WK. 14, PHOTO ESSAY, 'ST. ANNE'S, CALUMET, MI.'

CALUMET IN 1900 WAS A BOOMING TOWN IN THE CENTER OF MICHIGAN'S COPPER MINING INDUSTRY. THE LARGEST COMPANY IN THE REGION, THE CALUMET & HECLA OPERATED ITS WORKS BETWEEN THE VILLAGES THAT BECAME CALUMET AND LAURIUM. THE MINES DREW A DIVERSE POPULATION, INCLUDING CORNISH AND SCOTS, FINNS AND SWEDES, AND FRENCH CANADIANS. EXPERIENCING PROPERITY IN 1900, THE VILLAGE BUILT A GRAND THEATER AND FRENCH CANADIANS BUILT ST. ANNE'S CHURCH.
BUILT IN 1900 UNDER THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE REV. J. R. BOISSONAULT, THE FRENCH-CANADIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS DEDICATED TO ST. ANNE. DESIGNES BY THE ARCHITECTURAL FIRM OF CHARLTON, GILBERT, AND DEMAR, THE STRUCTURE WAS BUILT OF RED SANDSTONE FROM THE JACOBSVILLE QUARRY IN THE GOTHIC STYLE WITH FRENCH GOTHIC ORNAMENT GENEROUSLY APPLIED.
TO SERVE THE TASTES OF THE FRENCH-CANADIAN PARISHIONERS, MANY OF CHURCH'S DETAILS ARE DERIVED FROM THE FLAMBOYANT OR RAYONNANT STYLE OF THE LATE GOTHIC PERIOD IN FRANCE. SACRED HEART CHURCH OF L'ANSE, MI. WAS ALSO DESIGNED BY THE CHARLTON FIRM.
THE SANDSTONE WAS CUT IN SQUARE AND RECTANGLE SHAPES, HAMMER DRESSED AND RAMDOMLY LAID. THE STONES OF THE PIERS, WATER TABLE AND WINDOW SURROUNDS ARE SMOOTHLY FINISHED AT THE EDGE AND HAMMER DRESSED TOWARD THE CENTER. THE STEPPED LANCET ARCHES OF THE PORTALS SHOW INDICATIONS OF HORIZONTAL TOOLING ON THE VERTICAL FACES OF THE ARCH.
DECONSECRATED BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN 1966, THE CHURCH BRIERLY HOUSED A FLEE MARKET IN THE1980'S. BUT REMAINED VACANT OR UNDERUTILIZED FOR MORE THAN THREE DECADES, AND OVER THAT TIME, THE STRUCTURE RECIEVED NO MAINTENANCE. ONLY IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS HAS THE KEWEENAW HERITAGE CENTER REVERSED THIS PATTERN OF NEGLECT THAT THREATENED ONE OF CALUMET'S MOST SIGNIFICANT AND DOMINANT STRUCTURES.

WK. 13; PHOTO ESSAY 'PEDESTAL ROCK'

A LITTLE PIECE OF LIMESTONE ON A SANDY BEACH ON LAKE SUPERIOR. THIS LITTLE STONE STARTED OUT SIMPLY LAYING ON THE SAND. IT'S ABOUT THE SIZE OF A FIFTY CENT PIECE. THE MONTH WAS FEBRUARY. THE STORY IS...THE STONE LAYING ON FROZEN SAND ON A WIND SWEPT BEACH...ON SUNNY DAYS, THE SUN EXPOSED SAND THAWED AND THE WIND SWEPT IT AWAY...AS LAYER AFTER LAYER OF THAWED SAND BLEW AWAY, ONLY THE SAND LEFT IN THE SHADOW OF THE STONE REMAINED SOLID. WITH THE SUN LOW IN THE SOUTHERN SKY, THE PEDESTAL GREW THINNER AND THINNER AS IT SEEMED TO GROW HIGHER AND HIGHER, BUT STRONG ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THE STONE'S WEIGHT. ULTIMATELY, WIND AND SUN WON OUT...THIS STONE BECAME JUST ANOTHER LAYING ON THE BEACH. WHO KNOWS, MAYBE THIS PHENOMENON REPEATED ITSELF. 'EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY DON'T IT.'

WK. 12; PHOTO ESSAY, QUINCY DREDGE #2

IN THE HAYDAY OF COPPER MINING IN THE KEWEENAW, COPPER WAS MINED FROM ROCKS WITH THE USE OF STAMPING MILLS. THE STAMP MILLS WOULD CRUSH THE BRITTLE ROCK LEAVING THE COPPER BEHIND. THE STAMP SAND TAILINGS WERE JUST DUMPED IN THE LAKE. AS STAMPING TECHNOLOGIES IMPROVED, THESE TAILINGS COULD BE FURTHER STAMPED TO YIELD MORE COPPER. THUS THE NEED FOR THE DREDGE.

IN 1913, THE CALUMET AND HECLA MINING CO. BUILT THE C&H DREDGE #1. THIS WAS LATER SOLD TO THE QUINCY MINING CO. IN 1951, AND BECAME KNOWN AS THE QUINCY DREDGE #2. QUINCY DREDGE #1 SANK IN A STORM. DREDGE #2 WAS USED UNTIL 1967.

WK. 11; PHOTO ESSAY; THE DEAD SPEAK.

AMERICAN BORN FRASER (1876-1953) GREW UP IN MICHELL, SOUTH DAKOTA AND BEFRIENDED MANY OF THE PLAINS NATIVES. THE IMPRINT OF THEIR "DOOMED FATE" INFLUENCED THE FINAL RENDITION OF THIS PIECE. HE CHOSE TO PORTRAY THE IMAGE OF A PROUD AND SPIRITUAL PEOPLE MOVING INTO THE NEXT CENTURY...NOT TO SAY AN OVERWHELMING OF EUROPEAN INFLUENCE ON THEIR WAY OF LIFE...NEVER TO BE EXPERIENCED AGAIN. THE BOWED HEAD AND BODY, INDICATION OF A 'CLIFF'S EDGE' AND A STRONG WIND WHISKING BEHIND THE FIGURE AND HIS HORSE TRANSMIT THE MESSAGE WITHOUT A SINGLE WORD.

WK. 10; PHOTO ESSAY.

I CHOSE FRANK HURLEY AS MY ESSAY PHOTOGRAPHER. BORN ON OCT. 11, 1885 NEAR SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA. HE RAN AWAY FROM HOME AT THE AGE 14. HE BOUGHT HIS FIRST CAMERS AT 17 FOR 15 SHILLINGS...ABOUT $1.50 USD. HE SIGNED ON AS THE OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER FOR THE ANARCTIC EXPEDITION OF 8-8-1914 ABOARD THE HMS ENDURANCE. THE VOYAGE LASTED UNTIL 8-30-1916 AT WHICH TIME THE MAROONED CREW WAS RESCUED FROM ELEPHANT ISLAND,...NOT A LIFE WAS LOST.
PHOTOGRAPHY WAS STILL IN IT'S INFANCY...THE EQUIPMENT WAS HEAVY AND CUMBERSOME...40 LB. JUST FOR THE CAMERA..NOT TO MENTION THE GLASS PLATES. HE ALSO COMBINED NEGATIVES TO CREATE COMPOSITE IMAGES TO GIVE MORE IMPACT TO THE FINAL PHOTO...EDITORIALIZED??? HE ALSO DEVELOPED COLOR IMAGES USING THE DIFFICULT 'PAGET' PROCESS, A PRECUSOR TO KODACHROME. HE ALSO USED A CINEMATOGRAPH MACHINE DURING THIS EXPEDITION.
THE FOLLOWING PICTURES ARE WORTH THOUSANDS OF WORDS. REMEMBER, WHEN LOOKING AT THESE PICTURES TO KEEP IN MIND THE AMOUNT OF GEAR AND THE DEDICATION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER (NOT TO MENTION THE ENTIRE CREW) TO ACCOMPLISH THE TASK OF CHRONICLING THE EXPEDITION. THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT WAS SAVED AND TRANSPORTED 500 MILES OVER ICE AND OPEN OCEAN TO ELEPHANT ISLAND.