Smith and Petermann Family Collection

Collection — sc_box: 6, Folder: 19

Identifier: MS-980

Staff Only

Collection Scope and Content Summary

Eight photographs, circa 1890-circa 1920, of members of the Smith and Petermann families and their residence. The images include portraits of couples, groups, and individuals in a variety of spaces; one notably features the Smith family home in Houghton, later a property of Michigan Technological University and subsequently demolished.

Dates

circa 1890-circa 1920

Language of Materials

Photographs feature limited linguistic content.

Conditions Governing Access

Available for use in the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections.

Conditions Governing Use

Various copying restrictions apply. Guidelines are available from Michigan Technological University Archives & Copper Country Historical Collections.

Biographical Note

The Smith and Petermann families enjoyed extensive connections to mining and merchandising in the Copper Country. Members of the Petermann family operated thriving businesses at such locations as Mohawk, Wolverine, Kearsarge, and Phoenix. Others became heavily involved with the local copper mines as investors and employees; one, Alfred E. Petermann, even served as president of Calumet & Hecla. The Smith family also played significant roles at several copper mines, with patriarch Fred Smith supervising the Mohawk and Wolverine mines after stints in the upper ranks of Copper Falls and Allouez.

In 1900, the marriage of George Petermann and Nellie Smith (daughter of Fred Smith) united the families. Their descendants continued the tradition of success, and many have retained close ties to the Upper Peninsula into the twenty-first century.