Winter Carnival is a long-standing tradition at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan. Michigan Tech often registers more than 200 inches of snow in a season. Not content to let this abundant natural resource go to waste, students band together in an annual celebration of the beautiful, tough, exhilarating, and character-building climate. Winter Carnival began in 1922, with a one-day Ice Carnival. It was so popular that students made it an annual event, and Winter Carnival as we know it began to take shape. It was suspended in 1930, in the aftermath of the stock market crash, but in 1934, Blue Key Honor Fraternity resurrected the event. Then, 1936 brought the biggest change, one that would become Carnival's best known tradition: snow statues. Since then, the statues have become famous for their size, detail, and design as building methods (and secrets) have been passed from year to year. During World War II, Winter Carnival was again suspended. It took off again in 1946, when the Stage Revue was added, with fraternities, sororities, and other campus organizations presenting skits for the enjoyment of the crowd and the performers alike.
Browse a selection of Winter Carnival Pictorials below. These pictorials are published every year by Michigan Tech's student newspaper, The Michigan Tech Lode. They are filled with pictures and stories, artistic photography and a few Tall Tales. They show the beauty and challenge of a UP winter, the ingenuity of the students, and the pride of the community.
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Carnival
Michigan Technological University
26th Annual Pictorial Edition. February 1 - 4 1989. American Dreams in a Frozen Scene.
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Michigan Tech Lode Winter Carnival Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
February 1985. 22nd Annual. Classics Brought To Ice.
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Michigan Tech Lode Winter Carnival Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
February 1983. 20th Annual. Icy Trips Through Comic Strips.
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Michigan Tech Winter Carnival Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
February 1981. 18th Annual. Nursery Rhymes in Chilly Times.
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Winter Carnival Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
February 1979. Sixteenth Annual. Sunny Scenes from the Silver Screen.
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Winter Carnival Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
15th Annual. February 1978. Chiller Thrillers.
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Michigan Tech Lode Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
February 1976. Thirteenth Annual. Icy Blasts from Our Frozen Past.
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Michigan Tech Lode Winter Carnival Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
February, 1975. Twelfth Annual. The Frozen World of Frostbound Funnies
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Michigan Tech Lode Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
February 1974. Eleventh Annual. Sub-Zero Heroes.
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Michigan Tech Lode Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
February 1973. 10th Annual. Frigid Fairy Tales.
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Michigan Tech Lode Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
February 1972. Ninth Annual. Snobody's Perfect.
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Michigan Tech Lode Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
February 1971. Eighth Annual. The Age of Shiv-V-Alry.
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Michigan Tech Lode Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
February 1970. Seventh Annual. The Greatest Snow on Earth.
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Michigan Tech Lode Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
February, 1969. Sixth Annual. Iceterical History.
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Michigan Tech Lode Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
February, 1968. Fifth Annual. Walt Disney Wonderful World of Ice.
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Michigan Tech Lode Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
February, 1967. Fourth Annual. Midwinter Mockery.
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Michigan Tech Lode Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
February, 1966. Third Annual. Sights in Ice.
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Michigan Tech Lode Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
Vol. 2, No. 1; 5 February 1965. Our American Heritage.
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Michigan Tech Lode Pictorial
Michigan Technological University
Vol 2 No 3; 8 February 1964. Land of the Sandman.
