The Edmund Fitzgerald was christened on June 8, 1958 where more than 15,000 people attended its launch. The ship made regular routes between Duluth, Detroit, Toledo and other ports carrying up to 24,000 tons of taconite.
On Sunday, November 9, 1975 the Edmund Fitzgerald left from Superior, Wisconsin heading for Zug Island, near Detroit. The following day across Lake Superior there were reported winds of 60mph and waves of 35 feet. The Soo Locks had already closed. The Arthur M. Anderson had been trailing the Fitzgerald across Lake Superior and would eventually lose radio contact with the Fitzgerald.
Without doubt, across the Upper Peninsula today there are people talking about the legend of the St. Patrick’s Day snowstorm. Though sometimes a couple weeks early or late, many Yoopers insist that the St. Patrick’s Day snowstorm is an annual occurrence.
We looked to local weather expert, the Upper Peninsula’s favorite meteorologist, the one, the only, Karl Bohnak.
According to Karl Bohnak’s book, So Cold a Sky, the myth of a March 17th storm goes back to at least 1870. Unfortunately, National Weather Service records only go back to 1949. From So Cold a Sky …
UPDATE: You can now rent and download The Michigan Ice Film. If you like local folklore, adventure, winter, or simply live in Michigan, you need to check it out. Much respect to Aaron and his crew for putting this amazing film together during the coldest winters on record.
Let us introduce you to Aaron Peterson. Aaron is the driving force behind Cold & Clear Cinema. Last year his team brought us Cold Rolled (you can watch Cold Rolled here), a film featuring Marquette’s one of a kind snow biking trails. Now, a new project is underway, The Michigan Ice Film, with the mission of highlighting ice climbing in Alger County.
Last night was without doubt one of the greatest storms we’ll have this summer. As I say in my apartment in Marquette the rain kept pouring down while lightning and thunder came and went for several hours. Eventually the rain stopped by the lightning was still constantly lighting up the sky in the distance.
In February 2010, British comedian John Oliver (known for his role as Ian Duncan in Community and appearances on The Daily Show), performed at the Rozsa Center at Michigan Tech during Winter Carnival.
In one of his recent stand-up acts he recalls his visit to the Upper Peninsula.
Leave a comment below and share what you think of his remarks and the video.
The Mighty Mac! I have driven across countless times, I have been underneath a couple of times, and I was even fortunate enough to go to the top, but one thing I have never done is walk across the bridge for the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk on Labor Day. That’s all I need for the a spur of the moment road trip.
We just caught wind of this awesome montage from Justin Armstrong. These clips were shot in fall of 2013 in and around the shores of Marquette including Presque Isle, Blackrocks, and Sugarloaf Mountain. You can see more of Justin’s work on his Facebook Page.
Pretty cool, but we’d rather be outside facing the elements! If you’re new to the Yooper Scooper go order yours today from Silver Bear Manufacturing.
While speaking of Yooper Scoopers, does anyone else have a scar from one? I remember being a little kid running around the yard pushing the Yooper Scooper when the front edge hit some uneven ground. And since about age 10 I have always had a scar in the middle of my chin from the handle of the Yooper Scooper.
“The ill-fated Henry B Smith that was sunk in the Big Storm of November 1913. She is shown in Ashtabula Harbor in this 1910 postcard,” Boat Nerd. The Henry B Smith took all 25 lives on board, sinking off shore near Marquette, MI. The ship has never been found, and is estimated to be 20-30 miles north of Marquette in deep waters.
It’s been over 100 years since this epic storm blew across the Great Lakes. Between November 6 and November 11, 1913 marked the deadliest storm in the history of the Great Lakes. This natural disaster known as the “Big Blow, “Freshwater Fury”, or “White Hurricane” took the lives of more than 250 people between Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie.
With the coming launch of our new product, Lake Superior t-shirts, I thought it’d be a appropriate to celebrate the power of Lake Superior a little more. In addition to that, I thought it’d be good to mix things up a little bit. Rather than posting some photos, how about a few videos for Photo Friday. For more information on the power of Lake Superior you can read a previous post of Why Lake Superior Kicks Your Lake’s Butt.
Friday was a remarkably beautiful day. A friend and I drove to Little Presque Isle in the afternoon and had a wonderful hike to Wetmore Landing. It was 75 degrees, sunny, and Lake Superior was as smooth as glass. There were even people in swimming suits and bikinis. That was Friday.
Early Monday morning the snow started to settle on the ground. By mid afternoon most everything was white. By Tuesday morning everything was covered with snow, the roads were covered with slush. By this afternoon my roommate and I decided to close the blinds so we weren’t reminded of what the weather was like outside. And now, Tuesday evening, the snow continues to come down.
Everyone was excited for spring being just around the corner. But c’mon, this is the Upper Peninsula, we all knew that we’d see a big snowfall again. In 2009 we saw the biggest April snowstorm in 10 years. In 2008 we had a comparable April Fool’s Day snowstorm. 2010 wasn’t going to be any different. Some people said Marquette received as much as 10″ of snowfall on Friday.
I asked fans of the Yooper Steez fan page to share some photos from the snowfall and received some good variety. If you’re not already a fan feel free to join today or share it with friends. Feel free to submit other fan photos to the page.
This post and photos were contributed by blogger Kathy, a hometown friend in Baraga County. She writes one of my favorite Upper Peninsula blogs and is making a commitment to enjoy Upper Peninsula’s nature each and every day in 2009. Please check out her blog and subscribe at centria.wordpress.com
Any one ever feel challenged about getting off the couch and getting outside in the depths of winter? Any one ever stay inside (except for maybe a trip to the mailbox after work) and suddenly you notice a week or two has passed without spending time in the beautiful outdoors?
Photo courtesy of [Blondie Yooper](http://www.flickr.com/photos/blondieyooper/3200849152/ "Ore dock by Blondieyooper, on Flickr")
So it’s been a few cold days in the Upper Peninsula, the coldest of the winter so far. But I was shocked to find out that NMU wasn’t only closed yesterday, but that they’re closed again today!
So here I am in Marquette (yes, I know I’m inside where it’s nice and warm, I even have brand new windows to help out a bit), and as I look outside from my desk it’s absolutely beautiful out. The sun is bright, and the sky is clear.
According to Wikipedia, April Fools’ Day or All Fools’ Day is a holiday in its own right, a notable day celebrated in many countries on April 1. The day is marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, enemies and neighbors, or sending them on fools’ errands, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible. We though Karl Bohnak may have been doing just this when he called for one of the biggest snowstorms of the year on April Fool’s Day
Today we’re starting a new poll… A few months back we asked our readers “What is your favorite month to be in the Upper Peninsula?” The answer was clearly July, with nearly a quarter of all the votes.
It is officially July 1st! The favorite month of our readers. You have made it through a long winter once again and without question July is starting off as a beautiful month as we head into the 4th of July festivities.
28.4% of votes selected February as their least favorite month in the Upper Peninsula.
No explanation is needed here. We can all safely assume it has to do with being in the middle of a long winter with lots of snow. It probably has nothing to do with being the shortest month of the year or Valentine’s Day.
An impressive 75.3% of voters picked either January, February, March or April for their least favorite month. There appears to be just no love for winter.
It was about -14 degrees with the windchill those two winter days. Since that chilly week it has warmed up across the Upper Peninsula in the last two weeks.
The topic seemed to have hit a chord with a number of people. Feel free to read all the comments or post one yourself.
A fresh 7 inches of snow fell in Baraga and several other parts of the Upper Peninsula today. A great day to head to the Baraga Drive-In for some ice cream.
Most Yoopers, and especially Trolls, are eager for nice spring weather in April, especially by April 17. Even the Lansing Lugnuts celebrate the Yooper heritage with Yooper Night. They offered attendees of Yooper Night to use their tickets for another game this season if the weather was above 60 degrees. That was on Friday, and I’d be surprised it was even 50 degrees for the opening pitch.
St. Patrick’s Day was only a couple days ago, so if easter seems a little early this year, you’re right. March 23rd, 2008 is the earliest Easter on the Gregorian calendar since 1913, and there won’t be another Easter this early in our entire lives. The next time Easter will be this early isn’t until the year 2160.
The earliest possible date for Easter is March 22nd, and if 2008 wasn’t a leap year it would have been one of those incredibly rare years. The last two Easters on March 22nd were the during the years 1761 and 1818 and won’t happen again until the year 2285.
