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

30 years ago

MARQUETTE — Enrollment declines and a drop in residence hall occupancy at Northern Michigan University have forces the closure of two floors of Hunt Hall. NMU spokesman Jim Carter said the projected drop is “considerably more” than last school year’s decrease. He linked the decrease to a dip in the population of high school seniors in the Upper Peninsula, as well as the impending closure of Sawyer Air Force Base and budget cutbacks in the area of student recruiting.

60 years ago

ISHPEMING — More than three-quarters of a century of use has caused deterioration in the main sewage trunkline, but the City of Ishpeming has acted to repair the damage before cave-ins or other mishaps result. At a cost of $12,000, the city has engaged the Pressure-Concrete Co. of Indianapolis to undertake preventative maintenance work in the underground brick facility. The sewer, which serves a large part of the city including the downtown district, was constructed 80 years ago. Although it has held up well, bricks have become loosened and dislodged in some areas under continued pressure from heavy weights. City records reveal that bricklayers who built the sewer in 1884 received 40 cents an hour — an excellent salary in those days.