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The Village of Calumet would like to erect a memorial to the victims of the 1913 Italian Hall tragedy, but what that memorial will look like is the topic of a growing controversy.
At the March meeting of the village council, a motion was passed to adopt a recommendation from the Italian Hall Memorial Committee to order a seven foot by four foot black granite stone in which to carve the names of the victims.
The motion passed 6 to 1 with Village Trustee Peggy Germain voting against it, arguing that there was not a clear consensus on the committee as to the material the memorial would be made of and questioning the validity of the names to be etched in stone.
Other materials considered included a memorial made of glass or red granite, more closely matching the historical landscape.
Committee member Mike Lahti explained that all options were explored and the black granite was the best choice.
He also said the names being included on the stone were provided by the Houghton-Keweenaw County Genealogical Society.
Lahti said it will take three months for the stone to arrive, so it must be ordered soon if there is any chance of it being dedicated this summer.
Following the meeting, a petition drive was started Calumet Village resident and memorial committee member Penny Menze to rescind the motion passed by the council and to hold a public workshop so members of the community can review the committee’s findings and give their input.
A special meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening at 7pm in the Calumet Village Council Chambers to address the issue.
