Calumet in Houghton County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Clearing the Way
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars.
Location. 47° 14.575′ N, 88° 27.025′ W. Marker is in Calumet, Michigan, in Houghton County. Marker is on Red Jacket Road, 0.1 miles east of 4th Street, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located beside the sidewalk, overlooking the Russell Snow Plow exhibit, on the east side of the Coppertown USA Mining Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 25815 Red Jacket Road, Calumet MI 49913, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Float Copper (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Suomi Synod (approx. 0.3 miles away); Calumet Theater (approx. 0.4 miles away); St. Paul the Apostle Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Italian Hall / Italian Hall Tragedy (approx. half a mile away); The Copper Country (approx. 5.3 miles away); Hoar Family Mausoleum (approx. 9.9 miles away); The Amphidrome / The Birth of Professional Hockey (approx. 9.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Calumet.
More about this marker. Marker is a large composite plaque, mounted horizontally, on waist-high posts.
Also see . . .
1. Railroad Snow Plows. One of the first, and most common types of railroad snow plows used was the wedge plow. As its name implies the wedge plow used a simple wedged design, in later years made from reinforced iron or steel. The railroad snow plow itself was usually attached to the front of either a customized rail car of some type with a pilot house attached to the top for the spotting crew. One of the most common types of wedge plows were those built by the Russell Snow Plow Company, which began manufacturing the machines after World War I. Developed with a bit of versatility, Russells were equipped with wings attached to the outside of what was known as the "tongue" (the wedge device that actually plowed the snow clear of the track), which could be adjusted. All wedge plows could not propel themselves and required being pushed by a locomotive. (Submitted on August 27, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Images of Russell Snowplows on exhibit. (Submitted on August 27, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 28, 2018. It was originally submitted on August 26, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 306 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 27, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.