The Cliffs-Dow Oral History Project has been added to the U.P. Digital Network (UPLINK) website hosted by the Central U.P. and Northern Michigan University Archives. It is among many collections documenting the history of the Upper Peninsula that are now freely accessible and searchable.
Located along Lakeshore Boulevard near Presque Isle, the Cliffs-Dow plant operated from 1935-1969, producing acetic acid, methanol and charcoal. At its peak, it was one of Marquette's largest employers and played a major role in the region's economic and community life.
In 2023, Professor Sarah Mittlefehldt of NMU's Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences Department conducted interviews with former employees and residents about their experiences with the plant. Some of the interview transcripts were later developed by students in Professor Kathryn Johnson's Upper Peninsula History course during the Winter 2024 semester.
The collection offers personal perspectives on an industry that shaped Marquette's mid-20th-century identity. For those interested in the site's more recent legacy, UPLINK also hosts the Cliffs-Dow Regional Documents collection, which chronicles the environmental cleanup efforts that followed the plant's closure.
UPLINK is a collaborative project that provides public access to the Upper Peninsula's historical and cultural resources. The archive brings together materials from libraries, museums, historical societies and community groups across the region to ensure these stories remain accessible for future generations.
Visit the UPLINK website and search "Cliffs-Dow Oral History Project" to view the interviews.