Standing Tall Again: How Calumet came together to honor ‘Big Annie’ Clemenc

It took months of steady effort, but event by event and dollar by dollar, Team Big Annie and the Keweenaw Community Foundation officially crossed the funding finish line. 

Meanwhile, artists worked from initial concepts to a final 900-pound bronze monument honoring Calumet’s famous labor leader, Anna Clemenc. The $150,000 tribute culminated on Aug. 22, when residents and visitors gathered downtown to unveil the finished statue of the activist who put this northern Michigan community on the national map during the 1913 Copper Strike.

“Anna Clemenc (1888–1956) was one of the most important figures in our community’s history, and it is fitting that her legacy will be permanently recognized in the heart of downtown Calumet,” says Megan Haselden, Calumet Village manager. “The village of Calumet is incredibly excited to see the Big Annie statue become a reality.”

What’s Happening: In 1913, the western U.P.’s Copper Country held some of the richest copper deposits in the world, worked by thousands of miners facing low pay, miserable safety standards, and 10- to 12-hour workdays. Anna Clemenc, the wife of a miner, initiated a movement to improve these conditions, leading daily parades to buoy spirits during a strike that drew national attention.

Since 2013—when the Coppertown Mining Museum opened an exhibit marking the strike’s centennial—Calumet has celebrated Big Annie Day every June. As interest in her story grew, momentum built to construct a permanent monument. The Big Annie Statue Fund reached its target through widespread donations from local residents, businesses, and national supporters.

The Vision: Artist Jerome Patryjak’s design won a community contest, and sculptor Andy Sacksteder was commissioned to bring the life-size bronze to reality. The sculpture depicts Big Annie—affectionately nicknamed for her 6-foot-2 stature and commanding leadership—holding a massive American flag on a 10-foot pole, just as she did when she became the face of the strike.

Patryjak, who included her bold stride and flag in his initial concept, says he is “thrilled that it has been supported, designed, sculpted, cast, installed, and is now a piece of Calumet.” He adds: “This is historic in the story behind Annie, the strike, and the dedication of the group that saw this through. It provides a balance to the story of Calumet—not just of the mines, but of the people. It is extremely gratifying to have had a small part in something that will be part of the landscape for generations.”

The Craftsmanship: Sculptor Andy Sacksteder was equally moved by the community support for the project. He began with a small clay model called a maquette for committee approval before moving to the full-scale sculpture.

“I started July 1 and finished at the end of October,” Sacksteder says. He sculpted the figure and flag using hundreds of pounds of clay built over steel reinforcements. Standing 6-foot-2 himself, Sacksteder used his own bone structure and stride as a reference.

Once complete, the clay pieces traveled from his Ohio studio to an Ann Arbor foundry for bronze casting. He retrieved the finished pieces on Memorial Day and brought them to Calumet. The completed statue was set on a concrete base paved with original village bricks.

The Celebration: Crowds packed the streets for the unveiling and dedication, which kicked off with a parade down 5th Street and wrapped up at Calumet Greenspace Park with music, free ice cream, and face painting.

“This statue belongs to the entire community. It became a reality through the generosity of hundreds of people who wanted to ensure that Big Annie’s courage and leadership would never be forgotten,” says Anita Campbell, Big Annie team member. “We are honored to celebrate not only the unveiling of this statue, but also all the folks who caught the spirit of Big Annie’s legacy and made this possible.”