More than a century after the 1913–14 Copper Country Strike, one of its most prominent leaders now has a permanent place in downtown Calumet, Michigan. Anna Klobuchar Clemenc, better known as “Big Annie,” was born in Calumet to Slovenian immigrant parents and became a leader in the strike, founding and serving as president of the Women’s Auxiliary No. 15 of the Western Federation of Miners.

In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Team Big Annie chairperson Vada Riederich about the years-long community effort to raise $150,000 to create a bronze statue honoring her legacy and the August 2026 unveiling. Vada about how a Facebook post grew into a years-long campaign, the people who helped make the monument possible, and what Big Annie’s legacy can teach new generations about labor history in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula.

Notable Quotes:

1. “She was driven and she would not give up on what should be fair and right.”
2. “At that time when women had no voice and no vote, that's quite an undertaking for a young woman of 25 years old.”
3. “I hope that young people will be inspired to learn more about our amazing history and be proud to share it.”
4. “We're still a young nation and we're still growing and learning from our mistakes…history gives you that information so we can figure a path to correct those mistakes”
5. “So she spoke up at that time, and it led to good things in the future.”

Helpful links:

Big Annie Statue Project

https://www.biganniestatue.com/

Keweenaw National Historical Park

https://www.nps.gov/kewe/

Coppertown Mining Museum

https://www.nps.gov/places/coppertown-mining-museum.htm

Keweenaw Community Foundation – Big Annie Statue Fund

https://www.keweenawcommunityfoundation.org/big-annie-statue-fund

Connect with us:

• Lake Superior Podcast Page: https://nplsf.org/podcast
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation

Sponsors:

• Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com
• National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior’s five national parks: nplsf.org/donate

For generations, the mines of Michigan's Copper Country have been woven into the history of the Lake Superior region. While many of those mines closed decades ago, their stories — and the underground landscapes they created — continue to leave their mark on the communities above them. Today, researchers are combining archaeology, historic records, and emerging technologies to better understand the region's mining history, improve public safety, and explore how these underground landscapes may serve future generations.

In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Tim Scarlett, Associate Professor of Archaeology at Michigan Technological University. They explore the challenges of mapping abandoned mines, why understanding these underground landscapes matters, and what they can teach us about the past and perhaps the future.

Connect with us:

• Lake Superior Podcast Page: https://nplsf.org/podcast
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation

Sponsors:

• Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com
• National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior’s five national parks: nplsf.org/donate

Isle Royale is one of the least visited of America’s National Parks. Located in the northwest corner of Lake Superior, it’s a tough place to get to. Access is only by seaplane, ferry or private boat. But once visitors do come, they are likely to return. Karen Bacula has been coming to this remote island since 1997. As a teacher, she also brought students to explore this unique archipelago of islands. Now, retired, she volunteers as director of Michigan Tech’s Isle Royale Institute and coordinates Moosewatch volunteers, helping people take part in fieldwork that supports the world’s longest-running predator-prey study. In this episode of the Lake Superior Podcast, Walt Lindala and Frida Waara talk with Karen about citizen science, wilderness learning and the lasting pull of Isle Royale.

Quotes:

1. “What connected me and made me want to just keep coming back was the beauty, the quiet, the simplicity, but yet incredibly complex whole area of what was there being surrounded by the lake. And many of the people I met were just absolutely wonderful.”
2. “The power of the island, the power of the lake, the serenity, but also realizing that at the drop of a hat, the weather can change. So there's predictability and uncertainty in every step that you take. And I like that feeling.”
3. “There's something special and new about it each time and getting to see the changes.”
4. “We’re looking for dead moose and looking for the condition of the skeleton to see what the moose age-wise, health-wise was like, potentially how it died.”
5. “It becomes very cross-curricular at all different grade levels. But they all come out with the big excitement being to learn how the study's done and to learn the field techniques for collecting data for this study.”
6. “Two things I tell them to pack that are not necessarily on the gear list is their patience and sense of humor.”
7. “Work to bring some of what you just felt right now with the people you met and living as close to the earth as you can live, bring some of that back with you and hold on to that.”

Helpful links:

1. Learn more about the Wolf-Moose Project:
   isleroyalewolf.org
2. Learn more about joining a Moosewatch expedition:
   isleroyalewolf.org/volunteer-moosewatch
3. Learn more about Moosewatch for Educators:
   isleroyalewolf.org/moosewatch-for-educators
4. Learn more about Isle Royale wolf-moose population dynamics:
   isleroyalewolf.org/population-dynamics
5. Learn more about supporting the research through the Wolf-Moose Foundation:
   wolfmoosefoundation.org
6. Learn more about the Northern Moose Alliance: moosealliance.org
7. Plan a visit to Isle Royale National Park:
   nps.gov/isro/planyourvisit/index.htm

Connect with us:

• Lake Superior Podcast Page: https://nplsf.org/podcast
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NationalParksOfLakeSuperiorFoundation

Sponsors:

• Cafe Imports – Minneapolis-based importers of specialty green coffees since 1993, focused on sustainability. Learn more: cafeimports.com
• National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation – Donate to protect Lake Superior’s five national parks: nplsf.org/donate