665th calumet air force station
So you probably didn’t realize that there was a radar station located in remote Keweenaw Peninsula. Well there was, and kind of – still is. The 665th Calumet Air Force Station was operational 1950 – 1988. Its support base was K.I. Sawyer AFB. Some early equipment FPS-5; FPS-3/-20/-64; FPS-27; FPS-26A; FPS-6/-90 and later: FPS-27; FPS-26A. FPS-91A; FPS-116 (JSS). Cool stuff if you are into cold-war era defenses and the SAGE network for which this radar station served as a link. If you’re not, check it out – its absolutely fascinating!
In my continual fascination with empty, abandoned, decaying industrial structures, we rounded up the troops for an afternoon shoot at the decommissioned base. Many thanks to the Keweenaw County Sheriff’s Department, and our friends at Pasty.net – both of whom have high interest in keeping the site secure and do so with an array of video cameras, motion sensors, and padlocks. While we planned a couple weeks out, we did not factor the weather. When we pulled up, we had a -27 windchill outside and our staging area in tower was perhaps 20 degrees at best. So the interns kept the models warm with blankets, hats, boots, and tomato soup (thanks, John) photoshoot & costume director Heidi, tour guide JCS and I scoped the floors out with a flashlight and settled on a half dozen locations. Thanks to everyone for helping out, and a thank you to the crazy models whose pale, frozen faces made the shoot that much more dramatic. More shots to come from this set.
AN/FPS-27 radar
active base
under the radar support structure
in the main tower stairwell
director Heidi, intern Emily, guide John, manager Meghan
keeping the models warm
Care to spill the beans at all about what you’re using for location lights? Seems like it’d be tempting to just use speedlights when it’s that damn cold.
Very cool place to shoot, but it’s a damn shame that the whole place has gone to waste. My dad used to be a treatment team leader up there when the Academy was still around, and after they pulled out my dad and a few of the other guys were ready to run it under my dad’s nonprofit corporation and do a whole bunch of community related stuff up there, but the county wouldn’t let them. They said they were waiting for a venture that’d employ people with minimal education but still pay them high salaries. Brilliant.
hey Mike – lighting is all natural. no strobes. we brought a reflector, but so much time was spent keeping people from getting frostbite I didn’t use it. nice history on the place. it is very fascinating and one of the many odd, dark, military or mining pieces of history slowly decaying up here… more photos will post when I get the last release in my hand.