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The Weather
Station at the L'Anse Area Schools Public Library |
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Thanks to a gift from the
family of Leonard and Esther Lahti, Baraga County has a
modern new computerized weather station. Located in the
Public Library at the High School in L'Anse, it is
dedicated to the memory of Esther and Leonard. They had
been faithful longtime patrons and friends and librarian
Bill Bennett suggested that the gift be used to install
a weather station in memory of the "Weather Lady,"
Esther Lahti. The library advisory board gave their
enthusiastic support and approval.
Esther Lahti was the beloved "Weather Lady" of the
hilltop community of Herman in Baraga County, who phone
in her daily weather reports. Her fame spread throughout
the Midwest during the heavy snow in the 1970's. The
little hilltop community of Herman was the center of
attention as its snowfall total inched toward the magic
number of 300 inches for the season.
The weather station at Herman was established in the
early 1960's through the efforts of Dr. Eric Bourdo,
then Director of the Michigan Tech Ford Forestry Center
at Alberta. Climate data provided a base of reference
for studies of forest growth at the research center. An
additional benefit provided snow accumulation records
for the Baraga County Road Commission.
Leonard and Esther Lahti were farmers on land cleared
from the dense forests by Finnish Immigrants sometime
around the turn of the century. She also worked for many
years at the Baraga County Memorial Hospital where here
pleasant personality and smiling face were known to all
and still fondly remembered. |
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