Aura, Michigan

Aura is a small unincorporated community in Arvon Township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With coordinates of coord|46|51|46|N|88|19|07|W|region:US-MI_type:city_scale:30000_source:GNIS|name=Aura, Michigan|, [gnis|620346] the area is approximately convert|12|mi|km northeast of L'Anse and four miles (6 km) east of Pequaming.

Geography

Situated on the Point Abbaye peninsula between Keweenaw Bay and Huron Bay, this small farming settlement consisted of approximately fifteen square miles in both Arvon and L'Anse townships. Historically, the rich clay loam has been most suitable for potatoes, hay, wheat, oats, and other grains, although active farming has declined over the years.

History

In the 1870s, the land on the Point Abbaye peninsula was still mostly the property of the Chippewa Native Americans. In 1877, the Hebard and Thurberg Lumber Company leased the peninsula from the chief, David King. They built a large steam-powered sawmill the following year and established sixteen lumber camps.cite book |last=L'Anse High School |title=History of L'Anse township, by the American history class of L'Anse high school |origyear=1922 |url=http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3249280.0001.001 |accessdate=2008-08-31 |year=2005 |publisher=University of Michigan Library |location=Ann Arbor, Mich. |pages=p. N/A |chapter=Outlying Districts: Aura |chapterurl=http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=micounty&cc=micounty&idno=3249280.0001.001&frm=frameset&view=image&seq=48 ] The principal Chippewa village, known as Pe-qua-qua-wa-ming, is now Pequaming. The mill produced up to 25 million board feet of lumber annually and employed as many as 650 men. After the death of King, his heirs sold the entire peninsula to Charles Hebard and his company. The land and the sawmill were later owned by Henry Ford.cite book |last=Holmio |first=Armas K. E. | others=trans. Ellen M. Ryynanen |title=History of the Finns in Michigan |url=http://wsupress.wayne.edu/glb/mihistory/holmio%20content/holmioEXT.pdf |format=pdf |accessdate=2008-08-31 |year=2001 |publisher=Wayne State University Press |location=Detroit |pages=p. 105-106 |chapter=Copper Country |chapterurl=http://books.google.com/books?id=JcJVNoE3BuUC&printsec=frontcover#PPA104,M1 (Google Book Search) |isbn=0814329748 ]

Towards the end of the Copper Country Strike of 1913-1914 that affected mining interests throughout the Copper Country region of Michigan, Hebard began selling off harvested lands in the middle of the Abbaye peninsula on reasonable terms, of $300 for 40 acres with only a small cash downpayment to stake a claim. Many jobless Finnish miners moved there to begin farming the land. The first settlers in June 1914 were Tobias Hilunen and his family, who purchased Camp Number 3 and which had buildings in habitable condition. Other Finnish families arrived later that summer. They named the place "Aura" (Finnish: "Plow"), because someone had found an old plow on the land, apparently left by loggers.

A post office was opened December 19, 1921, and the first postmaster was Hilda Mytly. It was discontinued on February 1, 1974 and was a CPO until February 20, 1982. [gnis|2129316|Aura Post Office (historical)] cite book | last = Romig | first = Walter | authorlink=Walter Romig | year = 1986 | title = Michigan Place Names | origyear= 1973 | publisher = Wayne State University Press | location = Detroit, Michigan | id = ISBN 0-8143-1838-X]

Contemporary Aura

Aura is best known now for the annual Aura Jamboree, a multi-day musical festival with a picnic and dance held on the third Saturday in July since 1976. Originally a fiddlers' jamboree featuring traditional music from many countries, today's music also includes folk, jazz, and bluegrass.

References

Further reading

* cite book
title = Baragaland Bicentennial 1776-1976
publisher = Lumberjack Citizens Society of Baraga
date = 1976
location = Baraga, Michigan

External links

* [http://www.aurajamboree.com/ Aura Jamboree]