This Upper Michigan city has an engineering marvel found nowhere else
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2023
- This Upper Michigan city has an engineering marvel found nowhere else
About me: I grew up in a small town the Midwest. Now I drive America's backroads exploring small towns, forgotten places, local history and more!
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What a nice town! And, such history. I enjoyed this video.😊❤
Thank you so much!
Cops hate ATVs ishpeming neguanee is my new place I can road ride around here no issues
Great story. Thank you for featuring my town, Iron Mountain.
My dad, born in 1923, grew up in Iron Mountain. He would tell us about going to the movies every Saturday. Dragged us to Iron Mountain every other summer in the ‘70s/‘80s. Miss those cross country trips (coming from California) and my dad’s stories. Thanks!
. I went to high school at both Iron Mountain (Mountaineers)f and Kingsford (Flivvers). I still have family that lives there. You did a great job of explaining Iron Mountain. I saw the Cornish Pump tons of times before the museum was built. You should go a video on Kingsford and cover the history of the Kings Ford plant, Kingsford charcoal and the Flivver. That'll keep you busy for a while.
The plant was a couple of blocks from my grandmother's house. My grandfather worked at the Ford plant.
Remember LodAl that occupied the old Ford Plant for a while making the new style garbage trucks they were very popular for many years.
What type of woods are actually in Kingsford natural, or (cowboy) charcoal??
I spent a summer working at a paper mill and living in Iron Mountain in the 1990’s. I returned to Texas with a 1966 Bridgestone motorcycle, a 1957 VW Beetle, a 1954 Buick Super, one Finlander and a Chippewa!
The biggest treat for me was several inches of snow in May!
One Finn ?? Then it is PARTY TIME!!
My parents grew up in Iron Mountain. My father was a college professor so we spent much of the summer there with the grandparents. I remember taking the Chicago and Northwestern train from Chicago to that train station.
Every summer we'd hang out in Lake Antoine and climbing the ski slide on Iron Mountain.
I grew up using a Carnegie library in Sparta WI. It's still in use. You should go check it out. Carnegie in the steel business needs iron ore, thus he visited iron mountain. Same for Henry Ford, as he owned the businesses for all materials needed for his auto production, except for tires. Ford bought all their tires until recently from Firestone. Harvy Firestone was a good friend of Henry Ford.
Check out Fordlandia a farm Henry Ford tried farm rubber in south America 😮
Very interesting!!! But, I thought Ford eventually bought land in the Amazon rain forest in the 20s in Brazil to make his own tires from the vast rubber trees there---
A very pleasant feature of Iron Mountain is the Moose Jackson Coffee Shop & Deli. A gem in the U.P.
Courtesy of Half Vast Flying
My Mother, 1st heard bombing of Peral Harbor at that theatre. Next time on US 2 look for artesan wells in Iron Mountain and Norway. Bring your favorite container. Also the ski jump turnament in Febuary.
Great video. Iron Mountain is a cool place. I grew up about 30 miles from there in Crystal Falls.
If you like IM, give the Keweenaw Peninsula a view, 4 UP counties. Much to be in awe of! 17 lighthouses, 9,000' deep copper mines, world's largest steam mine hoist, underground mine tours (3 locations). 2 National Parks. Over 150 miles of Lake Superior shoreline.
oh yeah, copper country. go for the fall foliage amazing
I have to agree. For my money the best old buildings are from calumet. The town was very financially important at the beginning of the 20th century and is virtually untouched from 100 years ago. The high-school is the most industrial thing I've ever seen.
Agreed, go to the Keweenaw!
I lived here and near by Iron Mountain since I was 6yrs old then moved away when I was 21. My Family still lives in or near by. I knew the owner Thomas Renz & owned the bank in town, he owns the Bramount theater or now his kids do, my step dad worked at his summer home in Spread Eagle on a lake for several years part time. I do remember that cornish pump sitting out in the elements all the time I lived there. Of course how did Sally miss the Ski Jump that was at one time the Largest man made ski jump in the WORLD. Every one from around the world came there to Jump off it every February until present day. Huge event every year. Besides the Cornish pump we had the Ski Jump a one of a kind for many years. When I was back up in the area in 2010 went in to see the enclosed Cornish pump.
America has thousands of these "Iron Mountain" type towns, I wish I knew how to save the best of these 100+ y/o buildings, so future generations could enjoy the past architecture, the way I have in my 74 y/o life.
It’s all about the $$$ required to maintain even ONE of these classic buildings. The short version is: if there’s enough historic interest for the place to be maintained by tourism, or it can be converted to a venue for activities or shows, then it may survive. Otherwise, it’s coming down, or just sit and silently decay.
I’m a skilled tradesmen of Ohio. Late wife and four step kids loved the UP. If you’d like to preserve them old buildings for others to enjoy. I’d be willing to contract the work super cheap for exchange of a few acres or a nice old trappers cabin, or just for fair pricing willing to negotiate and barter. I’d be happy to bring the buildings back to their original grandeur
Definitely not thousands of towns like iron mountain or towns like Michigan has
If you're thinking exactly like Iron Mountain, then no, I've travelled to all of the lower 48 states and there are hundreds of towns that have more historic value than this small town in Michigan and need saving.
🤔 almost as if things cost too much in the modern day to bother worrying about an old structure… I wonder which generation was responsible for the outlandish cost of property?
Hi...at 1:35 you start talking about a train signal. I used to be a signal operator back in 2001 at Brighton Park Illinois(Chicago). The pull bars and the gearing are amazing! To think that pulling a bar or pushing it can turn pipes and pull wires in such a way that even in the winter these mechanical oddities were going strong.
As someone who has lived in IM/Kingsford, Norway, and Escanaba for about 35 years of my life it is nice seeing the time you spend and wonder you had at places that I think are mundane.
My wife and I lived in Illinois for 4 years. On numerous occasions, we took weekend trips far north into Michigan up to Calumet. We would go there for the historical side of it. Every time, we would pass through Iron Mountain and even stop for gas/food. We never actually stopped to visit there. This was a nice video to see what we were missing.
next time you go check out Big Bens Tattoos he is my Pastor of the Keweenaw Cavalry chapel here in Calumet/Larium awesome guy with alot of cool stories
Great Video! Thanks for sharing!
Hi sally thxs for the video my parents were married at Iron Mountain Lurton house in 1946! It’s a beautiful building 💙💜❤️
The signal is a train order semaphore - it was used alternately to alert the engineer if the line was clear, or alternately, to stop for train orders. Prior to electric signals, they used an item called a track warrant, which gave permission to that train to occupy a stretch of track for a time period. These would be telegraphed to stations at each end of the warrant. To put it in computer network terminology, it was the token for a token ring network.
This video is one of our favorites that you have done. Love the detail on the stone buildings. Carnegie paid to build 2,509 libraries in the USA, including one in my home town of Oregon City, Oregon -❤ built in 1913. Thanks for taking us to interesting place that we would never have had a chance to see otherwise. As Gomer would have said "Best to you and yours. Lynn & Steve
Another wonderful video! Love the Wells Fargo commentary Marty!!!!
Sol Blu (7:02) is one of our favorite bars in the UP! Classy and fun.
For those who want to know where the engineering marvel is, start at 21:45.
Hello from Longview Texas
I live in Chicagoland and my grandkids live in Michigan (lower). Four years ago we did a circle tour of Lake Michigan. As an aside our family has had a place in northern Wisconsin for about 65 years so I'm a little familiar with the UP. Our house is directly south of Bessemer Mi. for reference. The rate these small towns are dead or dying is astounding. The tour we drove in the UP the last time was very eye opening. I've never seen so many gas stations, motels, stores, etc boarded up and left to nature. The way I understand is that the kids who manage to get an education just leave the areas leaving nobody to work the family businesses. It's such a shame because the UP and Northern Wisconsin are possibly the most beautiful places in our country ( yes I've been to the west coast, the Colorado mountains, and lived in California). It's just so peaceful and stress relieving. I don't have a ready answer to the issues up there but my advice is if you want to see the best night sky you've ever seen visit the UP soon while you can still get a room at an open place on a lake.
It's simple. The future generations are smaller than the previous. This is population decline.
So true!!! I've been going up to the country (UP) for over 40 years!!!!
its real bad for sure nowadays
no way my mom Grew up in Mellen and washburn area i go down there a few times a year ! to put my 2 cents in as a yooper kid there is not much here the logging industry is not what it was when my grandpa was in the woods you're lucky to make ends meet doing that so most kids either want to go out west and start working become a trucker or end up welding those that stick around work at the grocery store or the gas station it's really rough up here 70% of people are on some sort of assistance due to laziness and lack of opportunity i left to Green Bay the second i turned 18 and have not looked back since i wish the UP was flourishing like it was in the 40s-70s but its not and it is a real bummer but the population is rapidly increasing in the UP my reasoning is because of the legalization of marijuana but thats not a fact the town i grew up in had about 1400 ppl in it now its around 3800 so something is happening and iron mountain in specific has gotten very large in the past 5 years so idk where you are getting this info of the pop decreasing but that is very false
I'm just waiting on global warming to make my home worth 5 times what it was. This place is the best outside of how blistering cold and snowy the winters are (minus this one).
Hi, Sally. Thank you for explaining the history and sharing the video. Have a great day.🎉.❤.
For so many reasons Andrew Carnegie was a pivotal figure in America's history. So so much came from his innovation ~ of course not just him but he did spread his wealth around while his workers there in Pittsburgh. ~ Another story. We did get the 8 hour day from his industrial meanderings. Yep. You guys are hip deep in history there. Thanks so much for sharing all of these travels and your creative narration. So sad to see that library just boarded up.
An interesting tidbit to add from a local is that the very small town of Quinnesec, roughly 3 miles east, and I use the word town loosely, was the very first town established on the Menominee Iron Range and thusly predates the City of Iron mountain. Also, the town of Kingsford, of which there is no separation from Iron Mountain, was named for Henry Ford's brother in law whom invented charcoal and where Kingsford charcoal was produced until 1961.
Charcoal has been made and used by man for at least 30,000 years. When you state something as fact ;look it up. It took me 3 seconds to get the answer!
RAS Distributing, Inc. is still operating in Iron Mountain MI and is the Old Dutch distributor for Dickinson, Iron , and other nearby counties in Wisconsin.
Ya'll really missed what's outside the door of the pumping engine bldg, the Ford Museum and why Kingford is a name stilll around today, it's where they made all of the wooden parts for Fords from 1916 to 1953, remember the Woodies? And in the middle of the museum is a glider that was built there for WW2 and they go into explaining all about gliders and how Kingsford got its name. It is amazing you really missed it ya should go back and make a video of that museum, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Also a couple miles farther South is an iron mine tour that is really worth the time. Not a Disneyland ride but an authentic iron mine.
You put a lot of effort into this video, and it is a joy to watch. It is a great introduction to the town and surrounding area. People who know the place will always comment, you missed this or you missed that. Well, one has to pick and choose. Covering what you missed would have made the video more detailed, not necessarily better. I am admiring how you keep on making these local documentaries, considering how little you get rewarded for this work at the end of the day. Your earlier video about that topic made a lasting impression. All your videos are good, eminently watchable and interesting.
Kingsford as in charcoal for barbecues ? 😅
YES@@djack915
@@djack915Yes. Kingsford helped manage Henry Ford’s forest assets. The charcoal was originally made from Ford’s wood scraps.
@@brucebeauvais1324 o I see thanks
What a beautiful and wonder person you are Sally.
I had an aunt and uncle that lived in Iron Mountain and we used to visit in the late 60's and early 70's. My uncle was an engineer and lived there to help build a power plant. Loved seeing this area again, brought back memories. Thanks!
Born and raised in Iron Mountain. Graduated 72 joined the Navy. It's pronounced Chae pin .
I could easily make a 2 hour documentary about Iron Mountain and still leave a lot out.
I've climbed all over the Cornish pump as a child when it was outside and silver painted with the fence falling down around it.
You guys are a hoot Sally. Really made this story interesting and fun. I have biked all over Michigan and find these northern towns fascinating.
I've lived in Dickinson and Iron counties for the last30 yrs and never knew of this history. It's not really advertised but the older locals know it.
Fantabulous!! A very interesting tour of architecture, artifacts and history of Iron Mountain, Michigan. Thank you Sally & Marty for another wonderful and informative video! ❤👍
Hey I'm from Escanaba. There's also a Carnegie Library here too. It's been privately owned and pretty much empty for years. The owner of a roofing company in town owns it. Don't know his plans for it it's been empty for many years.
I never knew the town I grew up in had such a beautiful history. ;)
i was born and raised in the UP growing up Iron Mountain was the closest town with a walmart to us so we would go there twice a month and i always really looked forward too it in highschool the kids used to climb up on the ski jump at night and all drink beer up there haha was really cool growing up in The U.P and i would not have traded it for anything in the world it makes me happy to see you guys exploring our home and having so much fun doing it maybe check out Iron River as they have a very interesting historical museum that talks about our history as miners and loggers along with the ojibway and chippewa tribes that inhabited the area at the time
The Postoffice has one big painting in it. Also Ford Motor had a plant there, where they manufacture Kingsford briquettes.
The Train Order Board (T.O.B.) at the train station, might be the only one left in the country, unprotected, unrestored, and untouched, changed, or moved. I am certainly unaware if there is, and that is my favorite object in the entire world (no, not an overstatement). Unfortunately, I'm so old, that I remember that signal in operation and still relevant. It is remarkable to me that folks just walk or drive by these marvels that are over 100 years old, still standing and maybe still doing what they were designed for, all that time. You folks, however, certainly did not miss a thing in Iron Mountain. Good to see the place again, and absolutely shocked that some of it is as I remember..
Had a poke around Iron Mountain a few weeks ago on our way to Ashland, WI. It's a cool old Michigan mining town. And it's just down the street (US 2) from Spread Eagle.
22:31 "That's what she said..." LOL
You didn't mention the reconstructed WACO CG4A WWII glider. That's part of the connection between Iron Mountain and Ford: his company built those gliders there. It was reconstructed partly in Wausau, partly in Iron Mountain, and another location. My husband and son helped rebuild the fuselage here in Wausau - so intriguing to see all the details! It's in the building behind the one that covers the mine pump.
Thanks Sally, I really enjoy the history of the U P of mich, I enjoy you and Marty , you do a great job, ❤
I currently live there. Not bad town.
Oh the U.P. has so many historic places to visit! I grew up in Aurora Wisconsin just across the bridge from Iron Mt./Kingsford and you took me for a very enjoyable walk with you down memory lane. Thank you for that. Great content
Yes I grew up there also.
Marty...a man of few words...😁 thanks for sharing!👍
Yup.
Good job, Sightseeing Sally !
I moved here to iron mountain in 2006. Love it here
I live in iron mountain
I've been through Iron mountain but never took a few days to really see it. Maybe next year. Nice job telling the story.
you missed the biggest attraction in Iron Mt-------------the ski jump and it's history. Another lost and mostly forgotten IM destination was the House of Yesteryear which still stands but now difficult to get info about.
Fun, and nicely done. My wife and I visited Iron Mountain quite a few years ago and your video brought back a lot of memories.
I love seeing videos about Michigan's upper peninsula. I was in the Air Force stationed at K.I.Sawyer AFB in Marquette county in the early 1980's. Wish I could go back to live there. The UP is definitely better than Vermont. We live in northern Vermont and there are better places to live.
I was stationed at K.I. In the late 70’s and I grew up in Iron River, just 80 miles west of there. In my 24 years of active duty my best memories were at K.I. I was with 87FIS, AGE guy.
@@brianboot8623 I also spent time (10 yrs) at K.I. Sawyer 1974-1984 (Medic at USAF Hospital....then, NCOIC NCO PME Center). Like you, I have many fond memories of the U.P.! Were you there when the 106 went in Lake Superior?
Great Place....Great People!
I miss it to this very day.
@@larryhudlemeyer2617 No, I was there 4/78 to 10/79, got orders to Germany. Wanted to sign up for the 5 year controlled tour but I was told to wait until I got closer to my enlistment date. I still have family in the U.P. So I get up there once a year. I currently live in Spokane Washington, I retired out of Fairchild AFB in 2001.
Yes, Iron Mountain is my home town and after my service in the military, I move to Quinnesec Mich, just 3 miles away from IM. My grandfather worked in the chapin mine and they used that Cornish Pump Engine to pump the water out of that Chapin mine. My mother knew Henry Ford and Firestone because those two guys would always stopped off for food at that eating place where my mother was the cook. Henry Ford loved my mother's apple pie and Henry would go to the kitchen to ask my mother if he could have another piece of her apple pie. Henry Ford would stay in the kitchen with my mother telling her that her apple pie was the best he ever had. I don't know if Ford was hitting on her or he just loved her apple pie,lol. But Henry would talk to her a lot in that kitchen. She was a good baker for sure and when she died in 2018, the obit told about the times my mother meeting Henry Ford and Firestone in that place she worked.
Great video my friends, you did a great job on Iron Mountain, but, just like Paul Henry would say, "Now for the rest of the story" LOL.
Thanks for posting this. Iron Mountain has long been on my "places to visit" list.
This helps ensure it stays on the list.
Carnegie built over 2,500 libraries across the USA and at least six in the UP. The name of the town is the reason Carnegie was in the UP, Iron. Which is a key ingredient for making steel. Kingsford was one of many towns founded by Henry Ford. Several of the gilded age families had "camps" in the UP which their friends visited. The McCormick 's had two camps in called Island camp and the second being the McCormick wilderness. The Sylvania tract was partially owned by the Fischers. The Huron Mountain club still exist, Henry Ford had a "cabin" there.In the early 1900 roughing it was popular with the gilded age and many took camping trips in upper Michigan
i saw the first Star Wars there, I am a Kingsford high graduate 1982.
Hi Sally,
The church you show at the end of the video on West "D" Street was my dad's first parish as a Greek Orthodox Priest, Saint Mary's Orthodox Church. We were born there in Iron Mountain and we actually lived next door in the house to the left. Of course, it's been upgraded as the front had an open-air porch which we used to play on as kids. In between the house and the church was a birdbath my parents put in and my dad planted two trees in front of the house. I assume they were removed because they got too big for the space. The top of the dome was the original old-fashioned spire, which was changed to the onion dome you see now. That happened after we left.
Thank you for the video and for showing me by happenstance the house I grew up in for the first 7 years of my life!
I live on A st ♡
Great for appreciation of our overlooked little towns that actually have lots of fascinating details and sights. Helps people consider looking at places like this closer to home.
I enjoy the stroll thru towns like these. Good coverage Sally
Those little flower like things are know as Fleur De-Lis.
Thanks Sally. I'm pretty sure I've been to every major city in Michigan, except Iron Mountain. The auto industry dominates much of our history and we forget about mining in the north.
Born in 1900, my grandfather (from Iron River) worked the mines and logged in that entire area. Mom was born in Iron River as well. I'd love to see you guys do that town too!
So was mine! At the south end of Iron Lake.
My grandma was born in Amasa in 1900 and lived there for almost 100 years. I lived in Iron Mountain for six years and didn't know some of this stuff in this video. Good video.
My parents were from the Iron River/Crystal Falls area as well! My grandfather Hugh Robert Charron worked for Hanna Mine as an accountant. His father, Alphonse Charron, was the town blacksmith in Crystal Falls and it was said of him that he had to have the fastest horse in Iron County. If another man's horse passed his on the road he immediately began negotiations to buy it. In one of the Crystal Falls history books, there is an account of a race on an icy lake which took place between his horse and a cocky outsider's horse. Guess whose horse won! By the way I still have a horseshoe that Grampa made for his pony in 1915. On my dad's side my grandfather Ivar Malmberg had a dairy farm outside Crystal Falls on what is now M-69 and he also worked for the post office. So we might have some relatives in common!
You really ought to look into the Courthouse War between Crystal Falls and Iron River. Family legend says that the county records which were stolen from the Iron River courthouse were hidden on the Malmberg farm before being moved to the new courthouse in Crystal Falls.
I’d like to see that as well. Both my parents grew up there. I Miss Riverside Pizza, but thankfully they put one in in Green Bay. Many memories from Iron Mountain and Iron River
Amazing job researching the history behind the many buildings and stops in this video!
The decorative design on the theater was a fleur-de-lis. It's usually a symbol of French heritage or background.
That’s a treasure trove of ‘Founded’ buildings if I ever did see! Lots of interesting history and I’ll bet the best of it isn’t even known. Old World enthusiasts will know exactly what I mean. 😉
I've been in almost every theater in the U.P. Still haven't been in that one. DANGIT!
Hi Sally and Marty. Enjoyed the video very much, thank you for sharing again.
Yes, very cool!!!
Sweet. You guys help me travel when I can't! I love Michigan history.
Sally and Marty, I really enjoyed this video and the West Bend video, too! The scale of these cities was a nice departure from the small town format. Keep up the good work!
Thank you both! Much appreciated for a really long story in my life that I won't get into - BUT that Iron Mountain played in my life...
The train station building is in good shape. Need some new occupants or fixed up by the historical society. It's still got good "bones."
I read an explanation of why we just discard old buildings here on the North American continent, because we have so much space it's easier just to move on. Cheaper to just leave the building standing and build somewhere else. Doesn't seem like a good way of doing things.
New subscriber here. Great video. Thank you for sharing your adventure with all of us. 👍
Cool architechture
As always Sally an interesting and informative video! Nice to see Marty again too
Did we miss the Ski Jump ?
For sure, went to events many times in the 70’s, drove over from Iron River. One of my favorite Olympic events to watch
Had a teacher by the name of Johnson who was on the Olympic ski team .
We were there two months ago. Took our side by side up..that museum was very cool. We then went out of town and and toured a mine
Thanks! My roommate and I enjoy your videos, and the research you do.
Thank you so much! It's our pleasure. We're really happy to hear you and your roommate enjoy our videos.
How did you add a tip to your comment? I have never seen that before and there are so many times I felt like tipping a video but there was no way to do that
@@wannabewoodsmith4217 On my p.c. is the only way I can do it. You hit the money icon, choose an amount, and pay with a card. You can leave a comment at the same time.
Love all the history. I went there for the greenery before and did not think to look around. Definitely will next time.
Interesting place, nice visit, thanks!
Wonderful presentation, and I love the upbeat friendly demeanor that Sally exudes. This is interesting and a pleasure to watch.
Thank you
You do a good job of sparking interest in the everyday. Nice tour. Thank you.Your nuclear aside sure piqued my curiosity.
I bet Sally glows in the dark.
🤫👍
@Tapiocah 🤔Maybe one day I will share more about my experience in nuclear.
So glad you visited the Ardis Furnace Ruins!! And some of the murals ❤️
So nice to see this. I lived in Iron Mountain 60 years ago.
been there but i was quite a bit younger so I didn't explore it we were on the way to Copper Harbor😁
Very beautiful area, great history behind it
You two are a hoot. So entertaining. Thank you.
Very cool, and great job...
A great video. Enjoyed the info on the pumping engine.
Andrew Carnegie actually built a lot of libraries all over the country. There one in Ludington, Mi built by him as well. Most are Cement Block and or Brick. Many are modeled about the same.
There were set floor plans communities could choose from.
I just happened upon your channel, and you showed many interesting places, structures, names, and time periods, and also dropping some intriguing questions. I also follow Jon Levi, who shows and asks some pretty interesting questions about time periods, structures, locations, etc. Nice job!
My hometown! Great video. Just an FYI, the A in Chapin is a long A. It’s pronounced Chay-pin.
Great video. We had a lake cabin near Land o Lakes WI but in MI 82 west of Iron Mountain. Vacationed there 1960's 70's 80's. Beautiful to say the least.
You’re a great narrator, thank you much👍🏻✌🏻
Amazing video! Love the history!!
Super interesting!! Thanks
You both help me get through the “drudgery of daily life.” Yaay theaters and trains. 👍
Oh, the drudgery.
Missed the old Henry Ford Model T and Woody assembly site, not to mention the ski jump (one of the largest in the world).. Come back next time!
When I visited the area twenty years ago, they gave tours to a huge mined out cavern directly under highway 2. Vehicles traveling above never knew if the road caved in, they would be sitting at the bottom of the mine.