Dee Stadium, also called The Dee, is an ice hockey arena in Houghton, Michigan, that replaced, and is located on the same site as, the Amphidrome. It is regarded as the birthplace of professional hockey, and is the seventh oldest indoor ice rink in the world. [1]
| Amphidrome | |
|---|---|
 The 1907 addition can be prominently seen in this postcard (circa 1907–09). The rest of the stadium is off to the left. | |
| Built | 1902 |
| Designated | ~2006 [2] |
The Houghton Warehouse Company, operated by James R. Dee, built and owned the Amphidrome. [3] Construction of the Amphidrome finished in December 1902. [4]
The first hockey game was played on December 29, 1902, in which the Portage Lakes Hockey Club defeated the University of Toronto, 13–2. [3] The game was attended by over 5,000 spectators. [4] For the 1903–04 season, the Portage Lakes became the first hockey team whose players were all paid. [2] James Dee and John "Doc" Gibson formed the International Hockey League later that year, in which the Portage Lakes competed. [2] These events marked the beginning of professional hockey. [2]
In 1907, an addition was constructed on the western end of the Amphidrome. [1] Styled like a castle, it was used as a community ballroom and armory. [1]
The Amphidrome burned down on January 9, 1927. [1] The fire was discovered at 3:45 a.m. in the upper floors of the 1907 addition. [1] The fire destroyed a nearby warehouse and the equipment of the Portage Lakes, the Michigan College of Mines hockey team, and the Houghton and Hancock high school sextets. [1] The fire cancelled the regional high school hockey season and forced other area teams to use the Calumet Colosseum in Calumet, Michigan. [1]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification .(January 2012) |
After the loss of the Amphidrome, the debris was cleared and a temporary outdoor rink was formed. [1] Before the next season, in 1928, a replacement stadium was constructed called the New Amphidrome. [5] James Dee assisted in financing the reconstruction. [5]
The New Amphidrome was renamed the James R. "Dee" Ice Stadium in 1943 when the Michigan College of Mining and Technology (now Michigan Technological University) purchased it for their hockey team. [5] Michigan Tech played their last hockey game in Dee Stadium on December 4, 1971, after which they moved to the Student Ice Arena. [6]
In 1974, the City of Houghton signed a 99-year lease for the Dee Stadium from Michigan Tech. [7] In May 1983, the City of Houghton eliminated Dee Stadium from their annual budget due to financial reasons and the recent vandalism at Dee Stadium. [8] The Copper Country Junior Hockey Association (CCJHA) was blamed for the vandalism. The City of Houghton told The Daily Mining Gazette that the young hockey players were the reason the Dee is falling apart and that the city is not at fault for the condition of the Dee.
With the City threatening to close Dee stadium, 468 adults and 423 students signed a petition to keep the Dee open for use. The Houghton High School Hockey coach at the time Don Miller said, "By having to move to either Houghton County Arena or the Student Ice Arena, a severe scheduling problem would arise...especially the Houghton High School Hockey Team." All kinds of community groups got involved with the Dee petition. The Houghton-Portage Teachers Education Association expressed their interest in the situation by stating, "the teachers feel strongly about Dee Stadium and the purpose that it serves. For the next five years, there were fundraising efforts to save Dee Stadium from being closed". These fundraisers also provided Dee Stadium with the proper improvements that it needed. [9] At each of these annual fund raising dinners, there were 200 tickets sold at $100 at ticket, which gained an $8,000 profit per year. The goal with this money was to put new siding on all four sides of the building and to put in new insulation to make the ballroom available for year-round use. [10]
In 1988, the City of Houghton purchased the Dee Stadium. [11]
Dee Stadium is the current home of the Houghton High School Hockey team and Portage Lake Pioneers Senior Hockey team. [12] It is a venue for Michigan Tech's Winter Carnival [13] and the annual Parade of Nations festival. [14]
Upstairs at the Dee Stadium was the Level II skatepark. [12] The park was originally built in 2000 and rebuilt in 2005.[ citation needed ] Besides having various ramps for skateboarding and biking they also had a stage for concerts. [15] The park was closed due to waning interest.
The Dee Stadium houses a museum that showcases the history of the site and the history of ice hockey in the area.
Michigan Technological University is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, United States, founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Houghton is the largest city and county seat of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Houghton is the largest city in the Copper Country region. It is the fifth-largest city in the Upper Peninsula, with a population of 8,386 at the 2020 census. Houghton is the principal city of the Houghton micropolitan area, which includes all of Houghton and Keweenaw counties. Houghton lies upon the Keweenaw Waterway, a partly natural, partly artificial waterway connecting at both ends to Lake Superior. Across the waterway from Houghton lies the city of Hancock.
Copper Island is a local name given to the northern part of the Keweenaw Peninsula, separated from the rest of the Keweenaw Peninsula by Portage Lake and the Keweenaw Waterway.
Hancock is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population of Hancock was 4,501 at the 2020 census. The city is located within Houghton County, and is situated upon the Keweenaw Waterway, a channel of Lake Superior that cuts across the Keweenaw Peninsula. Hancock is located across the Keweenaw Waterway from the city of Houghton, and is connected to that city by the Portage Lake Lift Bridge. The city is located within Michigan's Copper Country region.
The Keweenaw Peninsula is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Part of the greater landmass of the Upper Peninsula, the Keweenaw Peninsula projects about 65 miles (105 km) northeasterly into Lake Superior, forming Keweenaw Bay. The peninsula is part of Michigan's Copper Country region, as the region was home to the first major copper mining boom in the United States. Copper mining was active in this region from the 1840s to the 1960s.
Finlandia University was a private Lutheran university in Hancock, Michigan. It was the only private university in the Upper Peninsula. Founded in 1896 as The Suomi College and Theological Seminary, it was affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The university closed after the spring semester of 2023 due to enrollment and financial challenges.
The A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum, currently located on the campus of Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan, is the official mineral museum of the state of Michigan and is a heritage site of the Keweenaw National Historical Park. The museum is named for professor Arthur Edmund Seaman, who worked at Michigan Tech in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was the museum's curator from 1928 until 1937.
The International Professional Hockey League (IPHL) was the first fully professional ice hockey league, operating from 1904 to 1907. It was formed by Jack "Doc" Gibson, a dentist who played hockey throughout Ontario before settling in Houghton, Michigan. The IPHL was a five team circuit which included Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Calumet, Michigan and Houghton. The IPHL was instrumental in changing the nature of top-level senior men's ice hockey from amateur to professional.
Houghton High School is a high school in Houghton, Michigan. It is located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Houghton High School and Houghton Middle School share a building.
John "Goldie" Cochrane was a Canadian professional ice hockey player.
The Western Pennsylvania Hockey League (WPHL) was an originally amateur and later professional ice hockey league founded in 1896 and existing through 1909. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the league became the pre-eminent ice hockey league in the United States. It was the first league to openly hire and trade players.
The Portage Lakes Hockey Club was one of the first professional ice hockey clubs. Based in Houghton, Michigan, the club played at the Amphidrome from 1904 until 1907, and later appeared in amateur circuits as well. While members of the International Professional Hockey League, the team won the league championship twice. A second coming of the team is playing in the Great Lakes Hockey League.
Michigan Technological University's sports teams are called the Huskies. The Huskies participate in NCAA Division II as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), a member of the Central Collegiate Ski Association for men's and women's nordic skiing, and NCAA Division I Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) for men's ice hockey.
The Pittsburgh Bankers were one of the earliest professional ice hockey clubs. The club was based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and was a member of the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League, the first league to openly hire hockey players, from 1899–1904 and 1907–1909. The team played all of its games at Duquesne Garden, and was involved in the first known trade of professional hockey players.
Michigan Technological University's Winter Carnival is a winter celebration held annually in Houghton, Michigan. The event is characterized by snow statues, outdoor games, and student activities. February 2022 marked the 100th anniversary of Winter Carnival.
The Pittsburgh Professional Hockey Club, also referred to as the Pittsburgh Professionals and Pittsburgh Pros, were a professional ice hockey team that participated in the International Professional Hockey League (IPHL) from 1904 until 1907. The team's home arena was Duquesne Gardens. It was the first inter-city professional hockey team in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pros' line-ups included several important early professional hockey players, the most notable being Hod Stuart, who was considered, in certain hockey circles, to be the "greatest hockey player in the world."
The Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey team is an NCAA Division I college ice hockey program that represents Michigan Technological University. The Huskies are a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). They play at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena in Houghton, Michigan.
Michigan Technological University's campus sits on 925 acres on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake.
The 2011–12 Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey team represented Michigan Technological University in the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. The team was coached by Mel Pearson, a 1981 Michigan Tech alumnus in his first season as a head coach after spending the past 23 seasons as an assistant/associate coach for the Michigan Wolverines. The Huskies played their home games at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena on the campus of Michigan Tech in Houghton, Michigan, and compete in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).
Clarence J. Monette was a prolific author and historian from Michigan's Copper Country, writing extensively on Copper Country history. He has published more than sixty books and has written numerous outdoor survival guides.
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