Aura, Michigan
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Aura is a small unincorporated community in Arvon Township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With coordinates of , the area is approximately 12 miles (19 km) northeast of L'Anse and four miles (6 km) east of Pequaming.
Situated on the Point Abbaye peninsula between Keweenaw Bay and Huron Bay, this small farming settlement is comprised of approximately fifteen square miles in both Arvon and L'Anse townships. Historically, the rich clay loam has been most suitable for potatoes, hay, wheat, oats, and other grains, although active farming has declined over the years.
Charles Hebard of Pequaming started harvesting timber on Point Abbaye when he arrived in the area in 1878, eventually establishing sixteen lumber camps throughout the peninsula. In 1914, his sons decided to sell these lands for $300 per forty acres. A number of Finnish immigrants from the Copper Country had fallen on hard times because of the mining strike, and decided to try farming instead. They named their community Aura, derived from the Finnish word for "plow."
Aura is best known now for the annual Aura Jamboree, a multi-day musical festival with a picnic and dance held on the third Saturday in July since 1976. Originally a fiddlers' jamboree featuring traditional music from many countries, today's music also includes folk, jazz, and bluegrass.
[edit] References
- (1976) Baragaland Bicentennial 1776-1976. Baraga, Michigan: Lumberjack Citizens Society of Baraga.
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