People
around Lake Superior are constantly making good things happen, and in
this magazine, we get the privilege of reporting about those things.
I’m pleased to be able to update you about one such worthy
project - restoration of Old Victoria in Michigan - about which I first
wrote some 10 years ago for the August/September 1994 issue.
The progress made since then by the Society for the
Restoration of Old Victoria Inc. to save this important reminder of
times and lives gone by has been remarkable.
When I wrote the column in 1994, this tiny bit of our history
was fighting for survival near Rockland, not far from the south shore
of Lake Superior. The small cluster of log buildings, not unlike other
early homesteads, are the only remaining portion of the original little
village built around the turn of the century to house workers at the
Old Victoria Mine. A novel air compressor gave economic life to
Victoria through 1918, when it became the last copper mine in Ontonagon
County still in operation.
Restoration work is saving the old log buildings at Old Victoria in
Michigan. The early 1900s buildings in the settlement reflect the
homesteads once found throughout in the Upper Peninsula. SOCIETY FOR
THE RESTORATION OF OLD VICTORIA INC.
The mine closed for good in 1921, the victim of low post-war
copper prices. Dozens of families were suddenly out of work in
circumstances all too familiar in the dying Copper Country.
By 1923, the frame houses of the more modern part of the
settlement had been moved away or knocked down. The original log homes,
built around 1900, were gradually engulfed by the encroaching forest.
These homes were built by real craftsmen, with interlocking dovetail
corners and solid stone foundations, capped with a heavily shingled
roof.
Even after almost a century of neglect, the skill of the
builders was evident in those homes. Many who saw these tiny bits of
true American history felt they should be preserved, but as we’ll see,
it took a few really dedicated people to get the project under way.
In 1928, the mine and surrounding property were purchased by
the Copper District Power Company. Despite the bad roads, tourists in
their horseless carriages made the journey to see the periodic geyser
of the Taylor Compressor, which fired a mixture of air and water
several hundred yards with a loud report. It was one of only seven such
units in the world. Few tourists even noticed the decrepit log homes in
the deepening forest.
By 1931, the new power dam was in place, silencing forever
the Taylor Compressor. Only hunters sought out Victoria, and the few
dwellings becoming seasonal hunting shacks.
In the 1970s, Rockland and Ontonagon residents explored the
old location, gradually clearing away the forest and exposing the now
weary old log homes. A movement was started to restore the few log
homes left, to show today’s youngsters - and their parents - just what
life almost 100 years ago was like. With support first generated
through the Clint Roberts family, the Society for the Restoration of
Old Victoria Inc. was born.
Back then I urged you, our readers, to join the effort to
preserve the history and culture of Lake Superior country by
contributing to the society through purchase of Bruce Johanson’s book Victoria, the Gem of Forest Hill
or by attending the annual craft show at Old Victoria, when the
restored homes are at their best for viewing. Your contributions and
those of others have helped!
Sometimes re-enactors help set the scene for Old Victoria by
plunging into the type of work that would have kept a lady of the
household busy back at the turn of the 20th century. SOCIETY FOR THE
RESTORATION OF OLD VICTORIA INC.
I am happy to report that the past decade has seen a steady
flow of visitors to the site, where work continues to restore and
replicate the hamlet’s 10 remaining houses.
Restoration of a fifth house is under way and substantial
work has been done this year on the four previously restored homes to
ensure structural integrity, reshingling of the roofs and other
necessary renovation to maintain and to improve the displays.
Volunteers work at the visitor center on a daily basis during
summer, conducting guided tours of the site. Volunteers also do much of
the groundskeeping, construction and other labor required to maintain
and improve Old Victoria. Daily guided tours take in the restored
houses. At $5, the admission is a real bargain.
Three annual events of special interest to visitors are the
celebration of Log Cabin Day in Michigan in June, the craft fair in
August, and Last Chance for Cinnamon Rolls fresh from the oven of a
woodstove in mid-October.
Pat Pattison, a longtime volunteer at Old Victoria and past
president of the society, is especially pleased that the group received
two grants totalling $25,000 this year. The Keweenaw National Historic
Park contributed $5,000 and Americana Foundation granted $20,000 to the
society.
“The grants will go a long way in helping us reach some of
our goals for the site,” Pat says. “We’re a group that almost entirely
depends on small contributions and other local efforts to raise funds
and on volunteer workers, so these grants are a big boost - and not
just for their money value but in encouraging more effort.”
We, too, want to continue encouraging this fine
effort. So as you plan your summer trips during this long Lake Superior
winter, consider putting a stop into history on your itinerary with a
visit to Old Victoria.
A selection of Jim Marshall’s columns of lake lore and his inland sea voyages
has been published as Lake Superior Journal: Views from the Bridge
by Lake Superior Port Cities Inc. Follow this link
for more information. |
