Jack E. Anderson
Encyclopedia
Jack E. Anderson was a metal sculptor of large commemorative statue
s that are roadside attraction
s in the Midwestern United States
. His work includes the 36 feet (11 m) tall figure that is part of the 81 feet (25 m) Iron Man statue
at the entrance to the Ironworld Discovery Center, 1.3 kilometers outside Chisholm, Minnesota
, and a statue dedicated to Bishop Baraga in L'Anse, Michigan
. Anderson died December 5th 1993 while living in Chassell Michigan.
, Cuyuna
, and Vermilion Iron Ranges of northeastern Minnesota. It is accompanied by a plaque with Veda Ponikvar's The Emergence of Man Through Steel poem and was completed in 1987 out of iron ore.
The statue, located on US 41, is the third largest Metal statue in the United States (behind the Statue of Liberty
and Our Lady of the Rockies
). The sculpture weighs 150 short tons (134 LT) (the shovel weighs 400 pounds (181 kg) and each boot weighs 220 pounds (100 kg)); the base is constructed of Corten steel, which turns red with exposure.
for Bishop Frederic Baraga, the legendary “Snowshoe Priest", was built after organizing efforts in 1969 by residents of [Baraga County] and county clerk, author, and historian Bernard Lambert. They formed a foundation to plan and create the religious/historical monument and chose L'Anse (“end of the bay” in French) as the site because it was an area often traveled by Baraga. Anderson of Copper Country Arts in Lake Linden presented a scale model
for the proposed 60 feet (18 m) high shrine inspired by Lambert's book Shepherd of the Wilderness.
The statue features a "35 feet (11 m) tall, hand-wrought brass
statue of Baraga holding a 7 feet (2 m) cross
in his right hand and a 26 feet (8 m) pair of snowshoe
s in his left" that "would ‘float' on a silver cloud of stainless steel" with laminate
d wood beams rising 25 feet (8 m) from five concrete tepees "representing missions established by Bishop Baraga", and set on top of the red rocks overlooking Lake Superior
's Keweenaw Bay
on land donated by the Patrick Ellico family.
Anderson began his work in 1970 with co-sculptor Arthur Chaput, Jr., while Yalmer Mattila Contracting Company of Houghton, Michigan
, worked on the supporting base. Copper mined at the Copper Range Company's White Pine (Michigan)
mine was made into brass and donated by the mining company. The Upper Peninsula Power Company provided free technical assistance, and the Evergreen Nurseries of Allegan, Michigan
, donated a landscaping plan. The statue was placed on the pedestal on June 14, 1972. While the statue was being lowered and attached, a welding torch, which was being used to trim the bottom of the statue, ignited polyurethane insulation in the statue, "scorching the lacquer coating on the statue’s exterior".
A dedication took place on September 16, 1973, as part of the annual Bishop Baraga Day Mass. It included blessings from Reverend Charles A. Salatka, Bishop of the Diocese of Marquette
(the eighth successor to Bishop Baraga), and Reverend John Hascall, a Native American pastor in the Marquette Diocese, who "concluded the rite with prayer and burning of sweet grass, a traditional ritual used by Native Americans for all blessing." The Shrine site is near the trail that was used by the local Ojibwa
and Bishop Baraga during their travels.
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
s that are roadside attraction
Roadside attraction
A roadside attraction is a feature along the side of a road, that is frequently advertised with billboards to attract tourists. In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere else, rather than being a final or primary destination in and of themselves. The modern...
s in the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. His work includes the 36 feet (11 m) tall figure that is part of the 81 feet (25 m) Iron Man statue
Iron Man (statue)
The Iron Man statue is located at the entrance to the Ironworld Discovery Center 1.28 kilometers outside in Chisholm, Minnesota. It is including the , and was completed in 1987 out of iron ore. It is accompanied by a plaque with the The Emergence of Man Through Steel poem and is said to be the...
at the entrance to the Ironworld Discovery Center, 1.3 kilometers outside Chisholm, Minnesota
Chisholm, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,960 people, 2,178 households, and 1,287 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,129 people per square mile . There were 2,375 housing units at an average density of 540/sq mi...
, and a statue dedicated to Bishop Baraga in L'Anse, Michigan
L'Anse, Michigan
L'Anse is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Baraga County. The population was 2,107 at the 2000 census. The village is located within L'Anse Township....
. Anderson died December 5th 1993 while living in Chassell Michigan.
Iron Man
The Iron Man sculpture was erected as a tribute to miners of the MesabiMesabi Range
The Mesabi Iron Range is a vast deposit of iron ore and the largest of four major iron ranges in the region collectively known as the Iron Range of Minnesota. Discovered in 1866, it is the chief deposit of iron ore in the United States. The deposit is located in northeast Minnesota, largely in...
, Cuyuna
Cuyuna Range
The Cuyuna Range is an iron range to the southwest of the Mesabi Range, largely within Crow Wing County, Minnesota. It lies along a line between Brainerd and Aitkin, although those communities are not mining towns....
, and Vermilion Iron Ranges of northeastern Minnesota. It is accompanied by a plaque with Veda Ponikvar's The Emergence of Man Through Steel poem and was completed in 1987 out of iron ore.
The statue, located on US 41, is the third largest Metal statue in the United States (behind the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
and Our Lady of the Rockies
Our Lady of the Rockies
Our Lady of the Rockies is a 90-foot statue dedicated to mothers everywhere, that sits atop the Continental Divide overlooking Butte, Montana. It is the United States' largest Madonna and its second largest statue....
). The sculpture weighs 150 short tons (134 LT) (the shovel weighs 400 pounds (181 kg) and each boot weighs 220 pounds (100 kg)); the base is constructed of Corten steel, which turns red with exposure.
Bishop Baraga statue
The commemorative shrineShrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
for Bishop Frederic Baraga, the legendary “Snowshoe Priest", was built after organizing efforts in 1969 by residents of [Baraga County] and county clerk, author, and historian Bernard Lambert. They formed a foundation to plan and create the religious/historical monument and chose L'Anse (“end of the bay” in French) as the site because it was an area often traveled by Baraga. Anderson of Copper Country Arts in Lake Linden presented a scale model
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
for the proposed 60 feet (18 m) high shrine inspired by Lambert's book Shepherd of the Wilderness.
The statue features a "35 feet (11 m) tall, hand-wrought brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
statue of Baraga holding a 7 feet (2 m) cross
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
in his right hand and a 26 feet (8 m) pair of snowshoe
Snowshoe
A snowshoe is footwear for walking over the snow. Snowshoes work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the person's foot does not sink completely into the snow, a quality called "flotation"....
s in his left" that "would ‘float' on a silver cloud of stainless steel" with laminate
Laminate
A laminate is a material that can be constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together. The process of creating a laminate is lamination, which in common parlance refers to the placing of something between layers of plastic and gluing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an...
d wood beams rising 25 feet (8 m) from five concrete tepees "representing missions established by Bishop Baraga", and set on top of the red rocks overlooking Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
's Keweenaw Bay
Keweenaw Bay
Keweenaw Bay is an arm of Lake Superior in North America. It is located adjacent to the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, to the southeast of the Keweenaw Peninsula. It is also the name of a small community near the bay....
on land donated by the Patrick Ellico family.
Anderson began his work in 1970 with co-sculptor Arthur Chaput, Jr., while Yalmer Mattila Contracting Company of Houghton, Michigan
Houghton, Michigan
Houghton is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and largest city in the Copper Country on the Keweenaw Peninsula. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,708. It is the county seat of Houghton County...
, worked on the supporting base. Copper mined at the Copper Range Company's White Pine (Michigan)
White Pine, Michigan
White Pine is an unincorporated census-designated place in Ontonagon County the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, its population was 474....
mine was made into brass and donated by the mining company. The Upper Peninsula Power Company provided free technical assistance, and the Evergreen Nurseries of Allegan, Michigan
Allegan, Michigan
Allegan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 4,838. It is the county seat of Allegan County. The city lies within Allegan Township, but is administratively autonomous....
, donated a landscaping plan. The statue was placed on the pedestal on June 14, 1972. While the statue was being lowered and attached, a welding torch, which was being used to trim the bottom of the statue, ignited polyurethane insulation in the statue, "scorching the lacquer coating on the statue’s exterior".
A dedication took place on September 16, 1973, as part of the annual Bishop Baraga Day Mass. It included blessings from Reverend Charles A. Salatka, Bishop of the Diocese of Marquette
Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette is a suffragan diocese of the Roman rite, encompassing all of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, in the ecclesiastical province of the Archbishop of Detroit. It encompasses an area of 16,281 square miles .Its cathedral is St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette,...
(the eighth successor to Bishop Baraga), and Reverend John Hascall, a Native American pastor in the Marquette Diocese, who "concluded the rite with prayer and burning of sweet grass, a traditional ritual used by Native Americans for all blessing." The Shrine site is near the trail that was used by the local Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
and Bishop Baraga during their travels.