Ornaments are being pulled out of storage all around the globe. Here are just a few of ours from our museum collection.

​Looking forward to the Marquette County Quilters' Association Autumn Comforts quilt show this weekend here in Marquette. This Michigan History quilt was a collaboration in 1991-92 between 4th grade teacher, Mary Friggens, her students, and one talented mother, Claudia Jamieson who assembled it. It was recently donated to the MRHC's permanent collection.

What a clever way to get your business name in someone's hand! These antique bookmarks all represent various businesses or events. 

​Granot Loma was built by Louis G. Kaufman north of Marquette as a summer home in the 1920s. It is considered the largest log cabin in the world. Pieces are marked Mrazek, Peasant Art Industry, made in Czechoslovakia.

​Fishing tackle from the MRHC's permanent collection. These items are currently on loan for display at the Beamier Heritage Center. Their exhibit "Above/Below the Surface" is now at NMU (Autumn, 2022).

These bags (1900-1960s) were used on road trips especially in the desert. The bag was soaked first, then filled and hung on the car’s hood ornament or from the bumper. As water seeped slowly to the surface, it evaporated and cooled keeping the water about 12 degrees cooler than the air. As both air conditioning and coolers for cold drinks were both unavailable to drivers, these offered a somewhat refreshing drink on a long drive. 

Tank, shorts and jacket from the mid 1940s. Team Orange Crush was sponsored by Marquette Bottling Works, owned by the Matt Hirvonen. This was thought to be worn by his sons Ray or Melvin.

​Bicycle Lanterns ran on kerosene (1876) and acetylene gas produced from calcium carbide and water. The Solar was first made by the American Badger Brass Co. in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1897. 

​Hand Stamp, Yalmar, Michigan Post Office circa 1894

Charles Wilson settled in the Yalmar area (north of Skandia) circa 1881. He ran Yalmar’s first post office out of his home in 1894. In 1902 he opened the general store which also housed the post office. The store and gas station are still operating on US 41. The center of the stamp would have held the date.

We are starting a new feature here on our website. We will be posting featured artifacts from the permanent collection here in our blog, for your curiosity and enjoyment. 
Today's artifact is a sculpture. Curator, Jo Wittler, wrote: 
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Meet Pete, an iron spider made by Paul Anderson from the bars at the top of the bear enclosure (curved inward to prevent the bears from climbing out.) at the Shiras Zoo. The zoo operated from the 30s to the early 90s. 
The Shiras Zoo at Presque Isle first began around 1932. By the mid 1950s only a deer pen was filled. Throughout the sixties and seventies it was a tourist destination with animals such as fox, bobcat, bear, otter, peacock, and guinea hens. An albino buck was brought there in 1983 which is the likely ancestor of the albino around Marquette today. Around 1990 there was a change to only keep native animals. In the early nineties, the city explored an expansion of the zoo, but city residents objected to the proposed development of the Island and the small zoo was closed.