Title: Redridge - Town Scenes
Photographer: William Brinkman
Subject Headings: Buildings, Historic Sites,
Condition: Good
Description: A panoramic view of Redridge, Michigan taken from the trestle of a bridge over the Redridge Steel Dam in the summer of 1916. This view especially points out the Congregational Church and its parsonage in the forground, In the middle is the Baltic Mining Companys Boarding House. The Atlantic Mining Companys Boarding house was located just across from the big school and it burned down in a blizzard on January 27, 1939. These buildings in the foreground burned down in the great holocaust of May 3, 1937 in which the parsonage and church burned as did the Catholic church and several other structures and homes. The fire in 1937 was caused by lack of electrical power to run the fire pump at the Baltic Mill because the power was shut off to permit men to paint the steel poles of the power line from Atlantic Mine to Freda. It was on a Sunday. This view of Redridge is only a small portion of a town of 1,100 population in 1900 through 1916. In the Great Depression days it dwindled to less than 500 and now it has only 30 souls. The town boasted three stores, -- A "Candy Store", Atlantic Mining Companys Store and the Baltic Mining Companys store, as well as a saloon, the Blue Ribbon, It had three major bands: the Big Band, the Junior Band, and a Hawaiian Orchestra. Herb Wilkings, the son of the Band-master of the Big Band went on later to eventually become one of the bandmasters of a Hollywood movie band, as well as guest artist of the Ringling Brothers-Barnum Bailey Circuses. Another young man, Robert Kneebone, became a wealthy philanthropist and international diplomat in social affairs and progress. Lucille W Brinkman became the first graduate woman metallurgist on the west coast according to a writeup in the San Francisco-Call Bulletin in 1947.
Source of Description: Front of Print
Institution: Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections
Donor: William Brinkman
Date of Photo: 1916
Medium: still image
Color: black and white
Size: 25.2 cm x 20.1 cm
Polarity: Positive
Image No: NoNeg 2013-09-16-05
Collection Name: MS029; William H Brinkman Photograph Collection
Terms of Use: Rights to reproduce and distribute this image may be restricted. Contact the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections for further information.
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