Menominee, Michigan

In historic times, this area was the traditional territory of the Menominee Indian Tribe. The town of Menominee was named after their English name which roughly translates as "wild rice," a nickname given to them by their Ojibwe neighbours based on their cultivation of wild rice as a staple food.[7] In their own language, they are known as Mamaceqtaw which means simply "the people", and the town of Menominee is known as Menīkāneh, which means "at the good village".[8][9] They were removed to west of the Mississippi River and now have a reservation along the Wolf River in North Central Wisconsin after ceding their territory to the United States in the 1836 Treaty of the Cedars.

Menominee gained prominence in the 19th century as a lumber town; in its heyday, it produced more lumber than any other city in the United States of America. During this time of prosperity, the Menominee Opera House was built. It is being restored.[10] In the 1910s a cycle car, the "Dudly Bug", was manufactured in Menominee. In the waning years of lumber production, local business interests, interested in diversifying Menominee's manufacturing base, attracted inventor Marshall Burns Lloyd and his Minneapolis company Lloyd Manufacturing, which made wicker baby buggies. In 1917 Lloyd invented an automated process for weaving wicker and manufactured it as the Lloyd Loom. This machine process is still in use today.[11] In the 21st century, the economy of Menominee is based on manufacturing (paper products, wicker lawn furniture, and auto supplies) and tourism.

In 1940, during the "Vote for Gracie" publicity stunt in which comedian Gracie Allen ran for President, she was nominated for mayor of Menominee, but was disqualified because she was not a resident of the city.[12]

The Menominee Maroons won the state high school championship in its division for basketball in 1967 and football in 1998, 2006 and 2007. In the 2006 season the Maroons finished unbeaten and only allowed 38 points scored against them but their offense scored 513 point in that entire season . They beat the former Wisconsin and Minnesota Division One state champions. Menominee shares a historic high school football rivalry with neighbor Marinette, Wisconsin. The two have conducted the third longest rivalry in the nation.[13]

Menominee, like most good sized towns embraced the newly emerging 19th century sport of football. A local group took the name of North End Athletic Club and under Manager McPhaul, were the visiting opponent for the newly formed Green Bay team sponsored by the Indian Packing Co. led by the eventual legend Captain Curly Lambeau. The Indian Co. Packers of Green Bay defeated the N.E.A.C. Colts of Menominee 53–0 at Hagemeister Field.

Menominee County Courthouse, Menominee.

Spies Public Library is on the waterfront in downtown Menominee.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.48 square miles (14.19 km²), of which 5.15 square miles (13.34 km²) is land and 0.33 square miles (0.85 km²) is water.[14] It is the southernmost city and location in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Menominee has a cairn marking the halfway point between the North Pole and the Equator. This is slightly north of the 45th parallel north, due to the flattening of the earth at the poles. This is one of six Michigan sites and 29 places in the U.S.A. where such signs are known to exist.[15]

Menominee, Michigan, is also the site of the Menominee Crack, an unusual geological feature that formed spontaneously in 2010.

Bandshell

Much of Menominee's L-shaped downtown runs along the shores of the bay of Green Bay and includes the Great Lakes Memorial Marina and park. Many of the downtown buildings, built at the end of the 19th century or the beginning of the 20th, have been restored. They now provide space for several upscale restaurants, gift shops, beauty salons and day spas, antiques shops, galleries and a variety of essential services. The Menominee Bandshell is a focal point for concerts, an art show, a car show and a four-day community festival.

The greater Menominee area is home to a variety of industries, including shipbuilding, auto parts, chemicals, helicopter design and construction, airplane components, health care, and paper making. In good financial times, some local companies have reported a shortage of skilled workers.

The types of jobs available locally include assemblers, assembly coordinators, building and grounds technicians, custodians, cutting machine operators, electricians, fabrication operators, fixture technicians, journeyman toolmakers, machinists, maintenance mechanics, material handlers, metal fabricators, forklift drivers, paint coordinators, powder coating specialists, research-and-development technicians, quality control technicians, sewing and weaving machine operators, shipping/loading/receiving attendants, spinning and rewind machine operators, cutters, stamping operators, welders, and welding coordinators.

Menominee is also the headquarters and manufacturing plant of Enstrom Helicopter Corporation, a US helicopter manufacturer. Enstrom manufactures its F-28F & F-280FX piston helicopters as well as its 480 B turbine helicopter in Menominee.

Since January 2012 the mayor of Menominee has been Jean Stegeman. Since November 2016 the city manager has been Tony Graff.[18]

Menominee's waterfront is the setting for public events in the summer, including a city-sponsored festival. The Marinette Menominee Area Chamber of Commerce coordinates a concert series held on Thursdays from late June to mid-August. The Cabela Master Walleye Circuit brought hundreds of fishermen and women to the area for tournaments in 2005, 2008 and 2009.

• Interstate Bridge (Marinette, Wisconsin – Menominee, Michigan)

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  Welcome sign
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  Marina
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  US 41 in Menominee
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  Menominee Pier Light

Media related to Menominee, Michigan at Wikimedia Commons

• Official City of Menominee website
• Menominee's Historic Waterfront Downtown
• Menominee Public Library
• Menominee Public Schools
• Marinette Menominee Area Chamber of Commerce