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

30 years ago

REPUBLIC — The Republic Township Board has launched an effort to use the mining community’s history to bring tourism to town. The board hopes to turn a century-old, underground mining site into a park, campground, picnic area and museum on a 40-acre parcel on a peninsula jutting into the Michigamme River. “One of the board’s goals is to make this an end destination, so people can come to the area from the outside and stay here,” Township Supervisor Gary Johnson said. The board Thursday agreed to take a long-term lease on the property. Township Trustee David Allain, chairman of the township campground committee, said the idea began with a community survey and people indicated they wanted a campground. The township board is asking committees to set up public workshops to consider ideas for the area. The newly created Republic Historical Society is exploring the possibility of creating a museum. Johnson said the walls and footings of the mine’s major buildings are still in place and the board is interested in developing the buildings to house historic mining equipment. Possible historical displays could include an old summer kitchen, sauna, blacksmith shop, carpet shop with looms, and a turn-of-the-century mining display, said Elaine Niemi of the Historical Society.

60 years ago

MARQUETTE — Most of the homes in the Marquette area were without electric power this morning for about 40 minutes, as a result of a disturbance on a main feeder line. City Manager Thomas Moore said apparently something bumped the main feeder line, in the vicinity of the construction project at Northern Michigan University, near the corner of N. Eighth St. and W. Fair Ave., around 7:40 a.m. Power was off completely in most of the residential sections of the city, but power was resumed after a momentary cutoff in the downtown area, which was fed from an emergency source. Moore said that when the disturbance occurred a short circuit resulted and the safety device at the city’s diesel plant, located off County Road 550, failed to perform, resulting in a fire in one of the big generators. Frank Beland, the plant operator, “played it safe” by stopping all power when the blaze occurred. This stopped the fire. Moore said he did not believe the fire caused much damage, and that perhaps some coils would have to be replaced..