Erika Sauter

Erika Sauter is the Director for the Iron County Historical & Museum Society in Caspian, Michigan. She is an Iron County native with a passion for community development and historical preservation, the two of which she has worked in professionally for the last five years. Sauter is also a published children’s book author, and enjoys writing about and sharing local history as part of her role at the museum.

The U.P.’s Own Extraterrestrial: The Iron River Meteorite

The release of the first photos from the James Webb Telescope in July were historic in the grandest sense of the word, but did you know that the U.P. has its own outer space wonder?

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Dr. Anne C. Miller: The First Woman Doctor of the U.P.

March is Women’s History Month! The Upper Peninsula has been home to hundreds of remarkable women, many who accomplished great things without much recognition in their lifetime. One such woman was Dr. Anne C. Miller of Crystal Falls–the first woman doctor to open a practice in the U.P.

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Pearl Windsor: A Trailblazer for Women Educators in the UP

March is National Women’s History Month, and the Upper Peninsula has been home to countless exceptional women who have made a unique mark on history. Pearl Windsor of Iron River was one such woman.

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U.P. Brothers Shoot Major Motion Picture Celebrating Yooper Culture and Values

Anders and Davin Lindwall, brothers from Iron County, are taking a decidedly different approach to the portrayal of small-town life and values in their new film called God Loves the Green Bay Packers that just finished shooting in earlier this month.

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The Beechwood Murders: A Tragedy in the Pioneer Days of Iron County, MI

This year marks the 120th anniversary of a spree of murders that took place in the pioneer community of Beechwood located in Iron County, Michigan. There were five lives taken in the span of five minutes on Saturday, October the 26th of 1901.

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Carrie Jacobs Bond was the “Mother of America” with U.P. Roots

One of the most famous women from the U.P. is Carrie Jacobs-Bond, deemed the “Mother of America” in 1921, and the first great female song composer in the United States. 

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Celebrating Black History: Presidential Portrait Painter with Ties to the U.P.

February is the month in our nation when we intentionally celebrate and remember the stories of Black Americans. Erika Sauter, Director for the Iron County Historical & Museum Society, tells the story of Simmie Knox, a Black American artist with ties to Iron County, MI.

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Triangle Ranch: A Battle of Innovation Against the Unyielding Upper Peninsula

In this edition of Rural Voices, Erika Sauter tells the tragic story of Judson Rosebush’s Triangle Range in Iron County, Michigan–both a cautionary tale and a testament to the spirit of innovation in the face of grueling hardship in the Upper Peninsula.

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Shigaite: A Rare Gem Discovered in the U.P.

The U.P. has unique bragging rights in the world of geology, as it is one of the few places in the world where this very rare crystal has been found.

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