Cohodas Historical Places Tour
The Ishpeming Area Historical Society (IAHS) is excited to announce a Cohodas historical places tour.
When: Sunday, September 28, 2025
Where: The tour bus will leave the Cliffs Shaft Museum parking lot (501 W Euclid St., Ishpeming) at 1:00pm and will return by 5:00pm. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early. (Restrooms will be available).
Tickets: Available at the Main Street Antique Mall (121 S. Main St., Ishpeming)
Tickets can also be purchased by calling the Antique Mall (906-486-8680) with tickets then mailed to you
Tour ticket price is $150.00, Benefiting the Ishpeming Area Historical Society - a Non-Profit Organization
The tour will start by driving around the Ishpeming Cohodas Warehouse and Cold Storage building with commentary by the IAHS host. Also included will be a tour of the beautiful Sam and Evelyn Cohodas English Tudor Revival style, 4300 square foot home in the city of Ishpeming, and a tour of the recently restored and legendary Cohodas Lodge which sits on the shores of beautiful Lake Michigamme. Refreshments, wine, cheese, and hors d'oeuvres will be served by members of the Ishpeming Area Historical Society.
Cohodas Ishpeming History
The Cohodas Brothers warehouse and cold storage plant began construction in 1930 and when completed in the spring of 1931, allowed the Cohodas family to concentrate and expand their wholesale fruit and vegetable business. By the 1950’s, the Cohodas Brothers Company was the third largest produce distributer in the United States.
When: Sunday, September 28, 2025
Where: The tour bus will leave the Cliffs Shaft Museum parking lot (501 W Euclid St., Ishpeming) at 1:00pm and will return by 5:00pm. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early. (Restrooms will be available).
Tickets: Available at the Main Street Antique Mall (121 S. Main St., Ishpeming)
Tickets can also be purchased by calling the Antique Mall (906-486-8680) with tickets then mailed to you
Tour ticket price is $150.00, Benefiting the Ishpeming Area Historical Society - a Non-Profit Organization
The tour will start by driving around the Ishpeming Cohodas Warehouse and Cold Storage building with commentary by the IAHS host. Also included will be a tour of the beautiful Sam and Evelyn Cohodas English Tudor Revival style, 4300 square foot home in the city of Ishpeming, and a tour of the recently restored and legendary Cohodas Lodge which sits on the shores of beautiful Lake Michigamme. Refreshments, wine, cheese, and hors d'oeuvres will be served by members of the Ishpeming Area Historical Society.
Cohodas Ishpeming History
The Cohodas Brothers warehouse and cold storage plant began construction in 1930 and when completed in the spring of 1931, allowed the Cohodas family to concentrate and expand their wholesale fruit and vegetable business. By the 1950’s, the Cohodas Brothers Company was the third largest produce distributer in the United States.
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The first stop on the Cohodas tour will be the Sam M. and Evelyn (Tourville) Cohodas home located at 832 North Main Street, Ishpeming. By 1940 Sam and Evelyn decided it was time to reward themselves and build a new home. They engaged an architect from Chicago to design their permanent residence in Ishpeming.
Work began on the 4,300 square foot home on the corner of North Main and Arch Streets during July of 1941 and was completed in 1943. The house, which has become a landmark within the city, was designed in the English Tudor revival style and is constructed of Lannon stone, oak beams and stucco. Its chimneys are crowned with clay chimney pots and its turret windows are leaded glass. The interior of the house is marked with Tudor architecture including a magnificent English Oak banister in the entrance hall, plaster ceiling moldings and medallions, oak flooring, crystal chandeliers from around the world, and several Tudor arches. Although the house is quite large it exudes a warm feeling. It was constructed with all the latest amenities of the day. The home was wired for radio and servant bells. There are laundry chutes on all floors and a laundry room on the lower level, and next to the service entrance door is the “milk box.” The home was also built with a library, butler’s kitchen and pantry, as well as the suite designed for the hired “pet sitter” who took care of the Cohodas’ two toy poodles, Gigi and Fifi. |
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The second stop on the tour will be the legendary Cohodas Lodge. When it came time for Sam and Evelyn to build a “camp,” it had to be a place they would enjoy living during the summer months and big enough for Cohodas family gatherings and business associate meetings. Sam had acquired the 25-acre camp property, which sits on the shores of Lake Michigamme, in 1929. The construction of the 2-story pine log lodge began in 1934 and was completed by Finnish craftsmen by early summer 1935, just in time for a meeting of the Western Fruit Jobbers board of directors in June. All of the logs for the lodge were cut within a radius of 15 miles, and the native stones for the huge fireplace were gathered within five miles of the lodge site. The first floor features the reception hall which also served as dining room and meeting place. When built the second floor had 8 bedrooms. The new owners of the lodge have completed an extensive restoration that took between 2 to 3 years to complete. |
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**Photos courtesy of the NMU Archive