For the Gazette
Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette
A sign for Finlandia University stands in front of the Hoover Center on campus. Finlandia went through a rebranding in 1996. It was previously known as Soumi College.
The five-hour drive to Hancock gave me a scenic view of the U.P. Few towns, a lot of forests, little traffic and abundant scenery. By L’Anse I passed the copper sculpture of Bishop Baraga, the Snow Shoe Priest, and then turned north towards Houghton where I crossed over on the lift bridge and arrived in Hancock. I checked into a local motel, went to a restaurant, and had dinner. Much to my surprise, there on the menu the featured item was” Pasties!” Of course I had to ask the waitress to explain. She gave me a little history lesson, explaining that during the mining days the miners would carry their pasty dinner with them to the work site. A Pasty is of Welch (English) origin, and was adapted by the Finish miners in the U.P. It has been described as a “p