Ishpeming is located in Marquette County. As of the 2000 census the population was 6,686. The population count was down from the 1950′s and 1960′s when the economically supportive iron ore mines had much higher employment level. The city was first settled in 1854 and it was known as “The Lake Superior Location”. The city was given the name Ishpeming in 1862. It is in the Indian origin and it means “high place” or “heaven”. In 1869 it was an incorporated village. A movie was filmed in the city, and surrounding areas, in 1959. The movie was called “Anatomy of a Murder”.
In 1867 the Cliffs Shaft Mine was started in the city. The doors were open for 100 years and then closed the doors in 1967. The mine business started in 1845 in Negaunee Michigan. Within the next couple of years, some more mines where started. Those mines are The Cleveland and Lake Superior Mine located in Ishpeming. The Iron Cliffs Mining Company started the Barnum mine in 1867 just north of the Lake Superior Mines. This mine was in successful operation for many years. The Iron Cliffs Company started some exploratory work in the 1870s. They used a diamond drill to take core samples; there were two holes that were started. The first hole was named “A” and was begun on March 15th, 1877. Eleven months later, February 15th, 1878 the drilling was stopped. They went 76 feet through the surface, and reached a depth of 628 feet no amount of ore was found. A couple of months after hole “A” was started another hole was started a short distance away. This drill hole was names “B” and was started on June 1st, 1877. There was 74 feet of surface material to go through. After digging an estimated 400 to 460 feet down, hole “B” was completed in July of 1878. Holes “A”and “B” soon became the mine shafts and the new operation was called New Barnum.
In the start on the 1880s a New Engine House and a Boiler House were contrasted, as well as a set of wooden shaft houses that stood on either end of the property along the shores of Lake Bancroft. A couple years later, 1886, the company name changed from New Barnum to the Cliff Shaft. The Cliff Mining Company merged with the Cleveland Mining Company in 1891, to form the Cleveland-Cliffs Mining Company. In 1919 George Washington Maher designed a 97 foot tall concrete Egyptian-revival Obelisk to be placed over the shafts. These structures soon became icons of mining for the company and the city of Ishpeming. 1950 the old mine needed to be modernized, so in 1955 the new shaft was placed into service.
If you are an outdoor lover, stay at the Squaw Lake State Forest Campground. This campground is a great place to go fishing. There are a total of o15 rustic campsites, and a boat launch is provided right in the campground. If you are not a person who enjoys sleeping with the wildlife, then you can stay in the Jasper Ridge Inn. The Jasper Ridge Inn offers whirlpool suites, business plus rooms, continental breakfast, an outdoor pool and spa, and so much more. The Inn is located near dining, recreation, shopping, and entertainment.
An event you are able to watch in Ishpeming is the Suicide Hill Ski Jump. The skiers will compete in a Super Tour Event in the series.
The tournament is usually held on Sundays in memorial to Paul Bietila, the youngest brother of that world famous ski jumping family. In the past, skiers from United States, Finland, Germany, Japan, Austria, France, Norway, Canada and other countries came to participate in the ski-jumping circuit, earning points at each jump which is applied towards their standing in the race for the individual cup.
Suicide Hill is also the training site for ski jumpers involved in US Olympic Education Venter program at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. You are able to also cross-country ski. There are over 30 kilometers of ski trails and those in the Suicide Bowl are rated among the best in the Midwest. If you go to watch the ski-jumping tournament, you can bring your own skies and go skiing after the tournament is all done. The city is considered to be the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States and is the home of the National Ski Hall of Fame.
If you enjoy snowmobiling you can do that as well. Ishpeming’s Country Village offers over 500 miles of trails right from their parking lot. If you come to Ishpeming for vacation and decide to go snowmobiling and you don’t have a sled of your own you can go to ACE Hardware and rent a sled. The city receives approximately 14′ of snow each year. Since Ishpeming is surrounded in the summer there are plenty of mountain bike trails for the bikers to enjoy. There are 25 miles of trails with scenic wilderness and meanders from Ishpeming to Negaunee and then back. On top of all the trials for those who love to bike, there are plenty of trails, back roads, logging roads and many more places to go hiking. There are thousands of miles of places for someone to hike, while enjoying the scenery.
Beside all the skiing, snowmobiling, hiking and biking; you can go swimming, sit on the beaches, fishing and much more of enjoyment. There are many beaches that you can choose from. Marquette County is the home to over 80 inland lakes and beaches. Ishpeming has an abundance of superior fishing locations. Most of the sights include a public boat launches, which offers easy access to a variety of fish.
There is something to do Ishpeming every season and for everyone. In the start of the season changing from summer to fall you will be able to witness all the beautiful color changing no matter what you are doing, even if it’s just driving. When the seasons change to winter to spring you get to see the flower blooming and the beaches opening up to enjoy the hot weather that is on its way.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.2 square miles (24 km2), of which, 8.7 square miles (23 km2) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) of it (6.16%) is water. Ishpeming’s elevation is 1,436 feet (438 m) above mean sea level, which is over 800 feet (240 m) higher than that of nearby Lake Superior. The highlands of Ishpeming and the surrounding area, including the city of Negaunee to its east, receive an unusually high yearly average of lake effect snow.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,686 people, 2,915 households, and 1,757 families residing in the city. The population density was 769.8 per square mile (297.1/km²). There were 3,210 housing units at an average density of 369.6 per square mile (142.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.29% White, 0.06% Black, 1.20% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.81% of the population. 25.5% were of Finnish, 14.4% Italian, 14.1% English, 12.4% French, 7.3% German, 5.7% Swedish and 5.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.8% spoke English and 1.9% Finnish as their first language.
There were 2,915 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,347, and the median income for a family was $38,924. Males had a median income of $36,310 versus $21,104 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,946. About 8.0% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Ishpeming, which is part of the greater Marquette area, is served by Sawyer International Airport with trips to Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis.
Marquette has a bus system called the “MarqTran” that runs through Ishpeming and also to nearby places such as Sawyer International Airport & Negaunee. Until 1971, the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad ran its Peninsula 400 to Ishpemiing from Chicago. In its last days, the train consisted of one engine and one bi-level passenger car.
Highways
* US 41 passes through the northern portion of Ishpeming, running westerly and northerly toward Houghton, easterly toward Marquette and southeast to Escanaba.
* M-28 travels westerly toward Wakefield and east to Marquette.
* M-28Bus.svg BUS M-28 serves the downtowns of both Negaunee and Ishpeming.
Historical events
* The movie Anatomy of a Murder was filmed in Ishpeming and surrounding areas in 1959, based on the novel by Ishpeming native John D. Voelker under the pen name Robert Traver. Extensive 50th Anniversary Celebrations are ongoing throughout 2009.
* The Green Bay Packers played their first ever road game in Ishpeming on Oct. 19, 1919. The Packers won 33-0.
* At the end of the 19th century almost one third of the population of Åtvidaberg Municipality in Sweden emigrated to Ishpeming, as copper mines in the Åtvidaberg area closed down. In 1994 this was commemorated by a plaquette at the Mormorsgruvan mine of Åtvidaberg.
* The National Ski Association, the forerunner of the present-day United States Ski and Snowboard Association, was founded in Ishpeming on February 21, 1905. The founder and president was local banker and skier, Carl Tellefsen.
Notable people
* Clarence “Kelly” Johnson (born 1910), aviation engineer
* Glenn T. Seaborg (born 1912), Nobel prize winning chemist
* John D. Voelker author under the pen name Robert Traver, and Michigan state Supreme Court Justice.
* Tom Izzo Head Coach, Michigan State University Basketball. Head Coach, 1977 Ishpeming High School.
* Da Yoopers, band.