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Do all roads lead to Escanaba this time of year?

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following column was written by former Daily Press staff writer Lori Rose, sister of Friday columnist Karen Wils, who is on a medical break.

ESCANABA — So, the invasion is on.

We’ve reached that magical date when everything takes a back seat to firearm deer season, and people are streaming into the area from downstate, Wisconsin and a great deal of other locales.

Folks will come and patronize businesses, attend local churches and even spend some time in the great outdoors. The deer-heavy southern U.P. has once again sent out its beckoning call.

There are many other reasons, though, why people are drawn to this little corner of the world. Whether it’s a job or a Bay College education, a casual tourist visit, a wedding in a lovely gazebo, or even a kayak adventure, Escanaba has ways of luring others.

My sister tells me that the Bays de Noc area drew native dwellers eons ago, and of course was an important north-south crossroads for various tribes. The natural harbor and welcoming shores must have been quite attractive after being out on the open lake in a canoe.

Since those days, a wide spectrum of characters has come to call this area home: railroaders, loggers, farmers, fishermen, clergy, schoolteachers, papermakers, machinists, welders, writers, artists, chocolate makers, brewers and hospital workers. As one layer of history recedes, another takes its place.

Years ago I worked as an attendant at our local historical museum on Sand Point and we courteously asked all visitors to please sign our guest register. One day, our manager had an idea of also keeping a daily headcount, and the practice continues today.

It was fun to look back at the end of the day (or week) and see how many people came and where they hailed from in the desk log. Most summers, it seemed, there would be visitors from nearly all the U.S. states and Canada. I remember seeing signatures from places such as Germany, the U.K., Mexico, Brazil, Sweden, Belgium, Japan, Qatar and Australia.

I recall conversations with:

— A family of Saskatoon farmers who thought our humid low 80s a blessing after their Canadian drought and temperatures in the upper 90s.

— A German foreign exchange student who helped decipher some writing on an antique photo.

— A Japanese journalist who was doing a magazine photo shoot of Lake Michigan lighthouses.

— A resident of Escondido, Calif., who wondered if our towns’ names came from the same root word (they didn’t).

— A Great Lakes schooner captain who said he loved visiting Escanaba because on approach it offered “the most green space” compared to other northern port cities.

For a time between jobs I worked at a local coffee house. Most days were pretty routine and uneventful, customer-wise, but then came the day of the big bus. A motor coach passing through the area had stopped for refreshments and unloaded roughly two dozen Israeli tourists!

I didn’t have time to inquire how they came upon Escanaba as I whipped up lattes and espressos, but I’m sure there was an interesting story there.

When I wrote for the paper, I had the honor of interviewing a Kennedy, along with the head of the Peace Corps and a leading Russian dissident, plus a local fellow who worked on Air Force Two. People would float in off the campaign trail, a backpacking tour of the northern U.S., and even a publicity swing with the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.

I met a kindly Scottish woman during an internship once, and my sister worked for several years with a good-hearted lady originally from Niagara Falls, Ontario. From tripe to poutine, and kilts to toques, we Yoopers learned a couple things.

So, now the influx of hearty hunters is on.

Let’s welcome these newcomers, share a cute story and try not to laugh if they mispronounce “pasty.”

——

Karen (Rose) Wils is a lifelong north Escanaba resident. Her folksy columns appear weekly in Lifestyles.

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