A history of Ishpeming,
then and now
Postcards, papers and photographs of Ishpeming from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story so far
from Wikipedia & the U.S. CensusIshpeming ( ISH-pə-ming) is a city in Marquette County, Michigan, United States. Located in the Upper Peninsula, the population was 6,140 at the 2020 census, less than it was in the 1950s and 1960s when the iron ore mines employed more workers. A statue of a Native American figure, erected in 1884 in the small town square, is referred to as Old Ish. Ishpeming Township is located to the northwest of the city but is administratively autonomous. Ishpeming is considered the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States and is home to the National Ski Hall of Fame. The city was also prominently featured in the 2010 documentary Catfish. The name Ishpeming comes from Ojibwa ishpiming 'above.…
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,513 to 3,392 (-3%). Half of its homes were built before 1973.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Ishpeming yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Ishpeming’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
3 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewIshpeming Michigan statue, 1884: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Ishpeming
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Ishpeming, decade by decade
CommonsDrills - Infantry - Camp Custer squad drilling on city squa…1917
CommonsLiberty Bonds - Advertising Methods - WAR ACTIVITIES. Train…1917
CommonsLiberty Bonds - Advertising Methods - WAR ACTIVITIES. Windo…1917
CommonsLiberty Bonds - Advertising Methods - WAR ACTIVITIES. Windo…1917
CommonsLiberty Bonds - Advertising Methods - WAR ACTIVITIES. Windo…1917![Recruiting and Draft Service - Enlistment Scenes [165-WW-474E-65]](https://images.towntapestry.org/story/25264/5e251f1c6c2191b8f996-s.jpg)
CommonsRecruiting and Draft Service - Enlistment Scenes [165-WW-47…1917![Recruiting and Draft Service - Marching to Entraining Points [165-WW-477B-40]](https://images.towntapestry.org/story/25264/d560ae8733232fa9ff31-s.jpg)
CommonsRecruiting and Draft Service - Marching to Entraining Point…19171940s
1990s
Nothing in Ishpeming is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Ishpeming has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Granot Loma in Powell, 8.4 miles away.
Ishpeming and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Ishpeming Michigan statue (1884) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (11) and the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.