PHOTOS REVEAL ROCKET FIRING AT THE HARBOR
During the current fail the last rocket launching to be fired from Keweenaw Point for the current year took place. Under the direction of Dr. Harold Allen of the University of Michigan, the missiles were dispatched into the air from virtually the tip of the Point which few Copper Country people have actually seen. The location is some eight miles east of Copper Harbor and is reached by a logging road which frequently is almost impassable.
This year's shots took place with Leonard Wlliams and Mike Brian aiding in the furtherance of the project. These two men were in the initial group which sent missiles aloft some three years back. Both are employed by the Space Defense Corporation of Birmingham.
Because there are many items involved in the rocket work Dr. Allen does much of his own photography. Gazettte cameramen consistently have been in attendancebut it has not always been possible for them to be on hand when the successive shots are fired. The photos used here were taken by Director Allen's camera inasmuch as he was at the point during the week long work. Never before have rockets been fired from floats at the Point. There was an attempt made about two years back but the weather was so rough and the waves so high that it was almost impossible to achieve enough stability of the float to permit accurate firing.
Virtually all shots from the Point area so far have been fired not more than 200 feet from the shore's edge which overlooks Gull Rock and Manitou Island. Contact is kept up between the Point rocket installation and the Air Force Base at Gratiot Lake each time a firing program is in effect. Most of the connection work between the two locations is handled by Guy Snyder who resides in the southern portion of Keweenaw County.
Contact is kept up between the Point rocket installation and teh Air Force Base at Gratiot Lake each time a firing program is in effect. Most of the connection work between the two locations is handled by Guy Snyder who resides in the southern portion of Keweenaw County. The first firings were witnessed by a large delegation but now that the novelty is worn off the launchings are seen only by those concerned or a few other individuals who have a reason for being in the area at the time.
From the angle of the Copper Country resident, the Point is a highly beneficial location to use for such a project. It might especially be adaptable in winter in that there are no residences in the region and there is no danger when the rockets are fired over Lake Superior.
On his last journey to the Point the aerospace head at Michigan could not indicate any future programs. All the work depends on the monies on hand and there were indications that only limited funds are available currently.
This fall's program was somewhat unique in that it also required the assistance of the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Woodrush which operated under the skippership of Captain Dave Freeborn, former head of the Portage Coast Guard, 10 miles northwest of Hancock. It was the 'Rush that carried the buoy to the Point and lifted it to its floating position by means of its crane. The Woodrush also elevated it and carried it back to the Canal's Lily Pond for shipment to sites assigned by the U.S. Navy.
The photos seems to illustrate what took place at the Point about how the project was carried on. The concerned delegation lodged in Copper Harbor.