“Big Louie” Moilanen, Once the Tallest Man in the World
Louis “Big Louie” Moilanen is a legend in the Upper Peninsula, a legend that transcends much more than just the Upper Peninsula.
Louis Moilanen was born at the turn of the century in 1900 and grew up in the ghost town of Boston, which is about five miles north of Hancock.
Though he was born [...]
Area Code 906
Just in case you didn’t know, 906 is the only area code for the entire Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In addition, 906 is the largest area code in Michigan.
On March 19th, 1961, area code 906 was created as a split from what was then area code 616. Currently, according to Wikipedia, the area [...]
Origin and First Use of the Word “Yooper”
Twenty-nine years ago today on August 5th, 1979 the Upper Peninsula’s identity changed forever. That date marks the earliest known publication of the word “Yooper”.
Contrary to popular belief, the term Yooper isn’t very old. Many people who recall going to college in the Upper Peninsula during the ’70s do not recall use of [...]
Marquette Ranked #1 by CNN Money for Best Commute
Marquette continues to be published as one of the top cities to live in among different categories. Earlier this year we reported that Outdoor Life ranked Marquette the 7th best town in the U.S. for hunters and fishers. Not bad.
This time around it’s CNN Money, and they have ranked Marquette the #1 town [...]
What Actually Constitutes “Northern” Michigan?
For years people have debated what northern Michigan actually means and at what point do you cross into northern territory. Even clothing lines have made thousands of dollars off this with t-shirts and hoodies that say “Up North” (though you find most of this apparel in the area of Traverse City rather than in [...]
Term “Yooper” Used at Least Once in Jeopardy History
With over 8,100 episodes of Jeopardy aired to date we are happy to say that the term “Yooper” was used at least once in the 40 year plus history of the show.
The term “Yoopers” gained a little more recognition on November 26th, 2003.
It was the second round, Double Jeopardy, of the hit game show [...]
6 More Yoopers Who Played in the NHL
A few weeks ago we posted a blog entry about Jeff Finger, and our knowledge of him being the only Yooper to play in the NHL. We stand corrected! Since the NHL season is coming to a close soon we wanted to give you another Upper Peninsula hockey update. Here are six more [...]
Stephen King Mentions “Yooper” in Latest Novel, Duma Key
Stephen King released his latest book, Duma Key, this past January. In addition to publishing another best-seller that topped the New York Times Bestseller List, there is another important note that every Yooper should be aware of.
On page 456 of the total 606 pages, Stephen King uses the word “Yooper”.
“Wireman was making [...]





