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

30 years ago

MARQUETTE — Santa Claus paid an early visit to Marquette county Tuesday as the County Board’s Committee of the Whole voted to recommend that 12 county jobs cut in October be reinstated. “It’s a matter of credibility with our workers,” said board Chairman Gerald Corkin of Negaunee. “In good faith, we told these people to come up with plans and they did.” Facing a $354,000 shortfall for calendar year 1994, county commissioners approved layoffs in 11 county departments in October. But department heads were given the option of finding savings or new revenue to keep the jobs filled. Seven departments found the money to reinstate their positions, county Administratior Dennis Aloia said. The county reinstated the other positions too, dipping into a revolving tax delinquent fund for $150,000. The decision drew praise from Jacki Lykins, chairwoman of the courthouse chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. “The workers are grateful to the commissioners,” she said. “Especially this time of year. There’s going to be a Christmas after all.” In a separate motion, the committee voted to approve a freeze on county hiring in 1994.

60 years ago

NEGAUNEE — A new open pit iron mine and ore processing plant — providing jobs for 214 persons — has begun start-up operations at Palmer, just four miles south of Negaunee. The mine is the third pelletizing operation pioneered by Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. on the Marquette range. The other two are the Humboldt Mine and the Republic Mine which have been producing superior pellets for blast furnace use. The Empire deposit differs from the others in that the jasper ore contains magnetite and the magnetic operation is used to recover the iron from the waste material, rather than the flotation process. The plant has an initial capacity of 1,200,000 gross tons of high grade pellets.