History’s Gem of the Month - January 2008
Grand Marais Tourist Sign Post
For those of you who lived in or visited Grand Marais during the 1960s, you probably remember the signs that were displayed on the pole outside of the Dunes Saloon, now called the Lake Superior Brewing Company. The founder of the museum Axel Niemi, was actually one of the movers and shakers that helped develop Grand Marais as a tourist destination. During that time, he managed Woodland Park and helped to develop tourism-related resources to draw more people to the area.
We are not sure exactly when the signs were put up, or when they were taken down. Most likely the Chamber of Commerce was responsible for installing them.
All in all, though, it was nice to run across this newspaper clipping and include the photo as this month’s History Gem. I remember many a summer evening when us kids hung out in front of Kozy Corner across the street from the sign post. We watched tourists try to read the signs and figure out what Grand Marais destinations they wanted to check out.
History's Gems Archives
May 2007
(The Telescope Story)
June 2007
(The Story of the Grand Marais "Meteor")
July 2007
(Hints on Hunting Glacial Agate Article)
August 2007
(Lake Superior Origin from 1957)
Fall 2007
(Tourist Information from the 1920s)
December 2007
(Lake Superior Editorial)
January 2008
(Grand Marais Tourist Signpost)
February 2008
(Unusual Wedding Invitation)
March 2008
(1915 Rules for Teachers)
April 2008
(Cedar Stump article from 1962)
May 2008
(Old Postcards)
June 2008
(Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Proposal Proposal Proposal-Part 1)
Summer 2008
(Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Proposal Proposal-Part 2)
Summer 2008
(Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Proposal Proposal-Part 3)
October 2008
(Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Proposal Proposal-Part 4)
November 2008
(Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Proposal-Part 5)
December 2008
(Agate Leaflet from 1927)
January 2009
(Old Postcards)
February 2009
(Snowstorm Article from 1988)
March 2009
(Lake Superior Agate Poem)
Spring 2009
(History of M77)
July 2009
(Axel Niemi Photo)
August 2009
(Ship Travel on Lake Superior)
September 2009
(Hints on Hunting and Finding Agates)
Fall 2009
(Hints on Hunting and Finding Agates Part 2)
February 2010
(The Story of Grand Marais Part 1)
February 2010
(The Story of Grand Marais Part 2)
April/May 2010
(The Story of Grand Marais Part 3)
June 2010
(Box of Rocks Gets Diploma)
July 2010
(Shipwrecks at Agate Beach)
August/September 2010
(1958 Detroit News Article about Axel Niemi)
Fall 2010
(Reprint from the Douglas Houghton Expedition)
Winter 2011
(Old Postcards and Pictures)
Spring 2011
(1905 Grand Marais Article)
September 2011
(Michigan Log Marks)
March 2012
(John Keating)
January 2012
(Axel Remembered)
March 2012
(John Keating)
June 2012
(The Shark: Post 1)
September 2012
(The Shark: Post 2)
March 2013
(The Shark: Post 3)
August 2013
(All That Glitters. . .)
November 2013
(Excerpts from The Grand Marais Herald)
April 2014
(Souvenir View Book of Sault Ste. Marie)
September 2014
(Michigan Beach Stones)
February 2015
(Michigan’s Mystic Dunes)
June 2015
(Vintage Grand Marais Photos)
November 2015
(Gitchee Agomowin)
June 2016
(Grand Marais Poems)
March 2017
(Logging Era Photos)
July 2017
(Jonas Hill Letters)
December 2017
(Seagull (Lost) Island, Grand Marais Bay)
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Gitche Gumee Museum.
E21739 Brazel Street
Grand Marais, Michigan 49839
