As we prepare for Winter Carnival 2026, we’re excited to share a preview of the upcoming University Archives display that will be featured during the Alumni Social + Winter Carnival Exhibit on Saturday, February 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Including the special limited-time display, the event will feature coffee, donuts, and will be staffed by Michigan Tech’s Office of Alumni Engagement, the University Archives, and current student members of the Blue Key Honor Society.
Be sure to take time to view the Archives display, titled “Snowy Themes and Festive Scenes: Photos and Memorabilia of Carnivals Gone By,” which will feature photographs, memorabilia, and Winter Carnival pictorials. Images like this statue construction scene from 1974 will adorn the tables in the library’s East Reading Room and an archivist will be on hand to answer questions.
If you have a favorite Winter Carnival memory to share, or can help tell the tale of this photo, let us know in the comments!
About the Archives
The Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections houses a wide variety of print, graphic and manuscript resources related to the history and culture the Copper Country and Michigan Technological University. If you would like to research in the archives, appointments are available from 1-5 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Appointments may be requested by calling (906) 487-2505 or by filling out the request form on the archives website. If you have any questions regarding archives services, collections, or remote research help, please reach out to (906) 487-2505 or e-mail us at copper@mtu.edu. The Michigan Tech Archives can also be found on Facebook (Michigan Tech Archives), Instagram (@michigantecharchives), and X (@mtuarchives).
Beautifully captured moments that truly reflect the charm of snowy landscapes and festive celebrations. The visuals and descriptions make the season feel warm, joyful, and full of memorable experiences.
I can’t believe it was 50 years ago in 1976 that I was honored to be the president of the Blue Key National Honor Fraternity at Michigan Tech and in charge of the MTU Winter Carnival festivities. Blue Key at that time was exclusively male and many of us were student athletes and campus leaders. Fortunately, the all-male bastion was ended that year when Dean Meese gave me a list of three female students, he wanted to be elected to Blue Key. I knew all three candidates and agreed that they were certainly worthy, but I complained that they had not gone through the formal nomination and vetting process. Dean Meese made it clear that if Blue Key desired to receive funding from the University in the future in accordance with Title Nine these women would need to be welcomed into the fraternity. We broke the long-standing men only tradition and in my opinion the history of the past 50 years has more than proven that decision was for the better of Blue Key, Winter Carnival, and Michigan Tech!
I remember the was a lot of talk because of the metal structure and metal lath for the figure. Dont know if they were disqualified Remember it was a walrus on top of a geyser if water
I was editor of the LODE when we put together the first Winter Carnival Pictorial. It was work but great fun to see it all come together on Saturday afternoon. Black and white printing was done in Hancock and color pages we printed downstate. I can still remember crazy details like the Greyhound driver forgetting to transfer the color pages to the bus going downstate in Marquette. They ended up in Chicago and had to be flown to Mount Pleasant for printing. Our business manager call Greyhound Headquarters in Chicago to inform Greyhound where they were supposed to go. Greyhound flew them and had the plane wait for the printing to be complete and then flew them to Houghton. The pictorial was 64 pages. I suspect there is a copy somewhere on campus for your display.
I attended MTU from 68 to 71 and summers until 73. I remember during that time that the record for consecutive days of measurable snowfall was broken. Can’t remember how many days it was, nor the year, and don’t know if that record still stands. I was a Chapel Rat at St. Al’s my last two years and shoveled a lot of snow during them. Does anybody have that information or know how to get it?