Escanaba ( ), commonly shortened to Esky, is a port city in Delta County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, located on

Little Bay de Noc Little Bay de Noc is a bay in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The bay opens into Lake Michigan's Green Bay. The bay, consisting of approximately 30,000 acres (120 km²), is enclosed by Delta County. The cities of Escan ...

in the state's

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by t ...

. The population was 12,616 at the 2010 census, making it the third-largest city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie. It is the

seat of government The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation’s capital is also seat of its government, thus that ...

of Delta County. There is also Escanaba Township, which is north of the city and is not adjacent to it, although a portion of the urban area around the city extends into the township. Both are named for the

Escanaba River The Escanaba River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed December 19, 2011 river on the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. In his poem ''The Song of Hiawat ...

, which flows into the

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

just north of the city. The names are derived from the

Ojibwa language Ojibwe , also known as Ojibwa , Ojibway, Otchipwe,R. R. Bishop Baraga, 1878''A Theoretical and Practical Grammar of the Otchipwe Language''/ref> Ojibwemowin, or Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of North America of the Algonquian la ...

History

Escanaba was the name of an Ojibwa village in this area in the early 19th century. The Ojibwa are one of the

Anishinaabe The Anishinaabeg (adjectival: Anishinaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples present in the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. They include the Ojibwe (including Saulteaux and Oji-Cree), Odawa, Potawat ...

, Algonquian-speaking tribes who settled and flourished around the Great Lakes. The word "Escanaba" roughly translates from Ojibwe and other regional Algonquian languages to "land of the red buck", although some people maintain that it refers to "flat rock". As a European-American settlement, Escanaba was founded in 1863 as a port town by surveyor Eli P. Royce. Early industry was the processing and harvesting of lumber, dominated in this area by

Daniel Wells Jr. Daniel Wells, Jr., (July 16, 1808March 18, 1902) was an American railroad businessman, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (1853–1857), representing Wisconsin. Biograp ...

, Jefferson Sinclair, and

Nelson Ludington Nelson Ludington (January 18, 1818 – January 15, 1883) was a nineteenth-century American businessman, lumber baron and banker. Born in Ludingtonville, New York, he made his fortune in the Midwest based on resource exploitation: lumber, iron o ...

. Ludington later moved his headquarters to Chicago, where he also entered banking. I. Stephenson established a successor lumber company in the area and also became a capitalist. Before the war, iron ore was being mined from the

Marquette Iron Range The Marquette Iron Range is a deposit of iron ore located in Marquette County, Michigan in the United States. The towns of Ishpeming and Negaunee developed as a result of mining this deposit. A smaller counterpart of Minnesota's Mesabi Range, t ...

, which shipped out on barges from Escanaba. By the time of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, this port was important to the Union as a shipping point for these ores, in addition to lumber. The

Menominee Range The Menominee (; mez, omǣqnomenēwak meaning ''"Menominee People"'', also spelled Menomini, derived from the Ojibwe language word for "Wild Rice People"; known as ''Mamaceqtaw'', "the people", in the Menominee language) are a federally recog ...

and

Gogebic Range The Gogebic Range is an elongated area of iron ore deposits located within a range of hills in northern Michigan and Wisconsin just south of Lake Superior. It extends from Lake Namakagon in Wisconsin eastward to Lake Gogebic in Michigan, or alm ...

of Michigan became important for iron ore after the war, in the 1880s. In 1994, Michigan produced about 25% of the iron ore nationally. Initially lumber was still integral to shipbuilding, and supported the construction of houses in cities throughout the developing Midwest. Iron ore supported industrialization, and became part of steel and other industries in the Midwest. As shipping increased, a lighthouse was needed to warn of a sand shoals in Little Bay de Noc, which extended from Sand Point, a sandspit located just south of and adjacent to the harbor area. The

United States Lighthouse Service The United States Lighthouse Service, also known as the Bureau of Lighthouses, was the agency of the United States Government and the general lighthouse authority for the United States from the time of its creation in 1910 as the successor of t ...

approved construction of the

Sand Point Lighthouse The Sand Point Lighthouse is located in Escanaba, Michigan, United States, on Lake Michigan's northern shore. Since 1989, it has been an unofficial aid to navigation. Though it is an operational aid to navigation. The restored lighthouse is n ...

at a cost of $11,000. Construction began in the fall of 1867 and was completed in early spring 1868.

Present day

Until 2017, Escanaba continued to be an important shipping point for iron ore to other Great Lakes ports, especially south to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and northern Indiana. The local paper mill, for many years owned by

Mead Corporation Mead () is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alcoholic content ranges from about 3.5% ABV to more than 20%. The defining charact ...

's Publishing Paper Division, is currently operated by

Verso Corporation Verso Corporation, now Billerud Americas Corporation, was a North American producer of coated papers including coated groundwood, coated freesheet, and specialty products. The company restructured in 2016 following Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Verso ...

. Located on the outskirts of the city alongside the Escanaba River, it is now Escanaba's largest employer.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

This

climatic Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorological ...

region is classified as

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

, abbreviated "Dfb", according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. It is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Escanaba is described as being in the banana belt of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. While most of the peninsula is affected by significant lake-effect snow, Escanaba's winter climate is much milder due to its location on the windward Lake Michigan shoreline. File:Winter weather in Escanaba, MI.png, Winter weather displayed near Ludington Park in Escanaba. File:Beautiful_summer_weather_in_Escanaba,_MI.jpg, A sunset during the summer, as seen from Water Plant Road.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 12,616 people, 5,622 households, and 3,090 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 6,178 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.4%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 2.6% Native American, 0.6%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.3% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.2% of the population. There were 5,622 households, of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.0% were non-families. Of all households 38.2% were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age in the city was 41.4 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 19.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 13,140 people, 5,800 households, and 3,294 families residing in the city. The

was 1,038.3 inhabitants per square mile (400.7/km²). There were 6,258 housing units at an average density of 494.5 per square mile (190.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.66%

, 0.11%

, 2.61% Native American, 0.33%

, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.18% from

, and 1.09% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.66% of the population. 17.0% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 16.5% French, 11.4%

French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

, 8.8%

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

, 6.4%

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and 5.2%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

ancestry, according to

Census 2000 The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

. There were 5,800 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. Of all households 37.0% were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,125, and the median income for a family was $36,995. Males had a median income of $32,310 versus $21,204 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,589. About 10.8% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 17.7% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Culture and contemporary life

Although the Upper Peninsula is part of the state of Michigan, Escanaba and the western Upper Peninsula sometimes have closer cultural ties to the state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Yooper culture

Pasties are a significant tourist attraction. Many ethnic groups adopted the pasty for use in the

Copper Country The Copper Country is an area in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States, including Keweenaw County, Michigan, Houghton, Baraga and Ontonagon counties as well as part of Marquette County. The area is so named as copper mining was ...

copper mines; the Finnish immigrants within the region mistook it for the traditional '' piiraat'' and ''kuuko'' pastries. The pasty has become strongly associated with all cultures in this area.

Theater and performing arts

Escanaba is home to the William Bonifas Fine Arts Center, The Waterfront Art Festival, The Players de Noc, The Bay de Noc Choral Society, the Escanaba City Band, and many smaller arts organizations, art galleries, and musical performing groups.

Parks and recreation

Parks

*Ludington Park: A three-quarter mile stretch of lake shore where the city's easternmost point extends into Little Bay de Noc, it is one of the largest city parks in Upper Michigan. Karas Band Shell is located on the south end of the park and it is where concerts are hosted during the summer. A veterans memorial is located in the center of the park. At the north end of the park (across from municipal marina) there is a scenic gazebo and fountain. *Harbor Hideout: Located within Ludington Park, the 22,500 square foot playground is constructed of wood and features handicap accessible play areas. **Kiwanis Musical Playground: In June, 2018, the Escanaba Kiwanis installed a new handicap accessible musical play area next to harbor hideout. The equipment that was installed included a

metallophone A metallophone is any musical instrument in which the sound-producing body is a piece of metal (other than a metal string), consisting of tuned metal bars, tubes, rods, bowls, or plates. Most frequently the metal body is struck to produce sound, ...

, a set of

chimes Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillon, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells within a ...

, a kettle drum, and a

goblet drum The goblet drum (also chalice drum, tarabuka, tarabaki, darbuka, darabuka, derbake, debuka, doumbek, dumbec, dumbeg, dumbelek, toumperleki, tumbak, or zerbaghali; arz, دربوكة / Romanized: ) is a single-head membranophone with a goblet- ...

. All of the new equipment installed is

ADA Ada may refer to: Places Africa * Ada Foah, a town in Ghana * Ada (Ghana parliament constituency) * Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria Asia * Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, ...

compliant.

Boating and beaches

*Escanaba yacht club: Established in 1934, it hosts several races and events for members during the summer. *Escanaba Municipal Beach: located on Aronson Island, is open from early June to mid-August. The beach-house includes a changing facility with restrooms and showers. In addition, there is also a small playground and picnic area available for public use. The beach house usually has paddleboards and kayaks available for renting. *Aronson Island Boat Launch: In order to use the boat launch a day-pass or seasonal permit is needed prior to launching a boat. The launch has a weight restriction of 6,000 pounds and a length restriction of 26 feet, if a boat exceeds this, a special permit must be obtained from the harbormaster. *North Shore Boat Launch: located on the Escanaba River.

Places of interest

*The House of Ludington - A landmark historic hotel in downtown Escanaba. Originally built in 1865 as the Gaynor House Hotel, it was renamed in 1871 after prominent lumberman

. It was rebuilt as a brick structure in the Queen Anne Style in 1883, becoming the New Ludington Hotel. It is believed that

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...

utilized the tunnels located below the basement of the hotel during the

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

era. *

Sand Point Light The Sand Point Lighthouse is located in Escanaba, Michigan, United States, on Lake Michigan's northern shore. Since 1989, it has been an unofficial aid to navigation. Though it is an operational aid to navigation. The restored lighthouse is no ...

house & Delta County Historical Museum - Deactivated in 1939, this lighthouse was used by the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

to house seamen assigned to Escanaba. The building was completely restored to its original design in the late 1860s, and has been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, along with Escanaba's central downtown district. *U.P. Steam & Gas Engine Museum *Carnegie Public Library (Escanaba Public Library) *

Hiawatha National Forest Hiawatha National Forest is a National Forest in the Upper Peninsula of the state of Michigan in the United States. Commercial logging is conducted in some areas. The United States Forest Service administers this National Forest; it is physical ...

*Days River Pathway or Days River Nature Pathway *Escanaba Farmer's Market

Laws and government

Government

Escanaba is located in US Congressional District 1 represented by Jack Bergman (R-2017). The City is in Michigan's 108th State House District and 38th State Senate District, represented by Beau LaFave (R-2017) and Ed McBroom (R-2019), respectively. As the most populous area in Delta County, Escanaba's four precincts span three of Delta County's five Districts: The Escanaba City Council consists of five council members who are elected to four-year terms. A Mayor, and a Mayor Pro-Tem are selected by the council members at the first regular meeting following the election.

Police and corrections

Escanaba established its own Department of Public Safety in 1975, which provides police and firefighting services to city residents. Director of Public Safety: Robert LaMarche Escanaba is also home to the Delta County Sheriff's Office, which employs ten deputies assigned to road and marine patrol. Additionally, the city is home to the newly constructed $17.9 million Correctional Facility with a capacity for 160 inmates. Sheriff: Edward Oswald The Delta County Sheriff's Office participates in the Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team (UPSET) as part of a multi-agency operation to arrest criminals engaged in the use, sale, and distribution of drugs throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Courts

The Delta County Courthouse serves all of Delta County. The courthouse includes the 47th Circuit Court, the 94th District Court, and

Probate Court A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the Administration of an estate on death, administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts ma ...

Education

In 2003, the school board opted to completely renovate the historic 1930s junior high school, rather than move it outside of town.Mac McClelland
"More for Your Money"
, Michigan Land Use Institute, February 22, 2004, Accessed July 15, 2009. Escanaba Area Public Schools operate the public schools in Escanaba, which includes various elementary schools, the middle school, and the high school. There is also a private school, Holy Name Catholic School, which teaches pre-school children all the way up to eighth grade. Bay College, a public 2-year college, was founded in the city in 1962. It offers various two year degrees and certificate programs ranging from welding, public safety, business, nursing, among others.

Media

Local radio stations include KMB Broadcasting's

WDBC WDBC (680 AM) is a radio station licensed to Escanaba, Michigan broadcasting a full-service format featuring news, talk and adult contemporary music. WDBC is Upper Michigan's most powerful AM radio station in terms of signal strength; its 10,0 ...

680 AM ( adult standards) and

WYKX WYKX (104.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Escanaba, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1977 under the WFNN call sign that call sign today is used at a radio station in Erie Pennsylvania. It is loc ...

104.7 FM (

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

), Lakes Radio's

WCHT WCHT (600 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. Licensed to Escanaba, Michigan, it first began broadcasting under the WLST call sign in 1958, and then became WBDN around 1971. WBDN programmed adult contemporary music throughout ...

600 AM (news/

talk Talk may refer to: Communication * Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people * Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people * Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct ...

WGLQ WGLQ is an FM radio station serving the central portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. WGLQ broadcasts at a frequency of 97.1 megahertz and its studios and offices are located on Ludington Ave in Escanaba, Michigan. The station airs a Top 40 (C ...

97.1 FM (

adult top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems ...

WCMM WCMM (102.5 FM, "The Moose") is a radio station broadcasting a country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primari ...

102.5 FM (country), and

WGKL WGKL (105.5 FM, "Kool 105.5") is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits format. Licensed to Gladstone, Michigan Gladstone is a city in Delta County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. First settled in 1877, Gladstone' ...

105.5 FM (

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as we ...

), and standalone WUPF 107.3 FM (

classic hits Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s ...

). Escanaba is also served by low-power translator stations of WNMU translator W296AX from Marquette, MI (at 96.5 FM), WRPP translator W254AG from Sturgeon Bay, WI (at 98.7 FM), and WHWL translator W261AI from Marquette, MI (at 100.1 FM).

WJMN-TV WJMN-TV (channel 3) is a television station licensed to Escanaba, Michigan, United States, serving the Central and Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group, and maintains ...

, the local MyNetworkTV television station on channel 3, formerly operated as a satellite of CBS affiliate

WFRV WFRV-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States, affiliated with CBS. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station maintains studios on East Mason Street in Green Bay, and its transmitter is located north of Mor ...

in Green Bay. Radio and television signals originating from

Door County, WI Door County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,066. Its county seat is Sturgeon Bay. It is named after the strait between the Door Peninsula and Washington Island. The dangero ...

across the bay are also generally easily received in the Escanaba area as well. During the solar eclipse of January 24, 1925, Chicago radio station WJAZ, which had been broadcasting from a "motor truck" mounted portable transmitter, was transported to Escanaba, Michigan, to document the effects of the dimming sun on radio transmissions.

Infrastructure

Escanaba's Harbor Tower, an 18-story apartment building, is the tallest building in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Transportation

* runs eastward to

St. Ignace St. Ignace is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Mackinac County. The city had a population of 2,452 at the 2010 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city, but the two are administered auto ...

and the

Mackinac Bridge The Mackinac Bridge ( ) is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac, connecting the Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the bridge (familiarly known as "Big Mac" and "Mighty Mac") is the worl ...

, to the east. Along the way it passes through

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

, north/east and Manistique, east. It runs west concurrent with US 41 until Powers, and from there west to Iron Mountain. * connects with Marquette to the north and with Powers west before turning south to

Menominee The Menominee (; mez, omǣqnomenēwak meaning ''"Menominee People"'', also spelled Menomini, derived from the Ojibwe language word for "Wild Rice People"; known as ''Mamaceqtaw'', "the people", in the Menominee language) are a federally recog ...

. * runs northwest through undeveloped areas to Gwinn. Going south, it provides a direct route along the shore of Green Bay to Menominee, to the southwest. * runs northwest toward many rural communities before ending at Crystal Falls.

Airport

*The city is served by

Delta County Airport Delta County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located southwest of the central business district of Escanaba, a city in Delta County, Michigan, United States. It offers limited commercial service, which is subsidized by the Essenti ...

(KESC), with daily flights to Detroit and Minneapolis via Delta Connection.

Buses

*Indian Trails provides daily intercity bus service between

and Ironwood, Michigan and between Hancock, Michigan and Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Railroads

The Escanaba area has been serviced by several railroads. The former Chicago & Northwestern Railroad connected Green Bay, Wisconsin, Green Bay to their main system around the same time that they built their mainline to Escanaba. The Milwaukee Road, CMSP&P otherwise known as the Milwaukee Road connected Escanaba to their system shortly thereafter. In 1898, the Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad, Escanaba & Lake Superior owned by Issac Stephenson constructed a line from its connection to the Milwaukee Road. Both the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company, C&NW and the Milwaukee Road, CMSP&P ran passenger service to the Escanaba area as well. The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company, C&NW also connected to the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range, Duluth Missabe & Iron Range railroad in Escanaba. The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company, C&NW would acquire the Milwaukee Road, CMSP&P's trackage in Escanaba and Wells Township, Delta County, Michigan, Wells. With the creation of the Wisconsin Central Ltd., Wisconsin Central railroad, most of the lines in Escanaba were unified in a single operation with the exception of the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway, DMIR and the Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad, E&LS. In 2004, when Canadian National Railway, CN controlled the Wisconsin Central Ltd., WC, the DMIR sold to Canadian National. As of April 2021, just the E&LS and CN remain. CN owns the last two yards in Escanaba, being the Gladstone Yard, and the Escanaba Ore Docks.

Notable people

*Tom Bissell, author and Guggenheim Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellow *Kevin Chown, American bass player most notable for his work with Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Tarja Turunen, Finnish soprano artist. *Fahey Flynn, television news reader *Karla M. Gray, Montana's first female chief justice *Becky Iverson, professional golfer *

, settler who named the city *Eli Parsons Royce, founder of city *Willard A. Saunders, Rear admiral, USN and Navy Cross recipient during World War II *Dan Seavey, "Roaring Dan" Seavey, Great Lakes piracy, pirate *Kevin Tapani, baseball player *Chauncey W. Yockey, Wisconsin State Assemblyman.''Wisconsin Blue Book 1911'', Biographical Sketch of Chauncey W. Yockey, p. 771

Image gallery

File:Harbor Tower Escanaba.jpg, Harbor Tower, the Upper Peninsula's tallest building File:Sand Point Lighthouse MI.jpg, The

is on the

. File:Eli P. Royce.jpg, Surveyor Eli P. Royce founded the city of Escanaba File:Marina Fest.jpg, Aerial view of Escanaba's Ludington Park File:ArthurAnderson.jpg, Ore freighter Arthur M. Anderson departing the Escanaba harbor

References

External links

Escanaba Michigan, Bays de Noc CVBCity of Escanaba''The Daily Press''Escanaba Area Public SchoolsEscanaba Post Card MuseumAntonis Wolfe
(Resident's site) {{Authority control Cities in Delta County, Michigan County seats in Michigan Micropolitan areas of Michigan Michigan populated places on Lake Michigan