New Fort Brady/Lake Superior State University
With some 3,300 students, almost all undergraduates, Lake Superior State University - or Lake State, as it's known locally - is Michigan's smallest public university. Personal attention is one of its well-deserved selling points. Sue Harrison, best-selling author of prehistoric fiction (Mother Earth, Father Sky) attributes her success to professors here who encouraged her through years of rejections from publishers.Today the possibility of attack seems far-fetched, but it wasn't. Over 20,000 troops were stationed here at one time. Fort Brady was most active during World War I and just before American involvement in World War II. During that war the fort bristled with antiaircraft gun emplacements protecting the locks.
In 1946 “New Fort Brady” was given to the state of Michigan and used by Michigan College of Mining and Technology (today's Michigan Tech) as an instant campus to accommodate returning World War II vets going to college on the G.I. Bill.
Some of the late-Victorian fort's buildings were erected as multi-gabled barracks. Others were officers' quarters and offices that resemble overgrown, simplified Queen Anne houses with porches. They're arranged around a parade ground akin to a collegiate quadrangle. Pick up an interesting annotated map and self-guided walking tour at the admissions office in Hillside House. (See entrance sign for directions or stop at security office for map.)
The university added new buildings starting in the 1960s. Custom campus tours are by arrangement; call 635-6696 or (888) 800- LSSU and ask for admissions.
Students and faculty participate in a first day of spring celebration that's probably unique. To lift spirits when weeks of snow cover remain, they burn a papier-mâché snowman while passing out flowers and reading poems about spring.
Internationally, LSSU is best known for its Word Banishment List, released by newspapers on January 1. Most-nominated picks for 2000: chad, speaks to, celebrate, fuzzy math, the redundancies “manual recount by hand” and “final destination,” factoid, diva, dude, and “have a good one.” To nominate words or see the whole list, visit www.lssu.edu and scroll down to Word Banishment List. The list is compiled not by the English department but by the public relations office from thousands of nominations, mostly from the U.S. and Canada. Inspired by the Queen's Honor List of new knights, the Word Banishment List was the brainchild of the late Bill Rabe, a metro Detroit PR man who spent the last two decades of his career at LSSU. He devised it to give his school some media visibility and released on January 1, a slow news day. “It's so popular, the press calls us if they don't get their copy by mid-December,” says current PR staffer Tom Pink. He and his co-worker compile the list in between their other, more central duties by getting help from faculty and students in weeding through the nominations.
LSSU is north off Easterday, a major east-west artery that's the last exit off I-75 before the International Bridge. Go east from I-75 or west from Ashmun to reach it. The main entrance is Meridian. (888) 800-LSSU or 632-6841
Return to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
POINTS OF INTEREST
Soo Brewing Company
Ray Bauer started out as an enthusiastic home brewer, inspired in part by his German background. Now he is the hard-working brewer and chief bartender at this innovative, affordable downtown
microbrewery (soobrew.com) with a family-like atmosphere. There are handmade tables, church pews for seating, and restaurant menus for takeout. Customers can bring in food. (Nearby Zorba's is a good choice.)
The space is perfect for showing off Ray's increasing line of beers—and one root beer. Soo Brew ("a flavorful ale made with two specialty malts and local water for a unique, mellow taste") and GoldiLocks Blonde Ale (a malty beer one step up from commercial brews) sell "as fast as we can make them," Ray says. He thanks fellow Upper Peninsula brewers for helping him get started: Lake Superior Brewing Company in Grand Marais, the Vierling in Marquette, Jasper Ridge in Ishpeming, and the Keweenaw Brewing Company in Houghton.
In summer, 2011, Ray was producing six beers. He hopes to get production up to fill all his ten taps. Some day he wants to make wine as well. Soo Brewing soon had 169 "Mug Club" members. Each pays $50 a year for a 25 oz. Scandinavian-style mug, which is filled for the price of 16 ounces of beer. On the second Monday of the month, members meet from 5 to 7 p.m. to taste the latest brews and vote on a beer for SBC to produce. 64 oz. growlers, purchased for $11, are refilled for $8.
Soo Locks Park & Visitor Center. This is the place to get really close-up views of giant freighters, plus see some interesting exhibits ... more
Soo Locks Boat Tour. This 2-hour excursion provides a dramatic look at the big locks, the quaint Canadian locks, and the Twin Soo's waterfronts. ... more
River of History Museum. Life-size dioramas bring to life scenes from Sault Ste. Marie's long history and prehistory. ... more
Riverfront walk along Water Street and Brady Park. See upbound boats waiting at the locks at beautiful Brady Park, site of the 19th c. fort. See interesting historic monuments from Sault Ste. Marie's aspiring years, including idiosyncratic Chase Osborn, the only U.P. governor. ... more
Bingham Avenue historic buildings. An avenue of grand 19th-century buildings, from a time when locals saw a grander future for the city than actually unfolded ... more
Tower of History. An oustanding view of the area from a 21-story tower. ... more
St. Mary's Pro-cathedral. This 1880s cathedral has a wonderful interior, with richly colored stained glass and striking wall accents ... more
Water Street Historic Block. Three of the earliest and most significant houses in Upper Peninsula history ... more
George Kemp Downtown Marina . A nice picnic area at a beautiful marina ... more
Museum Ship Valley Camp . A 1917 Great Lakes steamship is the vehicle for an interesting maritime museum ... more
St. Mary's River Lighthouse Cruise. A 4-hour journey past landmarks like the lighthouse at the entrance to the St. Marys River ... more
Edison Sault Power Plant & Alford Park. This 1902 quarter-mile-long landmark never attracted the industries it was built to serve, but still generates electricity ... more
Mission Point, Aune Osborn Park & Sugar Island Ferry. It's been called the #1 place anywhere to see Great Lakes freighters in motion ... more
Sugar Island. Once a favorite Chippewa sugaring spot, the island still has many maples and still is a popular stop for migrating birds ... more
New Fort Brady/Lake Superior State University. Begun in 1893 as an Army fort and barracks for 20,000 troops, this overlook now is the site of 3,300-student Lake Superior State University ... more
International Bridge. Connecting the 5,000-mile Trans-Canada Highway with 2,000-mile I-75 to Florida, this 1962 bridge does much more than connect the two Soos ... more
Hunt's Map Guide to the Upper Peninsula
• 13 detailed U.P. maps
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• Folds out to 12”x38”
• Only $6.95
To learn more & buy online, click here
