Lake Superior
The Largest fresh water lake in the world by surface area and third by total volume. It is the farthest north and west of the Great Lakes, the highest in elevation and is bordered by Ontario, Canada and the U.S. States of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She drains into the Northern Atlantic by way of the St. Mary’s River and the Great Lakes Waterway. Her surface area is 31,700 sq mi, or about the size of South Carolina. Her deepest point is 40 miles north of Munising at a whopping 1,333 feet, 75 feet deeper than the height of the Empire State Building. At an average depth of 483 feet the lake contains about 2,900 cubic miles of water or enough to cover all of North and South America to a depth of 1 foot. The shoreline of the lake stretches for 2,726 miles or roughly the distance from New York to San Diego. The residence time, the mean time water or any particulate takes to flush out of the lake, is estimated at 191 years. Her size and scale are truly impressive and we were headed to Marquette on her central southern shores to visit some old friends and check out the maritime museum.
Marquette
Marquette is a magically wonderful little upper Midwest town. Rolling hills, beautiful trees, old brick buildings, raised railways and majestic ore docks lined with the deep and rich lake in the background. It gives the town the feel of a little picturesque village neatly assembled in one of the corners of my grandfathers old massive train sets. The first thing you see as you come into town from the south east are the massive ore docks used to fill the mighty transoceanic liners that ship out the huge loads of iron ore. Mighty cathedrals to industry the two docks flank both ends of Marquette harbor. The city is home to just over 21,300 people and is the largest city in the Upper Peninsula. About as remote as a Michigan city can be she is the only city in the State with it’s own electric and water authority providing its power and water needs in any condition. With mighty and rustic power plants resting on her shores near both of the ore docks, she is a beautiful mix of old town charm and 20th century industry.
This little town is also home to Northern Michigan University and the second largest U.S. Olympic training site outside of Colorado Springs. The Olympic Athletes are offered tuition and housing reductions while training here as well as full educational resources through the university. Both the university and Olympic athletes compete and train in the Superior Dome, the largest wood dome in the world. The dome is an impressive sight in its own right with it’s 108.5 miles of fir decking, it can support 60 pounds of snow per square foot and over 80 mile an hour winds. The attendance record was set at just over 11,000 people at a George W. Bush re-election campaign stop on July 13th 2004. It was the first time a sitting President had visited Marquette since William Howard Taft in 1911. As fate would have it that visit was not by random circumstance as on December 22, 1973 the then head of the Republican National Committee, George H.W. Bush gave the commencement address to the graduating class of Northern Michigan University. The dome is multi-use, with the setup changing from field hockey, soccer, football, tennis, basketball and track and field.
Temperatures here can fall to -30 degrees Fahrenheit regularly and it’s a place that is used to the extreme environment. The seasons are a bit different here as spring is colder than fall. As fall rapidly approaches the lake gives off heat which slows the onslaught of winter and in the spring it’s cold deep interior pulls the energy from the sun limiting summer to only July and August and average summer temperatures of 66 degrees. The first freeze usually comes with the first of October and leaves with the close of May. The locals are quick to tell you winter is 9 months long here with a couple of weeks each of spring and fall.
The Maritime Museum
After a little jaunt through town we headed over to the maritime museum. The rich history of shipping and boating going as far back as the fur trappers of the great north is undeniable here. With Finnish and French words and names incorporated into the nomenclature of the local dialect, it’s hard not to conjure images of men named Johannes and Louise with their colored buckskin pants and shirts overloaded with big fur hats, rifle in hand trudging out of the hills with their seasons pelts.
In more modern times the area teamed with the early ocean liners bringing their massive loads to and from these great northern ports. The museum houses many artifacts and great history of both the boats of the waterways and local sailors, but also is responsible for the lighthouse on the point of the harbor. First lit in 1853 and still aiding boat traffic to this day, it is a classic example of mid 19th century lighthouse construction. Until the 1980’s it was utilized in conjunction with a fog horn due to the areas quickly changing weather patterns and in 1875 the Army Corps of Engineers established a 2,000 foot breakwater with two additional mini lighthouses on it’s ends. In the basement of the lighthouse was a series of outboard motors which represents the early Evinrude models. The outboard motor was first invented in Marquette, but Ole Evinrude, operating a business in Wisconsin, watched its progression an ultimately engineered a more reliable version and began the Evinrude motor company.
Back in the museum itself there are memorials to men from Marquette who captained submarines in WWII and men who made advances in sea rescue capabilities. In the early 1900’s the Coast Guard Captain of Marquette was the leading authority on sea rescue in the world and traveled and trained other crews wherever needed. It’s easy to see how with a harsh environment and unforgiving seas this small town in the upper peninsula could produce some pretty impressive men. In addition to these exhibits they have examples of light house fixtures, a exhibit explaining the ore dock operation and even have the engine order telegraph used in the Edmund Fitzgerald. It was a great museum to wander around in, but it was getting close to lunch time and we were getting hungry.
A Jewel In The North
We were headed to Presque park on the west shores of Marquette for a little picnic lunch, but someone forgot their olives. Who and how is irrelevant so I asked the college student running the counter at the museum, I know this fact because she stated it, where the closest purveyor of brined Olea Europaea may be found and she pointed out a food cooperative on her handy map that was just up the street. I’ve seen co-ops before and I was a little skeptical, but boy was I in for a shock. As we headed south down Washington Street and pulled into the parking lot, it’s unimpressive facade still had me a little unsure.
As I walked in and turned the corner past the registers an beautiful piece of the deep north flowed out in front of me. Local produce, meat, organic snacks, a holistic pharmacy in the middle, I was in heaven. I stumbled around the beautiful market and could only think about why there wasn’t one near my house. To far out for a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, it was completely sustained by local farmers and what it could import from high end suppliers. Organic sodas, delicious gourmet chips, organic and fresh deli offerings, no coke products, no lays products, no Tyson chicken or Heinz products, in a sense perfection. I grabbed a deli container of Thai cucumber salad (delish) and the family snatched up only cheddar popcorn, gluten free chocolates, kettle chips and of course a jar of olives my mother commented to be “some of the best I’ve ever had”. If you know my mother then you know that means something.
We procured our provisions and headed to Presque park for a little picnic lunch. It wasn’t long before the seagulls were closing in and though I warned the party to refrain, they couldn’t help but throw a piece of popcorn here and there and it was all fun and games until the mafia showed up. When the murder of crows steps on the scene all others yield. The gulls are twice the size of the crows but the crows are something the gulls are not. Organized. As the bullies swooped in and the aggressive posturing began around the picnic table it was obviously time to wrap it up and move on.
