The Houghton County Historical Museum in Lake Linden, was the host for a Tractor-Train show this past Saturday and Sunday. Carl Kiilunen was kind enough to brave the weather to capture a slideshow for all of the Pasty Cam viewers who were unable to attend. There was quite a line-up of old tractors and a couple old vehicles too. My favorite was the Eagle Harbor Fire Dept. #2, Willys Jeep. A great way to cruise around the Keweenaw. The Steam Engine at the Museum was another big attraction over the weekend, giving kids of all ages a ride around the Museum loop. Covered cars for the passengers was an excellent idea, keeping everyone happy and dry! If you have high speed internet or don't mind waiting for it to load on a dial-up connection... check out the "full size" edition of the train shot, you can see the rain pouring down!

good morning

Good Morning
Itis very wet here in downstate Michigan.
Hope the holiday weekend will be dry for all the people going away for it.
Have a good week!

great slide show, I wonder if the Jeep was an actual fire truck or something put together over the years, eitherway the pictures are beutiful and make me long to leave the city all the more.

Good morning from Commerce Twp. No tornadoes hit here yesterday and storms weren't as severe as Saturday. It was QUITE a weedend for us.

Lisa in TN: See my post at they end of yesterday's posts.

It's still very wet here in Eagle Harbor.Looks like I'll be needing my mac again today.Hope y'all have a great MONDAY..

Great pictures! Wonderful to see the hardy folks out in all weather. One year I was in Houghton in April. A late storm left 8 inches which when it warmed up turned to 6 inches of icy slush to slosh through. We went to a movie that was filled to capacity. Ain't nothin that can keep you guys down! Down here, everyone would stay home and gripe about the weather!

we need dry....
6+ inches here in the last couple of days...
nothin better than being in a house with the septic backing up.

'I hear the train a comin, it's rollin round the bend, and I ain't seen the sunshine, since I don't know when'...:) :), I think Johnny Cash had a different reason for not seeing the sunshine, but it works for me. Great slideshow, the Willy's Jeep is fantastic.They certainly have done a great job with that museum.

Was Matty Mattson's tractor there?
Man, we have been getting pounded with rain. Yesterday, 4 huge storms came rumbling through in the Detroit area. Parts of Clinton Twp. and the Dearborn area are underwater and more rain most of this week. We'd love to send the rain cells down to Texas, Arizona and Florida....want some water guys!

Rowing down the streets here in Gurnee Illinois

I have taken my Troll raised family to see this Museum afew times.Neat place to check out.
Fran Ga. Check out what i wrote to you in yesterday's.I sure hope it don't snow up there in the the Keweenaw for the Holiday next week.I hope the rain keeps up! So it don't come down on you.Oh well that's my try at humor.

Good Morning from Lodi!

Great slideshow! We will gladly trade you some of our dry, for some of your rain.

Morning from Sunny Houston! 90's today.
I could kiss the person who invented Air Conditioning! :)

Dave, Corryton, I was thinking about that church and it dawned on me that the Swede church would ave been in Swedetown. I know the one you mean.I think it is still there. Hadn't thought about Sandeleans(sp) in a long time.

I can't get the pictures for today for some reason.Will try later. We were in Laurium the day they were bringing the engine to the Museum. We heard this train whistle coming down the road!! Were quite surprised to see this engine on the back of a truck. When we fianlly got down to the Museum area it was there and we stopped and spent several hours watching them lay the track and get the engine off of the truck and onto the track. The guys really worked hard. We wanted to go in the Museum but it was not handicap accessible.

Watch the news this morning, two men were on there water craft going thru downtown Shelby on them. When will it ever stop. Have to put a life jacket on my dog so she could go out. LOL

I agree with Kevin. We out here in California could use some serious rain. We usually get rain and snow (in the mountains) in March. None this year. It will be a very dry summer. Hopefully we can keep the fires under control.

Ooooooooh Mr. Kevin of Lodi. We don't want the rain. We want sun.. RAIN no ---SUN yes. We live in California, after all.

Shell,Ditto on the air conditioning!!! I would have to get out of here if we didn't have it. Hate the heat and humidity!!

To SDC of Ferndale
If you are referring to Matt Mattson's, "Old Bates Steel Mule", Ed didn't take it there yesterday. He did bring 5 other tractors, 4 of which he restored. I have been told The Bates was the first tractor to the area and arrived by barge and railroad. It's a lawn ornament on our front yard. Still will run, but you need alot of arm power to crank it over and the kerosene fumes are atrocious. We have had the Bates in the L Linden parade and have had some fun with it over the years..tractors are Ed's retirement hobby and he restored 2 this past winter!!

If people are into "old" steam engines I just have to put in a plug for my hometown's "Old Engine Show" - the third week in August every year in Buckley, approximately 20 miles south of Traverse City. It is truly unbelievable. You can check it out at this site: http://www.buckleyoldengineshow.org/railroad.htm
They really put on an awesome show - you can even camp right there at the show grounds.

Chris and Ed:
The Matti Mattson I am talking about lived outside of Dollar Bay off the main Highway near Woodside. If those are your tractors, Mr. Mattson use to ride his tractor over to our farm which was nearby to visit with us kids. He sure loved to laugh-- especially at me! And I love Old Tractors. Love Ed's hobby.

Love the museum in Lake Linden!

By Golly, the SUN is shining in the Copper Country....FFFFOOOOORRRREEEE!!!!

I remember when we would have hot summers (ha) in Gaylord, and we'd decide to drive up to Lake Michigan on Route 2, and by the time we hit the Mac we would be cool, and spend very little time in the Lake because it was too cold! Now my kids have water fights with a hose to keep cool in the 90+ weather in Houston and are anxious to swim in the big COLD Lake again! :0)

I agree with you about the fires Mary.
Out here in CA. we tend to "Shake and Bake"

Can anyone shed light on the background of the No. 3 engine?

Editor's note: Check out the Houghton County Historical Museum website, hosted by Pasty.com, for more info on No. 3. Be sure to click on the link - "More Railroad Photos", at the bottom of the page. That will give you a bit of the history.

Sdc,I remember Matty Mattson too. My Dad talked about him alot. I think they were pretty good friends. I hadn't thought of him in a long time.

Anybody want a bunch of heat and humidity??

And, of course, the Willys jeep comment evokes the age-old question: Is it pronounced "willy's" or "willis"? :)

I think Kevin wants rain so he can propagate his morel mushroom. Can't rain --- I just washed my car.

If it rains in Houghton, it will melt that little patch of snow still clinging to Mt. Ripley.

THANKS TO CARL FOR THE SIDESHOW.

The Eagle Harbor Willys Jeep was THE main fire fighting vehicle for a good many years until the 70's.It was retired from fire service about 6-7 years ago.The first time I drove it we went to Fort Wilkins for mutual training with Grant Twp.VFD...It was in September about 9 years back and we ran into some early snow.That was a cold ride!We replaced the old jeep and and old DNR International 500 gal. tanker with a very nice 2500gal tanker/pumper...

Can somebody tell me where I can buy the upper Michigan Somplace Special License Plate with the Rainbow on it at? If you know where please email me at {kcooper54@comcast.net}
Thank You

Does anyone remember engine number 29? It was the steam train that came past Albion, crossing by the northgate motel everyday, I think 2 times a day giving rides. I miss the smell of the coal smoke, the whistle, the noise, the smell of the big train rumbling by. I remember standing next to the tracks watching in awe at this big piece of machinery chugging by, sorry mom and dad, I never told you that I did such a dangerous thing. I was only around 8 years old. I remember the C&H mine trains also. Wouldn't that be fun to go back for a while to live and smell that again?

Hi Fran from Ga. A couple of days ago I believe you mentioned the Clements house in Dollar Bay. If you did , did you know Sy and Inga Clements and their Kids. She was my aunt. One of her five brothers was my Dad. Ray H Martin. I am Ray Martin Jr. I am in my Seventies and live in Blaine Washington. I grew up in Detroit. Just a little bit of my BAck ground. If you have any memories of Aunt Inga I would love to hear about them , Plus stories of Sy and the Kids. Sincerly Ray.

Wow, I remember one month in June around 1980 or 1981 when it rained (like pitchforks and hammerhandles) straight down every day in that month. I was afraid, the ground was so soft. Over here now I sit in 7% humidity and wish for a little moisture, ha.

Bthecute1.....Are we back on the Morel Mushrooms again..lol
Good Morning, how is life in your part of CA? San Jose isn't it?

Take care

CA from AZ: I'm almost sure that was June of 1980. I didn't have a car that summer and spent many wet hours on my motorcycle.

SDC- I was with Ed when he purchased The Bates from the old Mattson farm in Woodside. It had been left in the field and trees were growing in it. At the time, Shirley North was residing at the farm. I believe the old tractor brought back alot of memories the very first time it was in the L Linden parade and running. It is about 1916 vintage.

Chris and Ed:
Yep, thats the one then. I remember when Shirley bought that farm after the Mattsons passed away. Nice people they were. My family owned that other farm across the fields from the Mattson farm. As kids, we use to chase their cows back over to Matty's pasture, they kept coming to "visit" us. Glad you got his tractor. Pretty neat.

Love that slide show... ah the old Ford 9N tractor...
My grandpa had one of them in the 60's in lower Troll land.
Everytime I see one, I remember when I was 5 years old, spending hours sitting in the seat, pretending to shift the gears & pretending to drive that thing!

BTW, in Wabeno, WI; they have a steam engine with bulldozer treads, that was used for logging, back in the day... they "steam it up" once a year, every summer.

Pardon me Kevin --- a Morel Mushroom !

And Eagle Harbor "NEEDS" another new fire truck? Perhaps it would be wiser to have a medical evacuation plan and equipment with all of the retirees there in the summer!

I love lake linden! we always drive by there to get to my grandparents house, they live in calumet . i love michigan, its such a nice place.