Skip to Main Content

Big Gus, World's Largest Chain Saw.
Big Gus, World's Largest Chain Saw.

Da Yoopers Tourist Trap

Field review by the editors.

Ishpeming, Michigan

We pull into Da Yoopers Tourist Trap, the sky leaden with clouds. A phalanx of American flags are at full extension out by the highway, straining at their poles in a cool summer gale howling down from Lake Superior. That's not unusual in this region of America -- at least no more unusual than the sight of a colossal rifle or a bus-sized chain saw.

World's Largest Working Rifle.
World's Largest Working Rifle.

The region is Michigan's Upper Peninsula -- the U.P. -- land of snow, mosquitoes, pasties, smelt, and Bosch beer. And Da Yoopers Tourist Trap explains it to all who would venture to this outpost on the edge of civilization.

"Yooperland" has its own cozy ice shanty of hinterland culture, celebrated by Jim "Hoolie" DeCaire, master of all things Yooper and the owner of this attraction. U.P. residents have to endure a lot of hardship (mostly weather-related), which translates into a broad sense of humor. The stereotypes of farting, belching, beer-drinking, and sportsmen of dubious ability are grist for the Yooper comedy mill -- but it's all good-natured fun, and Jim is himself a lifetime Yooper who has made a career out of championing the Yooper lifestyle to the outside world.

Driver of the Yooper Assault Vehicle.
Driver of the Yooper Assault Vehicle.

Or, at least, to that part of the outside world that comes up here. Mostly it's visitors from Wisconsin, or the southern part of Michigan, or da Yoopers themselves.

Da Yoopers Tourist Trap has a gift shop and a small "museum" of artifacts -- but the best attractions are outdoors. Big Gus, the world's largest working chainsaw, sits on a rise pointing towards the highway. Billy, our guide, fires up Big Gus, which is 23 feet long and is powered by a V-8 engine. The large chain cycles with a terrifying rumble, though Billy holds back on revving it up to forest hewing velocity. "Jim's always worries about the chain flying off across Highway 41," he says.

Even larger is Big Ernie, the world's largest working rifle. Big Ernie, Billy tells us, fired a rock wrapped in duct tape 2.5 miles into a corn field. But it probably won't do that again any time soon, as the recoil and shock wave knocked Ernie off of its truck mount and smashed the windows of a nearby farm house.

Camp Buck-n-Brew.
Camp Buck-n-Brew.

Gus and Ernie are examples of what DeCaire calls "Yoopervations," one-of-a-kind items built out of necessity or whimsy, and made possible by long periods of enforced hibernation. In the gift shop, for example, is a full-length winter coat made of cow hair; outside are a selection of odd vehicles bolted together out of pieces of junker cars, snowplows, and riding lawnmowers. "Yooper Assault Vehicle" rolls on tank treads and is driven by a straw-stuffed dummy wearing a motorcycle helmet with deer antlers. "Snow Cycle" is pedaled by similar dummies -- with especially big butts -- wearing George and Laura Bush rubber masks.

Big butts mean big laughs in the Da Yooper universe. So do flatulence, defecation, outhouses, and toilet humor. Da Yoopers may have the only gift shop in America with a section devoted exclusively to farting. "Farting is big business here," says Anna, who runs the gift shop. "Farting in general sells." Among many displays with an emphasis on the bowels are the Da Yoopers "Mystery Spot" -- a suspiciously brown circle of dirt -- and two outhouse photo-ops. At "Da-2-Holer" you sit on a hole directly beneath another hole occupied by a Yooper dummy. At "Da Dorkmeister Outhouse" you pose with your head stuck up through the second hole.

Yooper briefcase in the gift shop.
Yooper briefcase in the gift shop.

There is much to see here: an underground mine, a signed photo of Ted Nugent, a "man camp" where stuffed deer drink beer and men dummies are strung up by their ankles. We run back to our car to get warm as yet another tour bus pulls in, its passengers on their way from the mining museum in Calumet to the ski museum in Ishpeming, or maybe from one U.P. Indian casino to another.

"At one time this was the only place that you could get anything with 'Yooper' on it," Anna confides. "Now everyone wants to be a Yooper."

Note: Aside from the Tourist Trap, Yooper culture is spread by Hoolie and his cohorts via live appearances by Da Yoopers musical group and their novelty song CDs. They claim to be "The #1 Fishing, Hunting, and Beer Drinking Comedy Show in America!"

Da Yoopers Tourist Trap

Address:
490 N. Steel St., Ishpeming, MI
Directions:
Head west out of Ishpeming on US Hwy 41, between Ishpeming and West Ishpeming on the south side of the highway.
Hours:
M-Th 9-8, F 9-9, Sa 9-8, Su 10-7 (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
906-485-5595
Admission:
Free
RA Rates:
The Best
Save to My Sights
Roadside Videos
Big Gus: World's Largest Chainsaw

World's Largest Chainsaw.

We're treated to a demo of the terrifying power of Big Gus.Go to video


Nearby Offbeat Places

U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame and MuseumU.S. National Ski Hall of Fame and Museum, Ishpeming, MI - 2 mi.
Large CowsLarge Cows, Marquette, MI - 13 mi.
Anatomy of a Murder BarAnatomy of a Murder Bar, Big Bay, MI - 22 mi.
In the region:
Phil the Window Washer, Marquette, MI - 15 mi.

More Quirky Attractions in Michigan

Stories, reports and tips on tourist attractions and odd sights in Michigan.

Explore Thousands of Unique Roadside Landmarks!

Strange and amusing destinations in the US and Canada are our specialty. Start here.
Use RoadsideAmerica.com's Attraction Maps to plan your next road trip.

My Sights

My Sights on Roadside America

Save Cool Vacation Destinations! ...Try My Sights

Mobile Apps

Roadside America app: iPhone, iPad Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. On-route maps, 1,000s of photos, special research targets! ...More

Roadside Presidents app: iPhone, iPad Roadside Presidents app for iPhone, iPad. POTUS landmarks, oddities. ...More

Michigan Latest Tips and Stories

Latest Visitor Tips

Sight of the Week

Sight of the Week

JFK's World Famous Twine Ball, Highland, Wisconsin (Mar 18-24, 2024)

SotW Archive

USA and Canada Tips and Stories

More Sightings

Favorite Quirky City Sights