Community Calendar

January 31, 2022 - February 11, 2023 Railroads were a central part of Marquette since its earliest development. Trains were an everyday site around the city and downtown, crossing Front Street with ore cars, pulling into the depot to pick up and drop off passengers, or hauling logs from Alger County. Many Marquette families relied on the railroads for their livelihoods. Multiple railroads were headquartered in the city of Marquette. As iron mines on the Marquette Range opened in the 1840s, railroads developed to haul the iron ore. As mining expanded, so did the number of tracks and ore docks. Soon passengers, iron ore, timber, and other freight were all shipped to or from Marquette County. The railroads connected Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to the rest of the country. Learn more about the development and changes in this vast network. Learn where the tracks ran, what they carried, and their destination. We will look at how working the railroad has changed over the decades and how it is part of this region today. This exhibit will feature select hands on elements as well as maps, artifacts, and photographs. Exhibit Opening Reception Wednesday, February 9th at 5:00 p.m. Join us before our Yardmaster program on February 9 to enjoy the new special exhibit and meet the curator.

First Presbyterian welcomes all knitters to join them in their parlor for weekly knitting on Mondays at 10 am. Knit for those in need or work on your own projects.

For immediate release:

The Marquette Regional History Center is seeking nominees for our 2022 Helen Longyear Paul Award, and Peter White Award.

Marquette County has a rich history and cultural heritage that inspires many to interpret, preserve and share it. As a history institution it is our responsibility to recognize those efforts and promote the achievements of people and organizations making history today. The Marquette Regional History Center began an awards program in 1984. The Helen Longyear Paul Award recognizes individuals, and the Peter White Award honors foundations, companies, organizations, and institutions. Both recognize exceptional effort in the enhancement, restoration, conservation, or interpretation of the history of our area.

Nominations should be a page long and delivered by mail or in person to 145 W. Spring Street, Marquette, MI 49855, or, use mrhc@marquettehistory.org to nominate by email. Each letter should include the award category, how the individual/organization has shown dedication and commitment to local history, and the projects they have worked on. The deadline for entry is February 1, 2023.

Please join us for the awards which will be presented at the MRHC during our Annual Meeting on February 22, 2023. For more information, visit our website www.marquettehistory.org or call (906) 226-3571.

To celebrate a season of fun in the snow, the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center announces the opening of its new exhibition, “It’s All Downhill: Alpine Skiing in the U.P.” This fun, multi-media exhibition will open on Saturday, January 21 at 12 p.m. It will be on display until April 1 and is free and open to the public. The Beaumier Center is located in Gries Hall at the corner of 7th St. and Tracy Ave. on the campus of NMU. The Center’s hours are Monday through Wednesday and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturdays, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

“It’s All Downhill” focuses on the Alpine ski hills that have existed for the past 80 years across the region. These include the 16 ski hills still in operation across the U.P., from the major resorts to the small-town hills. Each section will tell the history of the ski area and some of the individuals who made them what they are today. There will also be historic photographs from each hill, including some of the ski areas that no longer exist. In addition, there will be sections on U.S. Olympic Alpine skiers and state champion skiers who grew up and trained on the U.P.’s ski hills.

It was the descendants of Scandinavians who brought the pastime of skiing to the Upper Peninsula. During the late 19th and early 20th century, recreational and sport skiing in the U.P. was of the Nordic kind (cross country and jumping). However, where there is a large hill, there will be skiers who will climb up it to ski down the steepest slopes possible. So, before Alpine skiing took off in the U.P., there were Yoopers with a “need for speed.”

The first two ski hills with operating rope tows were Pine Mountain in Iron Mountain and Mont Ripley in Houghton, which were installed by Pabst Brewing Co. scion Fred Pabst, who was instrumental in developing Alpine skiing in the Midwest. Soon other town hills began popping up around the U.P. Eventually major ski resorts such as Indianhead and Big Powderhorn in Gogebic County were developed in the 1950s and 60s, creating a new economic driver in these hard-hit mining towns. Most of these resorts continue to exist today and new ones like Mt. Bohemia has come along to challenge the stereotype that Midwest skiing isn’t challenging.

Over the years there have been several U.S. Ski team members and Olympians from the U.P. including most recently Nick Baumgartner who won the Gold in Mixed Snowboard Cross in the 2022 games in Beijing. Nick grew up training at Ski Brule in Iron River. Mont Ripley has had three skiers who competed in the Olympics including brother and sister Chuck and Barbara Ferries and Mary Seaton. Terry Ahola grew up training at the Gladstone Sports Park and went on to become a member of the U.S. Ski team in the early 1980s.

In addition to all this historic info, “It’s All Downhill” will feature artifacts and memorabilia from some of the ski resorts and Northern Michigan University’s Alpine program, vintage film footage of Cliff’s Ridge (now Marquette Mountain) courtesy of Jack Deo and some interactive video skiing games to get you ready to hit the slopes.

The Faculty Biennial Exhibition celebrates the innovative research by faculty in the NMU School of Art & Design. The exhibition highlights diverse achievements in all media and concentrations and gives regional audiences from NMU and beyond the opportunity to see original artwork created by the current faculty.

This year’s exhibition features:
Nathan Bett, Daric Christian, Tim Cleary, Alex Fekete, Andrew Gingerich, Steven Hughes, Brian Kakas, Emily Lanctot, Stephan Larson, Christine Lenzen, Michael Letts, Gabrielle McNally, Jane Milkie, Jason Schneider, Alison Taras, Tracy Wascom, and Dale Wedig.

Join us for the opening reception on Friday, January 20, 6 – 8 pm. Refreshments will be provided.

This is a free event and open to the public.

Music by Kerry Yost, reading by Helen's friends and admirers, books available for purchase--39 poems that Helen had been working to publish. Open to all.

January 31, 2022 - February 11, 2023 Railroads were a central part of Marquette since its earliest development. Trains were an everyday site around the city and downtown, crossing Front Street with ore cars, pulling into the depot to pick up and drop off passengers, or hauling logs from Alger County. Many Marquette families relied on the railroads for their livelihoods. Multiple railroads were headquartered in the city of Marquette. As iron mines on the Marquette Range opened in the 1840s, railroads developed to haul the iron ore. As mining expanded, so did the number of tracks and ore docks. Soon passengers, iron ore, timber, and other freight were all shipped to or from Marquette County. The railroads connected Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to the rest of the country. Learn more about the development and changes in this vast network. Learn where the tracks ran, what they carried, and their destination. We will look at how working the railroad has changed over the decades and how it is part of this region today. This exhibit will feature select hands on elements as well as maps, artifacts, and photographs. Exhibit Opening Reception Wednesday, February 9th at 5:00 p.m. Join us before our Yardmaster program on February 9 to enjoy the new special exhibit and meet the curator.

For immediate release:

The Marquette Regional History Center is seeking nominees for our 2022 Helen Longyear Paul Award, and Peter White Award.

Marquette County has a rich history and cultural heritage that inspires many to interpret, preserve and share it. As a history institution it is our responsibility to recognize those efforts and promote the achievements of people and organizations making history today. The Marquette Regional History Center began an awards program in 1984. The Helen Longyear Paul Award recognizes individuals, and the Peter White Award honors foundations, companies, organizations, and institutions. Both recognize exceptional effort in the enhancement, restoration, conservation, or interpretation of the history of our area.

Nominations should be a page long and delivered by mail or in person to 145 W. Spring Street, Marquette, MI 49855, or, use mrhc@marquettehistory.org to nominate by email. Each letter should include the award category, how the individual/organization has shown dedication and commitment to local history, and the projects they have worked on. The deadline for entry is February 1, 2023.

Please join us for the awards which will be presented at the MRHC during our Annual Meeting on February 22, 2023. For more information, visit our website www.marquettehistory.org or call (906) 226-3571.

Learn how to make your electronic devices work the way you want them to with the help of Christine Ault, retired teacher and librarian, who is also an expert troubleshooter. Sessions will be offered in15-minute time slots between Noon and 2 PM on Tuesdays, December 6, 13, and 20 in the Heritage Room on the upper level of the library. Sign up by calling the Peter White Public Library’s Reference Desk at 906-226-4311. Weekly sessions of Tech Coaching for Seniors will continue after the holidays from January 3 – February 14. Please charge your electronic device before each session, and bring passwords with you.

To celebrate a season of fun in the snow, the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center announces the opening of its new exhibition, “It’s All Downhill: Alpine Skiing in the U.P.” This fun, multi-media exhibition will open on Saturday, January 21 at 12 p.m. It will be on display until April 1 and is free and open to the public. The Beaumier Center is located in Gries Hall at the corner of 7th St. and Tracy Ave. on the campus of NMU. The Center’s hours are Monday through Wednesday and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturdays, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

“It’s All Downhill” focuses on the Alpine ski hills that have existed for the past 80 years across the region. These include the 16 ski hills still in operation across the U.P., from the major resorts to the small-town hills. Each section will tell the history of the ski area and some of the individuals who made them what they are today. There will also be historic photographs from each hill, including some of the ski areas that no longer exist. In addition, there will be sections on U.S. Olympic Alpine skiers and state champion skiers who grew up and trained on the U.P.’s ski hills.

It was the descendants of Scandinavians who brought the pastime of skiing to the Upper Peninsula. During the late 19th and early 20th century, recreational and sport skiing in the U.P. was of the Nordic kind (cross country and jumping). However, where there is a large hill, there will be skiers who will climb up it to ski down the steepest slopes possible. So, before Alpine skiing took off in the U.P., there were Yoopers with a “need for speed.”

The first two ski hills with operating rope tows were Pine Mountain in Iron Mountain and Mont Ripley in Houghton, which were installed by Pabst Brewing Co. scion Fred Pabst, who was instrumental in developing Alpine skiing in the Midwest. Soon other town hills began popping up around the U.P. Eventually major ski resorts such as Indianhead and Big Powderhorn in Gogebic County were developed in the 1950s and 60s, creating a new economic driver in these hard-hit mining towns. Most of these resorts continue to exist today and new ones like Mt. Bohemia has come along to challenge the stereotype that Midwest skiing isn’t challenging.

Over the years there have been several U.S. Ski team members and Olympians from the U.P. including most recently Nick Baumgartner who won the Gold in Mixed Snowboard Cross in the 2022 games in Beijing. Nick grew up training at Ski Brule in Iron River. Mont Ripley has had three skiers who competed in the Olympics including brother and sister Chuck and Barbara Ferries and Mary Seaton. Terry Ahola grew up training at the Gladstone Sports Park and went on to become a member of the U.S. Ski team in the early 1980s.

In addition to all this historic info, “It’s All Downhill” will feature artifacts and memorabilia from some of the ski resorts and Northern Michigan University’s Alpine program, vintage film footage of Cliff’s Ridge (now Marquette Mountain) courtesy of Jack Deo and some interactive video skiing games to get you ready to hit the slopes.