Finnish American Historical Archive and Museum

FINNISH FOLKLORE AND SOCIAL CHANGE IN THE GREAT

LAKES MINING REGION ORAL HISTORY PROJECT 1972-1978 (Funded in part by the National Endowment For The Humanities)

F.F.S.C.G.L.M.R. DIGITIZATION PROJECT 2010-2011 (Funded in part by the Keweenaw National Historic Park Advisory

Commission / U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service) CONDITIONS FOR USE OF .PDF TRANSCRIPT: Finlandia University, formerly Suomi College, holds the exclusive copyright to the entirety of its Finnish Folklore and Social Change in the Great Lakes Mining Region Oral History Collection, including this .pdf transcript which is being presented online for research and academic purposes. Any utilization that does not fall under the United States standard of Fair Use (see U.S. Copyright Office or Library of Congress), including unauthorized re-publication, is a violation of Federal Law. For any other use, express written consent must be obtained from the Finnish American Historical Archive: archives@finlandia.edu. PREFERRED FORMAT FOR CITATION / CREDIT: “Maki, John”, Finnish Folklore and Social Change in the Great Lakes Mining Region Oral History Collection, Finlandia University, Finnish American Historical Archive and Museum.

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SUO?-!! COLLEGE

ORAL HISTORY PR0GRAM

Folklore Project

Life in Iron River

~~ILLLCENT IJ~RIEc ODGERS

Interviewed

by

Catherine ~i. Kessler

on

July I, 197.3

SUOMI COLLEGE

ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM

INTERVIE\'lEE: Milli~nt ~~arie Odgers

INTERV IEWER : Catherine Marie Kessler

SUJECT: Li£e in Iron River and the Copper Country

Dated: July 1,1973

c: \'/h_at is your national ori.e:in?

M: American!

c: Well what ethnic group did you come f'r:om?

M: English and German.

c: Do you remember where your parents lived?

M:

c: Or where your grandparents lived?

M: When my grandparents came, on my father's side, they came trotEngland, and on my mother's side they came from Germany.

c: What was your occupation?

M: My occupatio~? A housewif'e.

c: What is your husband's occupation?

M: A blacksmith.

c: And what about your parents?

M: My :father was a master mechanic and my mother was a housewifel.

c: Where did your father work?

M: My ~ather.worked in the local mines in the Iron River area

c: When did your family arrive in this country?

My grandparents arrived in the late 19OO's.M:

c: For what reasons did they come?

,}..

M: On my mother's side they came to farm ~nd they lived on afarms and on my father's side they came to mine in thelocal mines. Not in the local mines but the mines in theCopper Country.

c: Did they experience any sJ>ecial hardships?

~i: Well my grandmother was born on Isle Royal and she had a harftime living there. The mail came in on dogsled. It wasn't

to easy.

c: Did they experience any es"pecially good times?

I-'i : I imagine so

c: What do you !iew as the biggest accomplishment in life?

I've had a good life. A full life.M: And ha ppy

c: How do you f"eel about lif"e today, is it changed1

(laughter)Yes it's changed.M:

c: How?

M: Well everything is more modern.ways of travel. Commnication.

EasletThey have more cars.

c: What schools did you attend?

M: The Iron River High School.

Is that al+?c:

M: That's all

c: What about grade school?

Roger's Elementary SchoolM:

c: Do you have any recollections of your teachers?

Yes. Not to much. laughter)M:.r

How did the different nationalities get along in school?c:

M: There was a feeling underneath of ethnic and religious.

c: A feeling of what?

ThereM: Well a feeling of hatred1 well I wouldn't say hatred.was a feeling between dil-ferent nationalities.

~

As for instance the Swedes disliked the Finns and the Finnsdisliked the Swedes.

Why?c:That was just a sample, thereThey just had that reeling.

were other~.M:

Did you learn to speak English in school?c:

No, I suoke English at home.M:What was the attitude of your oorents toward formal educatio*?Did they want you to? I

c:

They didn't push itYes, I think they did.M:

But they wanted you to finish?c:

Dh yes.M:

Were your parents strict, in the home?c:

Yes. Well ~~ weren't allowed to run around.spankings.

We got ourM:

What newspapers or books did vou read earlier, compared torecently? Well what was the name of the newspaper in yourhome town?

c:

The Iron River Repoter.M: The Reporter.

Are there any books that you remember that stand out in VDurmemory? That you read a lon~ time a~o? ~1aybe that wereDopular at the time?

c:

No, we didn't have books. ~lell we had Shakespeare and thatsort of thing and I read a little bit of that.

M:

What jobs have you held?c:

I was a secretary for a short time.M:

Where?c:In Iron River.M:

Oh, .for who?c:

Smith and Company.M:

What did they do?c:

They were in the lumber business.M:

What were the wag~s?c:

I(M: Very low. laup;hter

c:

M: No I don't remember.

c: What were the working conditions like?

~1: Fine.

c:

M:

c:

1-1 : No, yes there were the soldiers.

c: But nothing about the diaster?

M: No.

c:

M:

c: TIlliy?

M:

c: What about up there?

M: You mean locally?

c: Were you just talking about up there?

M: Yes.

c:

M:

c:

M: Yes.

5

Cf ~qas your husband unemployed?

M: Yes.

c: Can you tell us anything else about it.

r.1: And he worked for the city on the garbage detail, picking up~garbage to make things go. T:ie had WPA food orders. And we-

that's about all I remember about it, we didn't have much mon y.

c: Was it a particularly hard time, was it really hard?

M: We got along, itNobody starved, it wasn't that hard for us.wasn't good living but we got along.

c: What does this area need in the future?

M: The Iron River area about all I can think of is tourism.

c: \~at about new industry?

M: Apd new industry.

c: But do. they want it in here?

M: Yes, they're waiting ror new industry.outside of the town for new industry.

~hey develoued an are,

c: \ltbat do you ~edict for this area in the next.ten years?

M: Tourism and perhaps mining will come back but I don't think itten years. Someday it will. .

c: When did you first vote for a U.5. President?

M: I don't remember.

c: Don't you remember "flho it was that you first voted for?

M: Probably Franklin Delanor Roosevelt.

c: Did you ever run for public office?

111 : No, my husband ran for county supervisor. He was chairman ~the boardf'or f'our or f'ive years and he was president of theunion.

c: Didn't he run for state representative too?

M: He ran for state representative but lost. I think that's abo.t it

c: ~id the Depression o£ the 30's change his political a£filiati~n?

~

No he's been a democrat most his life.M:

c: Who ran the local town?

M: Right now?

Well who did?

I don't know who ran the town then but the mayor was-I don'tknow, I don't know his name.

c: Who runs it now?

I can't remember.M:

c: Who runs it now?

Who is it?M:

~ngeli's have a big part in it?c: Wouldn't you say the

M: Oh, I thought you meant as mayor ot the town

No.c:Dh, the Angeli's have t:'1e bi,ggest holdings in the town andthey've been developing right along. They're putting upnew buildings. They're an asset to the town.

M:

Were there any incidents that riled the people i politically?Keeping the roads open in the winter, tax 'Orob ems.

c:

neoule com'Dlaln.f.~ : Db yes, that goes on every day, ~he usual ~hinf!:.

the local community tow~rd lawc: What has been the attitude denforcement?

GoodM:

How did different nationalities get along?c:

M: Well as I said in earlier days there were feelings. Nothing t that cam~ to a head. There weren't fights or anything. But they

had feelings against each other. But it's disappearing. Fe ple

no longer feel that way.' .

Were their any mixed marriages in the neighborhood?c:

You mean blacks?M:

No, ethnic back~ounds.c:

M: Oh yes, different groups married.

c: Why are there so many saloons?

M: People are hard drinkers up in this area

'7

Do you think that's t he reason why?c:

Yes.M:

Why do you think they drink so much?c:

M! Well I supoose they have time on their hands and there's alotfof older men that are unemuloyed and retired and T ~e5S that s

about why.

c: Were trere many ~lghts?

M: In the taverns? Nothing.was shot over a card game.

Oh yes up in the Virgil once a man

c: Why?

Well his partner accused him of cheating and took a gun out ~dshot him. I

Do you remember anything else about the Virgil?

They had a Rum Rebellion where all the local Italian peoplemade their own moonshine and wine and the ~overnment came inand ripped up the barrels and smashed the stills.

M:

c: What did you and your friends do for a good time?

We played games and we walked when we went swimmin~ we wa.lked~M:

c: What kind ot games?

Dh, what were some of them'?M:

Pumu pump poll-away. t~~at was that witch one?a witch and the usual old-time games.

Someth1nf! aboiItM:

c: Don't you remember a'lymore?

r~: For fun? Oh we played with dolls, and we made sand piles t weplayed house, we'd get into an old barn and fixcit up into ahouse and we'd play in there. Vie played in chicken coops andcoal sheds and barns.

Weren't barns dangerous?c:Yes they are. Once.r fell through from the top floor to thebottom floor and almost landed on a pitchfork. (laughter)

M:

How did courtship take place in your youth?c:

M: Well my husband didn't have a car so he walked three miles to!come and see me and he walked three miles back.

,

What did you do?c:

Sit and talk listened to the ratlio. Take a walk. And we'dgo to the show if we had ~he money and that was about it.

M:

c: Did you go. by yourselves or did you ~o in ~oun8?

Well we had a group we went around with and then sometime~ Wl 'd

go by ourselves.

M:

','fuat was lire like in the boardin~ houses run by. the minin~comnanies?

c:

\1! Well, they were, the boarding houses were mostly for men Whcame over to mine from forei~n co1Jntries, li~e Germany andPoland and they lived a bachelors life. Alot of times theymade their own wine. I remember once at the boarding housenext to uS in Rogers Location they made their own wine and th ythrew the mash out and they had chickens in the back and thechickens all got drunk and they were laying on the ir backs wi htheir legs up flap~ing in the air. But they'd go down town 0weekends and get smashed and then come back and work the weeand then- just like in lumber camps.

c: What organizations do you belong to or did you belong to?

M: The Elks, the Eastern Star. That's about it.

c: Do you have any recollections about local snorts,special .events like July 4th?

or music, ot

Our band used to go on trips, I nlayed in the Tron River P8ndfAnd we would take trit's ~nd we would ~ave festivals ~'rhere the,

would have a winner. One ~rear we won the ton award and that'about all for that."'

r~ :

c: Was there any other music in your family?

M: On my father's side the whole family had an orchestra of theitown and they were called The Stevens Orchestra and they trave ed

around from dance to dance and played. Each member of thefamily played an instrument and they had their own orchestra.

Is that what he did for a living?c:

That was a sideline.M: I'

Do you remember anything Christmas or how you went about it?c:

M: I remember we had an o~d-fashioned Christmas and at the botto~of our stocking we'd have an oran~e and that was a treat I

q

M: because we didn't get oranges all year. And I remember our eehad candles on it and it would be lit with great precaution,it would be lit for a few minutes and we'd always have a palof water in case the tree caught on fire and then we'd all t kea look at it and Dub and Ahh at it and then blowout all thecandles and that was it.

c: What factors made for social change in social life.life~ ~~en you went out and dated.

in your ~ocial

M: Kids nowadays have cars and get around more. They're freer I

then we were, we were held down. Just a different way of lire.

c: What were the ~ost widespread social problems in the co~muni~v?

~,f : We don't have any social nroblems

c: Drunkeness, lone~iness?

M: Oh, there are drunks but it's not that bad.

c: What did the family do when someone became sick?

Called the doctor and in those days the doctor would come to thehouse. You had an old time doctor like a country doctor DR.Libbey his name was and if you called he would come right tyour house. Oh, my mother in her early youth had to work tosupport herself at a very early age, thirteen. She was a n se-gir 1 for a Dr. Tucker in Mohawk and my father worked in theOjibway railway station at the age of eighteen to earn money

M:

c: Did your family have any home remedies, like for maybe a couth?

M: I remember.having goose ~ease put on my chest and a bi2 woosock wrapped around it to keep the heat in. ,(laughter) Lonwoolen underwear! And I remember once ~ aunt made a mustarplaster for my mother because she had a very bad chest coldand my aunt made the mustard plaster so stron~ it burnt her hest.

c: Were the family members included inthe mining comro,any welfartplan?

M: Yes Yes.for the benefits you mean?

c: Did they ever receive strike benef~ts?

M:

c: Did they ever strike?

lo1 : They struck but,get any benefits.

the strike lasted three months but they did*'t

c: Who were some of the early doctors, do you remember?

Dr. Libbey. Dr. Kofmel and beyond tha4 I don't remember. I think

10

there was a Dr. Stevens during the time that Carrie JacobsBond lived here. And Carrie Jacobs Bond's husband was adoctor.

c: And what harpened to him?

M: He was standing-at that time Iron River had wooden sidewalks andmud roads down t he main street and he was standing on the ed etalking to someone and somebody came along and sla~ped him 0 theback, playfully to say hello, and it knocked him down and h shead hit the edge of the sidewalk and he eventually died fro thefall.

c: Did they make house calls?

M: Db yes~they made house calls.house.}

The doctors would come to the

c: And how were they paid?

M: Money, they had a charge.

c: Was the practice of midwifery prevalent in the community?

M: No, Dr. Libbey had a nurse that traveled with him all the ti 1 e. Miss Fisk her name was and she did alot of mining company \~o k,

took care of sick families and that sort of thing.

Was it difficult for the family to get to a hospital?c:

M: No, we had cars

c: TNhat were the most severe health problems?

M: Locally?

c:

M: There was a lot of tuberculosis but that is left they folJnd1cure for that. Polio was bad here Quite a few neonle were

struck with polio and there were aloi of criuples left from t.

c: Any mental depression?

M: From the polio?

c:M:

Silicosis?c:

M: Yes, silicosis is prevalent on account of' the mines. It's t t eblack dust that gets into the lungs. and alot of men have sil cosis.Not alot but its happened. .

(

c: Was it considered dangerous being a miner?

?wt: Yes, underground because men never knew about rocks fallin~ ndblasting. 30metimes they would make mistakes in blastin~ anthen ~ter broke into a mine over in Amasa somewhere and ki leda bunch of men, they were tran~ed under~ound in the water.Off and on there were deaths.

c: Do you belong to a local church?

M:

c: What 1s it?

M: The Presbyterian church.

Do you have any recollections of the early events in its li£.1Early leaders? I

c:

I remember ~oing to Sunday school in the old Rogers school, i t

we didn't have a minister, just somebody Who taught, I was

very small.

M:

c: Were there any special problems of the church?

M:

c: Travel, lack of funds?

M: 1'0.

c: Do you remember any o~ the early ministers?

M! Nn no I don't.

c: Do you know if they visited the ho~es or held services there?

Oh, they still do visit the homes,' but I'd don't remember-oh 1-dens an early family, one of the first families that settled rein the Iron River area held Sunday school and church servicesin their home. In fact, the pulDit is still in one of the be -

rooms upstairs.

Did the ministers become involved in local issues?c:

Not to much.M:

c: How did the.various churches get along with each other?

M: As far as I know they did.

c: Did the minine: COT!"t!>anY lease land to the churches?

M: In the copper country they Drobably did but .nct here.

).

c: Why not? Or were they already established by that tim~?

M: Yes. But in the copper country most land is leased for homesand buildings.

c: How did Iron River get establi8hed~ Was it mininp;?

l~: Yes, the Hiawatha No. I !.fine was the oldest ~ine in the arAa.Then there was lumbering here, lumbering was a bi~ industry.

c: Before mining?

M: ~nd that was a good indu,try

c:

I think it did start before mining.a lot of lumber camps.

. ,

pid you ever attend Suomi College?

No.M:

c: Do you remeber anything else about the town?

M: Years a~o when the towns were first established they wanted aplace for the county seat and Crystal Falls aid Iron R y er fo ghtover where that building should go, so it was going to be in heIron River area and they had allthe records there and one nip: tthey got the local officials in a card ~ame, gambling, and so e-body sneaked in and stold the records brought them over toCrystal Falls and that's where the court house was built.

c: And that's how it's there now? I

M: Yes.

c: Do you remember any stories told abOut the area?your youth?

Anything abqut

~~: I remember they had a Klu Klux Klan in town and I was a verY~small child but I remember them burning a huge cross in a fie d

and how frightened I was. There was a blazing fire and peoplstanding around. It was a horrible scene.

c: Was this a religious conflict?

M: Yes it was a religious conflict.

c: Between who?

M: The Protestants and Catholics. There were no colored people lJere,so it was just a religious conflict. -1

f1 Do you remember any of the places you used to f1:0 when you were[young?

M: At Sunset Lake they used to have a huf!e uavilion for dancin~1 d

they had name bands that used to come UP here. It was before

my day, dancing days, but I remember my father being musicall

I,~ j

inclined he liked to go there and we used to sit there 1iste ~ngto the music in an old touring car until about 9 or 10 o'c1ocand then we'd go home. And then at Ice Lake, where we live w,they had a huge pavilion where they danced and had bands.

c: What were some of the names of the renown bands?

M: I don't remember.

c: Anything else you can add?

M: That's about it.

c: Well thank-you very much.

M: You're very welcome.