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Present: Commissioners Amy Berglund, at-large Karin Cooper, at-large Sue Dana, Village of Calumet Larry Lankton, at-large Bob Langseth, Calumet Township Scott MacInnes, State of Michigan John Sullivan, Franklin and Quincy Townships Present: Executive Director Scott See Present: Keweenaw National Park Service Kathleen Harter, Acting Superintendent and Chief of Interpretation & Education Present: Recording Secretary John Arnold Present: Guests Judy Albee Steve Albee Lindsay Hiltunen, Senior Archivist, Michigan Technological University Kim Hoagland Mary Hunt Paul Lehto, Supervisor, Calumet Township Larry Molloy, President, Keweenaw County Historical Society Nancy Molloy, Treasurer, Keweenaw County Historical Society Allison Neely, Archivist, Michigan Technological University Diane Raymond, GRACE Project Dean Stone Jean Pemberton, President, Copper Range Historical Society Call to Order A regular meeting of the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission was called to order at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, July 19, 2016, at the Keweenaw NHP Headquarters in Calumet, Michigan. Approval of Agenda Moved by John Sullivan and seconded by Larry Lankton to approve agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously. (7/0). Approval of Minutes of April 19, 2016 Moved by Sullivan and seconded by Amy Berglund to approve the minutes as presented. Motion carried unanimously. (7/0). National Significance Spotlight: Kim Hoagland Kim Hoagland, professor emerita of history and historic preservation at Michigan Technological University and past chair of Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission, presented an engaging summary of the national significance of the mining era corporate-sponsored community planning of the Calumet area, still very much in evidence today. The significance of this finding is outlined in the Park’s enabling legislation, PL 102-543, Section 1 (a) (6), which reads, “the corporate-sponsored community planning in Calumet, Michigan, as evidenced in the architecture, municipal design, surnames, foods, and traditions, and the large scale corporate paternalism was unprecedented in American industry and continues to express the heritage of the district”. Hoagland began by noting the close interdependence of two important elements of this finding: corporate-sponsored community planning is itself a manifestation of large-scale corporate paternalism. Hoagland described corporate paternalism as constituting the relationship between worker and management outside of the workplace; today, that might be vacation time, a reserved parking place, or gym membership. Now, as in the past, the primary purpose of these perquisites was to attract and retain a workforce. The Calumet & Hecla model of corporate paternalism exhibited a balance of both seeking to control and to support its workers. In Calumet, C&H provided schools, libraries, bathing and swimming facilities, a hospital, an ice rink, land for churches, a YMCA, all available at low or no cost to the workforce and their families. Private enterprise, on the other hand, took care of virtually everything else, providing groceries, dry goods, bars, banking, and the manifold other undertakings that collectively form a working village, on private, non-company land. The remaining, and most important, element of creating a community—housing—was supplied by the company. The primary strategy employed by C&H was to make available, for a low cost, a limited supply of single-family houses, designed to accommodate married men and their families. A low rent, explained Hoagland, was not simply a kindness extended to its workers: it meant that the company could offer lower pay. Further, the company’s offering of family homes was not just recognition of the real and anticipated desires of a young man seeking his fortune; C&H knew that a married workforce, integrated into a community, was a stable workforce. Similarly, the limited availability of housing was not an unfortunate function of geographic constraints, but rather a carefully controlled commodity that the company would offer as a reward to loyal workers—a benefit that was only extended to employees. Losing one’s job, in this case, would mean losing one’s home, further incentivizing close adherence to company policy, whatever it may be. The carefully constructed social system, and built world that reflected it, was possible only because of the centralized planning behind it. But this corporate-sponsored community planning—an expression of large scale corporate paternalism—not only served to benefit the company exclusively, nor was it intended to. Rather, continued Hoagland, C&H was acting on a sense of noblesse oblige, or the obligation of the privileged and wealthy to contribute something to a greater society. This deep and complicated web of mutual responsibility and commitment created between company and workforce is a particular characteristic of corporate paternalism in the Copper Country. Executive Director’s Report Executive Director Scott See reported on how the goals of the Advisory Commission were supported during the quarter. Advise the National Park Service at Keweenaw National Historical Park on park planning, preservation, interpretation, and operational matters. See reported that Quinn Evans Architects are continuing work on the Quincy National Historic Landscape amendment. Representatives from Quinn Evans visited the area during the week of May 16th and conducted survey fieldwork on Quincy Hill and at the Quincy Mill site. Further, following the park’s strategic planning session in April, See worked with several members of the National Park Service (NPS) staff on developing a vetting tool to assist in prioritization decisions to help focus the Advisory Commission’s efforts on the most relevant preservation and interpretation projects. Develop the Keweenaw Heritage Sites Program into a consortium of fully sustainable sites. The Spring Heritage Site Meeting was held May 10th, and 18 of the 21 Sites were represented at the meeting – the most greatest number in one place over the seven years that See has been in his role as Executive Director of the Commission. The morning was spent sharing information between the Sites, and the afternoon talking about NPS summer activities and ways the Sites could engage to take advantage of the NPS Centennial. See reported that he and Brian Hoduski, KNHP Chief of Museum and Archival Services, have been working on plans for a number of Heritage Site representatives to accompany them to the annual conference of the American Association for State and Local History taking place in Detroit in September. Develop partnerships that provide visitors with a cohesive, accessible, and engaging national park experience along the entire length of the Keweenaw. See reported that the Army Corps of Engineers completed their environmental cleanup project at the Quincy Smelter in early July. This project focused on removing several hazardous and non- hazardous materials piles; removing the remains of the Ice House structure that was demolished last fall; remediating the remaining free mercury at the site; and cleaning or removing a number of abandoned containers throughout the property. These items represented a significant portion of the environmental concerns that remained when the property was purchased from Franklin Township, and See is currently working on several possibilities to address the lead-based paint and potential PCB-containing devices remaining at the site. The Quincy Smelter Association led their first summer tour on June 25th, and on June 29th, the Quincy Mine Hoist Association (QMHA) began offering regular tours daily except Sunday. While attendance has been light so far, See and QMHA anticipate that visitation will increase over time as the Mine Hoist Association begins to cross-market the smelter with their mine tours. See announced the good news that the Quincy Smelter has been named a historical landmark by ASM International (formerly the American Society of Metals, founded 1913). The wording of the designation is as follows: “The Quincy Smelting Works is uniquely capable of interpreting the final stage of copper production for one of the few native copper ore mining regions on earth.” The organization is sending a bronze plaque for installation at the site, and the group is considering a dedication ceremony this fall. See also facilitated a meeting between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the NPS to discuss what types of documentation or liability protection the NPS would need if it were to acquire the smelter from the Commission, and all attendees were optimistic that the required assurances could be developed. Additionally, See facilitated a meeting to discuss the potential move of Isle Royale National Park (ISRO) headquarters to the smelter site. The City of Houghton is currently revising its partnership proposal to further conversations between ISRO Superintendent Phyllis Green and the NPS regional office. Lake Superior Magazine contacted See about writing a short article on the smelter which appears in their August / September 2016 issue and outlines the significance of the smelter as well as how to attend a tour. Promote a historic preservation ethic and emphasize heritage awareness. See reported that the grant evaluation panel has approved 23 of the 26 applications received this year for the Heritage Grant Program, awarding $150,500 across the approved projects. The NPS provided $15,000 of the funding this year, with the Commission providing the remaining $135,500. To date, See has distributed all but two of the grant checks. Including these results, over the last nine years, the park has now granted 193 grants totaling $989,549. Develop the Commission into a sustainable operating organization. Commission Dana’s appointment to the Commission, her fourth and final term, expired on July 10th. See expressed his gratitude for her dedication and leadership as a Commissioner and as treasurer of the Commission. Per the legislation, Commission Dana will continue to serve until the Secretary of the Interior appoints a replacement. Acting Superintendent Harter notified the Village of Calumet that the Advisory Commission is in need of nominations to replace Commissioner Dana, and the Village council is in the process of identifying potential Commissioners. Finally, See announced that that the U.S. Patent and Trademark office has renewed the Advisory Commission’s registrations on the Miner Logo and the term Keweenaw Heritage Site. The Miner Logo trademark was approved with a declaration of “incontestability,” a higher level of protection previously extended. The term Keweenaw Heritage Site was again approved on the supplemental register, which is somewhat less than a trademark, but this growing history of listing on the supplemental register sets the stage for a future trademark application. Commission Committees and Projects Announcements / Executive Commissioner Langseth reported that the Commission’s Personnel Committee met for the annual performance evaluation of Executive Director Scott See, and noted that the Commission continues to be pleased and impressed with See’s work. Budget / Finance Commissioner Dana reported that the Personnel Committee has recommended an increase in salary for Scott See. Moved by Sue Dana and seconded by Scott MacInnes to increase See’s annual salary by $5,000, effective July 1, 2016. Motion carried unanimously. (7/0) Commissioner Dana reported that the Commission has reviewed the financial statements and quarterly bills, from April 20 to July 19, 2016. Moved by Sue Dana and seconded by Karin Cooper to approve bills in the amount of $191,029.78, plus wages and tax payments of $15,998.89 for $207,028.67 total. Motion carried unanimously. (7/0) Superintendent’s Report Acting Superintendent Kathleen Harter began by expressing her gratitude to both Sue Dana and Scott See, and reported that while she remains Acting Superintendent at present, a new hire is underway and a formal announcement is expected soon. Harter then provided an overview of recent news and summaries of key accomplishments of the various park divisions, beginning with the architecture division. Park Historical Architect John Rosemurgy has a number of projects underway this summer, including masonry repair to the KNHP Keweenaw History Center (the former C&H Public Library), as well as upgrades to the electrical systems of both C&H Warehouse No. 1 and the Keweenaw History Center (KHC). Additionally, the SEEDS Centennial Crew has been at work this summer, focusing on Heritage Sites. This is a partnership undertaking, with $15,000 in funding contributed by the Advisory Commission, $2,000 by the Isle Royale and Keweenaw Parks Association, and $3,000 by the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation: this $20,000 was matched 1: 1 by NPS. Park historian Jo Holt has returned to the Park from Minneapolis. Over this quarter, Holt has continued her work with the Quincy National Historical Landmark nomination update with Quinn Evans Architects and the Midwest Regional Office, and continued with GIS training. Holt has also begun developing content for a new weekly social media series titled “Working Wednesdays” that will highlight labor as a historical theme as well as the Park’s oral history collection. Holt has also been working closely with local high school students hired as interns for the GRACE (GIS/T Resources and Applications for Career Applications) project, a National Science Foundation-funded project through Eastern Michigan University, as they construct interpretive StoryMaps and contribute to the Keweenaw Time Traveler project underway at Michigan Tech. Moving on to the landscape division, Harter reported that landscape architect Steve DeLong has continued to coordinate with NPS and Houghton County Road Commission regarding the Red Jacket Road Reconstruction, including Section 106 compliance. In addition, DeLong coordinated the installation of motorist guidance signs for the Carnegie Museum, the Eagle Harbor Museum, the Gay Schoolhouse, and the Michigan Tech Archives. DeLong further coordinated site improvements at the Quincy Smelter Works, including selective vegetation removal, warehouse window stabilization and panel installation, and managed landscape improvements project at the Keweenaw History Center, including removal of mature cedar trees and stumps followed by installation of street trees and a cedar hedge. Harter reported that the Lake Superior Collection Management Center (LSCMS) remains busy, and Park Archivist Jeremiah Mason is Acting Museum Chief currently while Chief of Museum Services Brian Hoduski is away. Mason noted that there have been 388 reference requests this year to date, with 106 coming in the past quarter alone. In addition, six to eight volunteers from the Houghton Keweenaw County Genealogical Society have been each working three hours weekly to clean, rehouse, organize, and produce a container list for the Dunstan & Hanchette/ Hanchette & Lawton law firm records (the Quincy Mining Company's local law firm), which is greatly appreciated. Finally, work continues on another cooperative venture with Michigan Tech, the Keweenaw Time Traveler project led by Social Sciences Professors Don Lafreniere and Sarah Scarlett, the team has completed scanning KEWE and ISRO maps for use in the project, and for general use by the park. Additional historic material from the KEWE collections will eventually be digitized as well, to be linked to the map interface. Within the Interpretation and Education division, Harter reported that as this year celebrates the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, there has been additional emphasis placed on connecting to potential audiences and encouraging visitation to the Parks—and this has been a success, with record-breaking visitation to National Parks in general, and increased visitorship locally, both to the Visitor Center and to the Heritage Sites. Further, from May 23rd through the 26th, around 420 local 4th graders visited the Calumet area to attend the very successful “Every Kid in a Park” event called Copper TRACES. At this event, held at locations along Red Jacket Road in Calumet, students rotated through 15 activity stations hosted by the park and heritage sites to learn about mining history. Finally, a suite of similar events will take place on Founder’s Day, August 25th, at both the Quincy Unit (in the morning) and the Calumet Unit (in the afternoon)—all are invited to join and celebrate and explore the Park! Other reports from Commissioners Commissioner Scott MacInnes reported that progress is being made with the master plan for the Village of Calumet, and that the public stakeholder’s meeting and City Council meeting were well-attended and positive. The process of selecting a consultant to create the final document is underway. Commissioner Sue Dana thanked Rangers Lynette Webber and Valerie Newman for their help in coordinating the upcoming Calumet Township Sesquicentennial Celebration, to be held August 19th through the 21st. Commissioner Larry Lankton expressed his appreciation for the work of Ranger Webber in her weekly constructions of the Facebook postings, “Missing in the Copper Country,” commending in particular the quality of the images selected to highlight these interesting sites in the region. Lankton then noted the importance of collecting the many still-scattered physical collections of historical documents into safe places for material conservation. Commissioner John Sullivan announced that the Copper Country Firefighter History Museum has opened the new Italian Hall exhibit on the second floor, including eleven original doors salvaged from the Hall at the time of its demolition, and thanked the Commission for a Heritage Grant that helped to move this exhibit forward. Comments from Legislators or Legislative Staff Nothing to report. Comments from Keweenaw Heritage Site Representatives Larry Malloy of the Keweenaw County Historical Society (KCHS) thanked the Advisory Commission for the continuing support of the Heritage Grant Program, noting in some detail the contributions of the Commission over the past several years towards the restoration of the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse in particular. Malloy also extended his gratitude to the SEEDS Crew for their work this summer at Central and at the Phoenix Church. Jean Pemberton of Copper Range Historical Society (CRHS) echoed this, thanking the Advisory Commission for a Heritage Grant and the SEEDS Crew for their work this year. Pemberton further thanked Ranger Karl Larson for his interpretive work on the annual July 4th tour, this year at Atlantic Mine. Lindsay Hiltunen of the Michigan Tech Archives also thanked the Advisory Commission for another Heritage Grant, which will this year be used for a traveling exhibit on the Copper Range Railroad, and reported on the progress of the “Mining Memory” project, noting that 9 interviews have been completed to date. Further, Hiltunen will be presenting this work to an international audience at the Sixth International Finnish Oral History Network Symposium this November in Helsinki, Finland. The “Black Voices in the Copper Country: Exploring Community and Michigan Tech Campus Life, 1850-1990” project has now closed, and Hiltunen invited anyone interested in learning more to contact her directly at the archives at (906) 487-2505 or at copper@mtu.edu, or to visit the project website, blackvoices.lib.mtu.edu. Comments from the Public Calumet Township Supervisor Paul Lehto thanked the Advisory Commission for a Heritage Grant that will be used towards the repair and restoration of four windows on the east façade of the Drill Shop, and alerted the Commission to additional upcoming work to repair the roof on the Township’s portion of Warehouse No. 2. Motion to Adjourn Moved to adjourn by John Sullivan, and seconded by Larry Lankton at 2:35 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. (7/0). Next Meeting Tuesday, October 18th, 2016. |
Last updated: December 15, 2017