Headed out this morning with Eli to hit some more of the Forest Service Roads in Southern Baraga and Southern Houghton counties. The roads south of me seem to be never ending, there many many roads to explore, and most of them are in really good shape. Many of the woods through this area have some nice large old growth trees, making the drive real enjoyable, just driving through the woods. Along with coming across river, lakes and such, this time I found a couple tidbits of history. One such bit of history is that there were 5 WWII POW camps in the UP, this I did not know. I came across one of the POW camps today, Camp Pori.
“POW Camp Pori – 215 POWs; 2 Officers; 39 Enlisted Men
An unusual activity here was the establishment of a Zoo. The POWs captured mice, squirrels, snakes and other small animals. It was not their only activity. The 16 piece orchestra was often heard. The education at this camp was strong. Classes in English, German, French, math, shorthand and music history were offered allowing the men to increase their work skills. To this end, workshops were offered for machine construction, technical drawing, electrical skills, and agriculture development.”
The rivers and swamps I came across all have a very low water level, some of the swamps are dried up.
Anyway, was good to get out again, as I’ve been staying at home too much lately.
Sturgeon River – Very Low Water
Bob Lake
Pori CCC Camp/POW Camps and Wild Blue Phlox
Old Railroad
