Our History
104 years and counting
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
The paper was first conceptualized during a student meeting on Thursday, February 10th, 1921. During a “Night Smoker” event the following Sunday, the paper was given its name.
One of the important businesses of the evening was the choosing of the name, “M. C. M. Lode,” for the paper. Whoever was the author of it is not known. It instantly met with unanimous approval, and so adopted in preference to all others when a rising vote was taken among those present. —The M.C. M. LODE, Feb. 17th, 1921
The first paper was published on Thursday, February 17th, 1921 under the temporary leadership of P. R. Sisson until a talented group of writers could be established. The first issue of the Lode cost five cents, and it covered a variety of topics relevant to students, including a satisfactory report of the mess hall, news of the school’s basketball team, and mention of a new chemistry hall. Before the age of digital and social media, the Lode was a great way for students to communicate the campus happenings with friends or family back home. They could subscribe to the paper and send articles of interest home. At that time, Michigan Tech was known as the Michigan College of Mines (M.C.M.), and our prosperous university was a small, remote school which, 36 years earlier, had been formed out of necessity as the Keweenaw’s thriving copper industry required more mining engineers. By the third issue, such a group had been formed. The first Editor-in-Chief of the paper was Herbert Tumim. He, along with 23 others, ran the paper in the spring of 1921.
Covering Big Issues
In 1944, the paper was run by its first woman Editor-in-Chief, Margaret “Muggs” Perlich, who succeeded in reviving the paper during WWII. In 1952, The Lode’s office moved from the Clubhouse (the now ROTC Building) to the newly built Memorial Union Building.
Over the years, the paper has maintained its duty to the student body. The Michigan Tech Lode has had the daunting task of writing not only about current events but on how these events affect the student body of MTU. At the worst of times, the paper has covered economic struggle, scandal, crime, and war.
In September of 2001, The Lode had the heavy role of covering the tragic events of 9/11 in two “Emergency Issues” following the attack. These releases not only worked to inform the students of the events of the week, but they also act as records of history today for today and future generations.
The Lode continued to flourish, eventually being taken over by Michigan Tech’s Board of Student Publications (BSP). The BSP was a student group that handled the running of multiple Michigan Tech publications, including the Lode, the Bull Sheet, the Keweenawan yearbook. Beyond the paper, past Lode staff publications have included a magazine for Michigan Tech’s centennial anniversary in 1985 and the Winter Carnival Pictorial, a photographic guide to every Husky’s favorite winter celebration. A supplemental paper, called the Labyrinth, was also published by the Lode during the 1970s. This quarterly publication included poetry, art pieces, and photography, though unfortunately little remains to document this publication today.
Modern Times
The Lode started publishing virtually at its current domain, www.mtulode.com, in 2000. Today, the Lode publishes both in print and online, free of charge.
Throughout the years, the Lode’s main focus has been providing campus-relevant news addressing what the students want to hear. Despite a lack of interest in writing and journalism from the mostly STEM-minded student body, the Lode has flourished for 100 years as Michigan Tech’s longest-running student publication. The Lode staff today remains a group of students with diverse educational backgrounds. Whether a student comes to Michigan Tech with a focus on engineering or English, psychology or biology, every Lode member comes together each week with one thing in common: to publish relevant news to the campus community.
While many student publications and organizations have not survived throughout the ages at Michigan Tech, the Lode has. In the Lode’s 50th anniversary publication, past Special Anniversary Editor Neil Claflin spoke on the importance of the Lode’s success throughout the years: “The importance lies in the fact that this student newspaper was started by students, and effectively run by students without falling to a number of ills.” (Claflin, 1971, p. 2) He goes on to say that the Lode had maintained its autonomy in its first 50 years by running responsibility and efficiency, and it’s safe to say that those characteristics have carried it forward 50 more years to where it is today.
No longer having access to a printing press, the paper is now distributed on standard 50lb paper to every major building on campus. While we are largely supported through funding from the University Student Government, we maintain our editorial independence with the help of our academic advisor, M. Bartley Seigel, the students in the Experience in Journalism class, and our generous advertisers.
We are currently on the rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic, which greatly reduced our numbers. However, our staff of writers and editors grows every year. We owe our success to our many readers who without them we could not continue. Thank you for your support.
(Excerpts taken from The Lode’s 100-year anniversary article, written by Madison Degnitz)