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

30 years ago

MARQUETTE — Lauri LaBumbard has been hired as district forester for the Marquette County Soil and Water Conservation District and Alger Soil Conservation District. LaBumbard’s duties include landowner assistant in forestry concerns, such as tree planting, timber, and wildlife management, windbreak design and establishment, firewood cutting, and forest erosion control. She worked for the districts from February 1990 to January 1991 under a Michigan Energy Conservation Technical Assistance Program grant as a forestry and windbreak technician. She and her husband, Kevin, live in Chatham.

60 years ago

ISHPEMING — About three quarters of a mile of Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad track was damaged late Saturday night when two wheels of an ore car were derailed and dragged along the track. According to Robley H. Morrison, LS&I chief engineer, a hot box developed in the car sixth from the end of a 79-car ore train coming through Ishpeming from the Republic Mine. At a point west of the LS&I depot in Ishpeming, the hot box caused overheating and breaking of the car’s axel, which in turn caused the wheels to derail. The train was hauled to the roundhouse before coming to a complete stop. The track was damaged from the point of derailment through the crossing on Division Street (M-28) near the U.P. Power Co. shops. None of the cars was upset, Morrison said, and temporary repairs to the track and a small wooden trestle were completed by 3 p.m. yesterday.