Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By LARRY HOLCOMBE
Hurley — The Iron County Heritage Festival got a jump start Wednesday evening when historian Dale Caskey came calling to the Iron County Historical Museum.
He told the assemblage in the second floor courtroom of the former courthouse about life as a Norwegian lumberjack living on a homestead in Kimball in 1900.
Caskey’s grandfather lived and worked in lumberjack camps of northern Wisconsin at the beginning of the 20th century. Caskey lives in Rhinelander and has given presentations throughout the Midwest.
He talked about what a bustling place Iron County was with a population of maybe 15,000, made up of mostly loggers and miners. He talked about how many of the immigrants came for religious freedom, others for the work, and others for the land promised through the Homestead Act – “Work 160 acres for six years, and it’s yours.”
He talked about all the different ethnicities that settled the area and how foreign the other languages and names were.
Logging was a winter job, as the snow and ice aided the moving of logs out of the woods. Rivers to the south, like the Chippewa and Flambeau were used to move logs, but the rivers up north were too shallow and contained too many rocks.
He said logging afforded a good life of hard work and solid reward.
After his presentation, Caskey took questions for the group.
He said the lumberjacks had healthy appetites due to the hard work, keeping the camp “cookies” working and providing lumberjacks with 6,000 calories a day.
But the hard work also came with danger. He said only 7 percent of lifetime loggers made it through without an injury. He talked about how in Ashland, they sold $5 tickets as a form of health insurance. If you had a ticket, you could get treatment.
He said mining was even more dangerous.
The camps ranged in size from 20 to 30 men, to 200 or more. Many worked 14 to 16 hours days. “I can see a log, you can cut log,” he said, mimicking a boss.
The presentation began with a reading of a children’s book, “Marvin of the Great North Woods,” by Kathryn Lasky. The book told a young lad sent from his home in Duluth to work in a lumber camp in the Northwoods and his adventures of work, play and life at the camp.
Kristen Kolesar, with the Iron County Museum, said she hoped the story would set the stage for the evening.
Festival continues
The Heritage Festival continues on Friday as the Iron County Historical Society will host a step back in time open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the museum. Officials plan for more than a dozen actors to portray people from the county’s past, including a soldier during World War II, a Silver Street barmaid during the roaring 1920s, a teen in the 1950s, and an undertaker, seamstress, female photographer, and clothing store proprietor at the turn of the 20th century.
There will also be demonstrations by blacksmith Dan Roesinger, broom-maker Saga Erickson, metal artists Dave and Shelly Brauer, and musician Eric Sorenson, playing antique instruments. Julie Morello will be in the museum’s library to assist people with genealogy record searches. The museum’s weavers will be demonstrating their craft in the weaving room.
Also on Friday, the Hurley Quarterback Club will take over Eagle Bluff Golf Course for its annual fundraising tournament, beginning at 11 a.m.
More events
The Heritage Festival stretches across the county through Aug. 12 with a variety of events.
On Saturday, there are a pair of Hall of Fame induction ceremonies at the Hurley K-12 School. Things get started with continental breakfast and tours of the school at 9 a.m., followed by the Hurley Education Foundation’s induction ceremony of distinguished alumni and friends at 10. The Athletic Hall of Fame induction is set for noon.
The festival parade follows at 2 p.m. on Silver Street. This year’s theme is “You want to go where everyone knows your name.” Judges will award prizes to entries.
Also on Saturday, there will be antique tractors will be on display at the Iron County Farmers Market from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Iron County Memorial building will host the sixth annual Iron County All-School All-Class reunion from 5 to 10 p.m. Food and refreshments are planned.
The Mercer Education Foundation will host its annual Summer Mardi Gras fundraising event from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Pine Restaurant.
On Sunday, St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Hurley will host its annual Old-time Church Social. Children’s games, bingo, music and food are planned from noon to 5 p.m.
Also on Sunday in Mercer, there will be a pancake breakfast from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Senior Center.
Another busy week
The excitement around Mercer’s annual Loon Day gets started a day early on Tuesday with a “Night Before Loon Day” street dance. Live music and refreshments are planned for 7 to 11 p.m.
The 37th Loon Day craft show will be Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with more than 250 vendors and a flea market. There will also be music, food and beverages.
The Iron County Fair opens on Thursday, Aug. 3 at the fairgrounds in Saxon and runs through Sunday, Aug. 6. Carnival rides, horse events, music, exhibits, 4-H events and food are a few of the offerings.
The Friends of the Mercer Library will host a used book sale on Friday, Aug. 4 at the library from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Mercer Lions will host their annual Turtle River Duck Race on Saturday, Aug. 5, at noon at Rugger’s Landing.
Paavo time
Events surrounding the 49th annual Paavo Nurmi Marathon begin Friday, Aug. 11, as registration and packet pickup will be held at the Hurley K-12 School from 3 to 7 p.m.
Also at the school, there will be a Kids Race at 6, followed by a 2.62-mile Glow Run to the Paavo Torch at 7.
The torch lighting ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Iron Horse Trailhead at the corner of Silver Street and Fifth Avenue. Besides the lighting of the torch, there will also be entertainment and a special dedication.
Wisconsin’s oldest marathon begins on Saturday, Aug. 12 at 7:30 a.m. in Upson. The route runs by Whitecap Mountains, over to Wisconsin 77, through Gile, back to 77 and then south on County C along the Gile Flowage before turning back north on U.S. 51 and turning on to the home stretch on Silver Street. While some runners will brave the entire 26.2-mile course, others will compete in 2- and 5-person relays. A half marathon is also offered and begins at 8 in Gile.
Big finish
The 37th annual Springstead Corn Roast will also be held Saturday, Aug. 12, at the Springstead Town Hall from noon to 6 p.m. Besides corn, the event offers more food, music, dancing and games for all ages.
The Turtle Flambeau Flowage Pig Roast is set for Aug. 12 4 p.m. at the Gateway Lodge. Proceeds from the raffle will benefit the Turtle Flambeau Flowage Association.
The Iron County Farmers Market will celebrate Finnish Heritage Day on Aug. 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
