The Upper Peninsula
  Michigan is made up of two peninsulas whose shores
touch four of the five Great Lakes. For most of the state's history, the only way to travel between the peninsulas was by
boat. At best, crossing the Straits of Mackinac by railroad car ferry took one hour.
Sometimes, especially during the peak vacation and deer hunting seasons, people waited as
long as 8 to 12 hours. Cars might be backed up 15 miles down the highway.
 In 1950, Governor G. Mennen Williams appointed the Mackinac Bridge Authority with
former U.S. Senator Prentiss M. Brown of St. Ignace as
chairman. Work on the suspension-style bridge began in 1954. The bridge was completed and
opened to traffic in November 1957 and formally dedicated in June 1958. The museum's Upper
Peninsula gallery tells the story of the construction of the Mackinac Bridge.
 For more information about the Mackinac Bridge
—
Sometimes people who live in the Upper Peninsula are called "Yoopers" ("U.P.-ers"). Their culture grew out of the peninsula's rich ethnic heritage and
geographic separateness. Artifacts and a reproduction of a sauna reflect the variety of
ethnic groups in the U.P.
 This gallery also showcases Upper Peninsula agriculture and
the U.P. State Fair, held in Escanaba each year. In the winter of 1951-52,
the U.P. State Fair Board advertised: "Wanted—fifteen amateur artists,
one at a time, to paint in oils, historical murals of the counties in the Upper Peninsula
of Michigan." Ten murals have survived. One is on exhibit at a time.
During the 1950s, the U.P. looked to tourism to replace its struggling
mining, timber and agricultural industries. The many U.P. attractions
include the Soo Locks (Sault Ste. Marie), Pictured Rocks (Munising), Brockway Mountain
Drive (Keweenaw Peninsula), the Porcupine Mountains (near Ontonagon), Iron Mountain's ski
jump and numerous lake shore vistas. A rotating wall display in the gallery shows a U.P.
"Vacationland" map and two scenic photo murals: a closed copper mine
at Ahmeek in summer (image) and
the lighthouse at Eagle Harbor in winter (image).
In 1958, John Voelker, writing under the penname Robert Traver, brought national
attention to the Upper Peninsula with his best-selling novel, The Anatomy of a Murder.
The 1959 movie starring Jimmy Stewart was filmed on location near Marquette.
|
