EDITOR’S NOTE: Superiorland Yesterdays is prepared by the reference staff at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette.

30 years ago

MARQUETTE — From hooves to hump, 4 month-old Clyde is only four feet tall. But the camel’s two-foot neck reached easily over the fence, making kids of all sizes accessible for gentle chewing. “Let him chew on me again,” giggled Ishpeming toddler Taylor Bietila as his mother, Sandy Bietila, held him up to see all the animals. Besides the usual shopping crowd at the Marquette Mall this week, a menagerie of about a dozen unusual animals were milling about inside. While most of the animals, ranging from a rare red tiger to a green iguana, are confined to their cages, Clyde has plenty of opportunity to interact with the curious crowds of children. Clyde is one of 11 rare and endangered animals featured in the exhibit by Endangered Species Inc. of Trenton, Fla. As part of a 46-week national tour, the company works to educate the public about the plight of endangered animals. “We want to bring to the public’s attention what is happening with these endangered animals.” said animal handler William McLaughlin. “If we don’t do something now, a lot of these animals will be extinct in our lifetime.”

60 years ago

MARQUETTE — A 32-foot fishing boat, the Maiden Queen, sank in the lower harbor here early yesterday, for reasons as yet unknown. Efforts to raise the craft, which is owned and operated by Joseph Frazier of Crescent Street, were unsuccessful yesterday. Fishermen said today, however, that it is expected the boat will be towed to the Spear and Sons Inc. coal dock and lifted by a crane to a height were it can be pumped out. The boat, which is operated on a part time basis by Frazier, was moored to the fisherman’s wharf when it sank. It is being held steady by the lines, which are still attached. United States Coast Guard officers attempted to pump the craft out yesterday, but they reported the boat couldn’t be raised far enough out of the water for the pumping to do any good. The boat is reported to have been in service for many years, but the cause of her sinking will not be known until she is raised.