My Yooper connections are certain, given my mother’s upbringing in Gwinn, and my paternal grandfather’s migration to the Copper Country from Slovenia in the late 1880s.

But naturally I’ve taken the liberty to nurture my own, personal interface with the region—one that hit high gear in the late 70s, forging the start of a long, sometimes excruciating but nonetheless fascinating & rewarding journey that crested during the publication and marketing of my own work (Calumet: Copper Country Metropolis) in 2002, but by no means ended there, as that experience was certainly just a piece of a much larger landscape.

Thus, I owe a most emphatic thanks to all my U.P. rellies (and in turn, my acquaintances via them), particularly the extended family that eagerly welcomed me upon my arrival at Michigan Tech in the early 80s, and came to consider me one of their own without giving it a second thought.

With some definite overlap, I would also like to express my appreciation for the so-called “Immigrant Generation” and immediate offspring, for it’s these folks with their combined pre-World War II histories who—without question—inspired this website as well as (I’m sure) the majority of similarly themed cyberspaces, books, periodicals, music, and festivals. Alas, they are as of this date (unfortunately and quite bluntly) a rapidly dying breed that may well take with them the vibrant, “Ethnic-American” sense of community forged over the course of time (nationally recognized since about 1980, in the case of the American Finns). Personally, I’ll miss most the Linguistic Magicians of the North who have conversationally delighted me with their uncanny ability to fluently flip-flop foreign (usually Finnish) and English languages, often in mid-sentence!

That’s certainly not to discount the karma-like friendship of a handful of folks from my own generation who have accentuated my Northland adventures far beyond typical “mass-market” exposures: Vicki Gornick of Chisholm, MN; Pete Oikarinen & his wife Barb Simila of Calumet; Larry Hoganson (a Calumet native now hunkering in Iron Mountain); and Karl Hansen of the Soo.

These five are particularly noteworthy given their inspiring “knows everybody who’s anybody” instincts, which they’ve been keen to share through king-sized initiations and insights into their respective northern haunts. Very few people could even imagine, let alone experience, such unique perspectives!

I’m hip to that, and very appreciative.

So it’s “Friends Forever,” I say, this group being the true impetus behind Superior Reading.

A heartfelt thanks is also due my Webmaster, JSK (who was always adamant about my taking this Next Step and who understandably likes to remain transparently anonymous); Dave Bezotte and his ever-evolving Houghton entourage; the brain trusts of both the Finnish-American Reporter and the New World Finn; fellow author Steve Lehto; Big Apple filmmakers Louis Galdieri & Ken Ross; Chuck Voelker (Calumet then, Detroit now); Finlandia U’s Steve Nordstrom; Brian Juntikka (wherever you are, Dude); Kevin Hackman, Jerry Abramson, Brian Nelson, and Ted (all Copper Country loyalists)—as well as anybody & everybody else who has managed to “listen up” to little ol’ me when I have something to say about matters.

Finally, I don't want to forget to express my sincere admiration for the various U.P. authors, musicians, and film producers (especially those I’m promoting at this website), for their genuine interest in their respective topics and painstaking efforts to share discoveries and knowledge with people like me who need all the help they can get☺.

Kiitos to y’all, you betcha! 

More on Gerry Mantel’s Calumet: Copper Country Metropolis

«Back