Another full day. We started off at the birthplace of professional hockey in 1903-04. Lots of club teams were playing, especially in Canada, but two local enterprising men wanted a way to make money with their love of hockey, so they were willing to pay men to play. Of course the team was made up of Canadian players, but these men were willing to be kicked out of the Canadian league so they could be paid. Five teams were created in the Michigan Upper Peninsula, Pittsburgh, and Ontario. The league only lasted three seasons, but professional hockey was on its way.
What was really interesting in talking to the manager of the hockey rink that was used by high school, junior high, and more mature players in the area was how they had to get the ice ready for playing. It takes a week to lay down ice and get it smooth, over and over again. What a process that we never knew about.
Our second stop today was to the Finnish American Heritage Center. We thought it was an historical center, but it was actually the archives of their heritage so it had nothing really to see except the front of the building.
We’ve found Bookworm Books & Coffee, a coffee shop with good coffee for me and iced tea for Barney. We bought a 2019 calendar of scenes from Upper Peninsula for us to enjoy through the year. We’ve already seen many of these pictures on our travels.
