Cities & Towns - Houghton - Street Scenes

• Lots of memories in that photo...I lived there! I lived in one of Paul Herveat's apartments over Surplus Outlet and the Sherwin Williams paint store, which would be the building at the very left-hand edge of the photo. In fact, I still have daily memories of that time. Herveat was known for being cheap and not keeping much pressure in the boiler, so very little heat made it up to the apartments on the second floor. My apartment was at the back of the building and overlooked the Portage. When the winter winds whipped down the canal, it got blue-fingernail cold.The apartment had an extra-long (5.5 ft), cast iron, lion's paw bathtub. If that tub could talk, I'd be in big trouble! The bathroom was a sizeable 8' x 12', and because it had a radiator but no exterior windows, it was the warmest room in the place. I think my friends and I did everything but eat there. I remember a couple good parties! Lined with floor pillows, the tub would comfortably seat three.I left Tech for a year to recover from brain overload, and after my return, I moved back into the same apartment building. Herveat sold the building, and and the new owners decided to do a bit of remodeling, starting with the bathroom of my old apartment. The cast iron tub sat in the hallway for a week, so I asked the landlord what he was going to do with it. He told me if I wanted it, to haul it away and it was mine. I immediately called a couple friends, and we put the tub into the back of my F150, where it provided traction weight for the winter. Everybody joked about Lisa and her bathtub-drive truck!"That spring, I took the tub home, and it got stored upside down, on a pallet behind a shed, in my mom's yard in Wisconsin, for the next 20 years. Fast forward to 2003, when I had a bunch of my grandparents' furniture shipped up to me here in Alaska. My mom wanted the space back, so she drove that tub down to Illinois, where it got added to the shipment going north. When I got running water in 2004 (which was a big deal after 15 years in a dry cabin about five miles outside Fairbanks), that bathtub was one of the first things that got hooked up. I may be thousands of miles away, but I think of Houghton and Tech every day when I look at my antique bathtub.Other memories I have from that photo:*Lakeview Lounge is where I learned to play Pong, the only video game I've ever been good at!. The Lakeview is also where the rock band Head East went for a drink after they did a concert in the ice arena. When the bar closed, a friend brought most of the band and their road crew over to my place because it was only half a block away and he knew I wouldn't mind. The party continued until morning.*I bought a large basket-style clothes hamper real cheap at Newberry's going-out-of-business sale. I cut out the bottom, attached suspenders to the top so I could wear it, turned the lid into a hat, and dressed up as a Basket Case for Halloween that year. Lots of fun, but not so good when it came time to get rid of used beer.*I see the parking deck is there, but I don't see the Golden Arches. When the McDonalds first opened, folks were very confused about needing to go onto the parking deck in order to get to the drive-thru. McDonalds later put up a small Golden Arches sign at the entrance of the deck indicating the way to the drive-up window.-- Lisa SporlederWhen I was two quarters away from the Mining Engineering degree I started in '78, I changed majors. I got my B.S. in Scientific and Technical Communications in '87 "
5/5/2008 4:00:29 PM by Anonymous

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• Lakeview Lounge was ahead of its time ---It was Green" in the 70's-early 80's recycling glass juice jugs to use instead of pitchers serve of beer …was more of a local hangout but would serve anybody…at least I don't recall anyone ever being carded there… -- Laura M. Nagel"
5/5/2008 4:01:13 PM by Anonymous

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• If memory serves me right, and looking at the cars, that picture was taken not too long after the parking deck was still considered “new”! Newberry’s was a step up in quality from Woolworth’s, and these were both long before we ever heard of Pamida or Wal-Mart. The Lakeview Lounge was a bar and pool table in the front, and two pool tables and tables in the back. Long before they ever thought of dancing on a regular basis, since it was mostly a locals bar, and not really a student hang out, from what I remember. Juke box and Pabst on tap. The food selection consisted of chips, plain or BBQ. They had pickled eggs for awhile, but no where near the quality of the B and B. Kukkonen’s on the corner was where you went to buy your Hallmark cards and gifts. Very nice family from Hancock. Of course, in Houghton/Hancock, they are all good people! Swift’s hardware; Paul and Betty Swift were 2 great people as well. We sat next to them at the hockey games at Dee Stadium. Great MTU supporters and a wonderful family as well. -- Paul Meese
5/5/2008 4:01:58 PM by Anonymous

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• Not only did I graduate from MTU (1973), but I grew up in Houghton. I have fond memories of having a Coke at the little lunch counter in Newberry's. It was a pretty big deal back then. I'm guessing that was back in the very early '60's. -- Jill (Stevens/Jury) Somrock, MTU class of 1973
5/5/2008 4:02:33 PM by Anonymous

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• Having lived in Houghton from 1971 until 1987, I was there when this photo of Shelden Avenue was taken. Any blanks you need filled in? I remember Kukkonen’s drive through card shop in particular. I was the first to use the drive in feature on a late, icy Thanksgiving night in 1976. I turned down Pewabic Street from Montezuma intending to head back on Shelden. As soon as I started going down hill I knew I was in trouble. The road was very slippery with the brakes having no effect at all. This was before the parking deck was built behind the downtown stores (parking deck sign shown in the picture) and Lakeshore drive existed. If I didn’t make the turn onto Shelden, I figured I would accelerate down Pewabic and into the Portage. It was too slippery to make the turn and I ended up in the window of the card shop. This killed my old Rambler and the card shop window. I was a small participant in the history of Shelden Avenue. -- Ken Williams, MTU Class of ‘75
5/5/2008 4:03:37 PM by Anonymous

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• Looking at the North side of Houghton Ave in a westerly direction. I never saw SNOWSHOES in a hardware store before I went in there.Actually never saw snowshoes before. Never went in the Lakeview, but I think it was a decent place for drinks and dinner. Legal drinking age was 18 then. -- Michael Binder, MTU class of 1975
5/5/2008 4:04:24 PM by Anonymous

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• Reminded me of one experience I had there in 1963. I had received $20.00 in the mail from my parents as a birthday gift while attending Michigan Tech and decided to splurge". I went to the Army Surplus store near the end of Shelden Avenue and bought a pair of Michigan snow shoes .... for $19.95. I imagine the price has gone up quite a lot since then! I still have them, but have not found much use of them now that I live in Kentucky. -- Wayne Trombley, MTU BSME '67"
5/5/2008 4:05:25 PM by Anonymous

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• I can vividly remember going into Swift's True Value Hardware and purchasing my first snow scoop. That was during the winter of 1968. I still have it and use it every winter here! I guess the manufacturer hadn't heard of the planned obsolescence" concept in those days. -- Doug Davies MTU class of 1969"
5/5/2008 4:06:04 PM by Anonymous

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• [Swift Hardware] It was the place to get an industrial broom with a 1 1?4” handle. Add some tape to the handle, trim it up, and lots of duct tape……You then had an indestructible broomball broom that would snap other like match sticks. It was also longer than most brooms so playing defense with it gave you tremendous reach and the weight gave you a heavy shot that had the power of an illegal slap shot. Mine lasted all the years I was at Tech and finally went to the trash when moving out of my first house. -- Ricky A. DeVisch, P.E.
5/5/2008 4:06:48 PM by Anonymous

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