Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
IRONWOOD AREA Historical Society president Gary Harrington holds a new calendar Monday, that was made as a fundraiser to help repair the roof of the Historic Ironwood Depot museum. The calendars feature historical pictures and dates throughout.
By KIM E. STROM
Ironwood - The year 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the Ironwood Area Historical Society. To celebrate, and as a dual purpose to also raise funds for the depot building's roof repair, the society has rolled out brand new calendars featuring historic photographs and dates of interest.
The Historical Society has been raising funds for a new roof for about two years. The estimated cost is between $50,000 and $60,000, according to Gary Harrington, the Society's president. They are about a third of the way there. "The calendar (sales) will be a major contribution if all of them sell," he said. The society will likely print another 300 at that time, he said.
The calendar's title is "So Many Stories to Tell." It goes back as far as the 1870's with dates of local sites of interest's openings and closings. It also tracks Ironwood's population fluctuations throughout the years. For instance, in 1928 Ironwood's estimated population peaked at 20,460 in contrast to 6,293 in the year 2000.
Area mines openings and closings are recorded along with area businesses, schools and local governments. Much of the focus is on Ironwood, but it includes information from throughout the Gogebic Range.
For example, in 1916, the road commission recommended a new road to Little Girls' Point. In 1953 the White Pine Copper Mine began operations. In 1917, J.C. Penny Co. opened its first store in Michigan on McLeod Avenue in Ironwood and the first newspaper in Iron County was published in 1885 and was called the Montreal River Miner and so on.
The calendar is done in black and white on heavy duty card-like stock and made to last beyond 2020 as sort of a keepsake of local history. Many local people had a hand in the research, design and production of the calendar. A total of 300 have been printed, and they are on sale for $15 each and can be mailed for an additional $5.
The calendars can be purchased at the museum Monday through Friday from 3 to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. They can also be purchased at the Ironwood Area Chamber of Commerce.
