Van automated the place and had a large machine shop in a basement extension.
All the older homes in Eagle River have stories that go back to the earliest days of the Copper Country but are too long to tell here. Just about all start with a father coming to America to build a better life.
Great theme today, Charlie, thanks.

You have a beautiful spot to live, Charlie! Happy Father's Day to you!!

It should also be noted that many of the very early mineral specimens in the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum bear the name of J.T. Reeder as he was also a phenominal mineral collector as well as a photographer. In fact, many native copper crystal specimens found throughout the world today are compared to the fabulous specimens Reeder collected in the late 1800's/early 1900's which are known as "Reeder Quality" and by which every copper specimen is compared against.

Thanks for all the Father's Day wishes and interesting comments. I walked down to the corner a few minutes ago and lined up the rooftop intersections from the 1916 photo and had a bit of a surprise. In order to shoot from the same angle, I had to stoop below knee-high. Apparently when the highway was put in they had to build up the base, so it's about 3 or 4 feet higher. Here are high resolution shots of both views. Each will open in a separate browser tab or window (that you could maximize), so you can scroll side-to-side and flip back and forth to get the full effect:

Interestingly enough, John Reader served simultaneously as the Treasurer of several area mines - a testament to his business acumen and high standing in the mining community.

Fortunately for all lovers of history, he took extensive photographs of almost everything in the Copper Country.

Niice pix and follow-up pix!

What Makes a Dad
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad

Charlie, so cool your 1916 and 2012 pictures! Thank You!

That's so beautiful, Hollidays...brought tears to my eyes!

Very interesting photos today!!

Two comments - 1) It's amazing how recognizable Eagle River is 100 years ago in comparing the two photographs. I see more than one building still standing after all that time. 2) The video of three monuments to Douglass Houghton was very nice. Thanks, Pasty.com for sponsoring the monument restoration. Incidentally, the professors' monument here at the U of Mich could use some sprucing up - clean off the lichens.

JT was my great-great-grandfather...it's awesome to see his photos up here! It's also quite neat to see the cottage is essentially unchanged (except for paint colors) from 1916. Living history, in a very real, personal sense! Thanks for posting!!