Vintage signs

For nearly five decades, the cabins were Otter Lake Tourist Cabins before the name was changed to Manninen’s Cabins in the 1990s. Since the beginning, a handful of road signs on nearby crossroads have promoted the resort and directed people to the cabins.

We are blessed to still have a few vintage signs from the early days and photographs of others. Most are painted on wood or metal with vibrant colors and sharp lines. Sign painting back then was popular, and was also frequently seen on the sides of brick buildings in small towns throughout the Copper Country. Largescale logos and clever sales pitches were skillfully painted and have, in many cases, long outlived their creators.

Signs must be easily readable and eyecatching, and the use of color and appropriate fonts is important. The best signs, like the “Finest Fishing” motif (my favorite), really convey a feeling and a sense of place.

Shown above are the remains of the sign painting shop of Werner Savela near Otter Lake. Werner was a well-known graphic artist in the area and designed and painted all of the signs for Manninen’s Cabins. When he finally retired, well into his 80s, his sense of humor was evident when he painted “Closed Forever” on the door.

The lower photo shows Werner in 1978 with one of his colorful sauna stools that reads: “While you’re in our humble hut, let me bear your weary butt.”

Thanks, Werner, for all of your creations.

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Photos courtesy Manninen archives, Cindy Kring, Irwin family, and Michigan Tech archives.