Dee Stadium

File:Dee Stadium.jpg

Dee Stadium in January 2012.

Dee Stadium, also called The Dee, is an ice hockey arena (~ 932 seats) in Houghton, Michigan, that replaced, and is located on the same site as, the Amphidrome. It is regarded as the birthplace of professional hockey, and is the seventh oldest indoor ice rink in the world.<ref name=rinks/>

Amphidrome

File:Amphidrome Construction.jpg

Amphidrome under construction

The Houghton Warehouse Company, operated by James R. Dee, built and owned the Amphidrome.<ref name=marker>Template:Cite web</ref> Construction of the Amphidrome finished in December 1902.<ref name=quote/>

The first hockey game was played on December 29, 1902, in which the Portage Lakes Hockey Club defeated the University of Toronto, 13–2.<ref name=marker/> The game was attended by over 5,000 spectators.<ref name=quote>The text, located on the entrance to the Dee (as of 2012), reads, "The construction of the Amphidrome was completed in December of 1902. The first game was played December 29th, 1902 with over 5000 people in attendance."</ref> For the 1903–04 season, the Portage Lakes became the first hockey team whose players were all paid.<ref name=mich/> James Dee and John "Doc" Gibson formed the International Hockey League later that year, in which the Portage Lakes competed.<ref name=mich/> These events marked the beginning of professional hockey.<ref name=mich>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1907, an addition was constructed on the western end of the Amphidrome.<ref name=rinks>Template:Cite web</ref> Styled like a castle, it was used as a community ballroom and armory.<ref name=rinks/>

Fire

The Amphidrome burned down on January 9, 1927.<ref name=rinks/> The fire was discovered at 3:45 a.m. in the upper floors of the 1907 addition.<ref name=rinks/> The fire destroyed a nearby warehouse and the equipment of the Portage Lakes, the Michigan College of Mines hockey team, and the Houghton and Hancock high school sextets.<ref name=rinks/> The fire cancelled the regional high school hockey season and forced other area teams to use the Calumet Colosseum in Calumet, Michigan.<ref name=rinks/>

Dee Stadium

History

After the loss of the Amphidrome, the debris was cleared and a temporary outdoor rink was formed.<ref name=rinks/> Before the next season, in 1928, a replacement stadium was constructed called the New Amphidrome.<ref name=cchockey>Template:Cite web</ref> James Dee assisted in financing the reconstruction.<ref name=cchockey/>

File:Dee Stadium Entrance.jpg

The Dee Stadium entrance displays some history of the building and site (January 2012).

The New Amphidrome was renamed the James R. "Dee" Ice Stadium in 1943 when the Michigan College of Mining and Technology (now Michigan Technological University) purchased it for their hockey team.<ref name=cchockey/> Michigan Tech played their last hockey game in Dee Stadium on December 4, 1971, after which they moved to the Student Ice Arena.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1974, the City of Houghton signed a 99-year lease for the Dee Stadium from Michigan Tech.<ref name=cc1970>Template:Cite web</ref> In May 1983, the City of Houghton eliminated Dee Stadium from their annual budget due to financial reasons and the recent vandalism at Dee Stadium.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Copper Country Junior Hockey Association (CCJHA) was blamed for the vandalism. The City of Houghton told The Daily Mining Gazette that the young hockey players were the reason the Dee is falling apart and that the city is not at fault for the condition of the Dee.

With the City threatening to close Dee stadium, 468 adults and 423 students signed a petition to keep the Dee open for use. The Houghton High School Hockey coach at the time Don Miller said, "By having to move to either Houghton County Arena or the Student Ice Arena, a severe scheduling problem would arise...especially the Houghton High School Hockey Team." All kinds of community groups got involved with the Dee petition. The Houghton-Portage Teachers Education Association expressed their interest in the situation by stating, "the teachers feel strongly about Dee Stadium and the purpose that it serves. For the next five years, there were fundraising efforts to save Dee Stadium from being closed". These fundraisers also provided Dee Stadium with the proper improvements that it needed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At each of these annual fund raising dinners, there were 200 tickets sold at $100 at ticket, which gained an $8,000 profit per year. The goal with this money was to put new siding on all four sides of the building and to put in new insulation to make the ballroom available for year-round use.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1988, the City of Houghton purchased the Dee Stadium.<ref name=cc1980>Template:Cite web</ref>

Current use

Dee Stadium is the current home of the Houghton High School Hockey team and Portage Lake Pioneers Senior Hockey team.<ref name=rec/> It is a venue for Michigan Tech's Winter Carnival<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the annual Parade of Nations festival.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Facilities

Upstairs at the Dee Stadium was the Level II skatepark.<ref name=rec>Template:Cite web</ref> The park was originally built in 2000 and rebuilt in 2005.Template:Citation needed Besides having various ramps for skateboarding and biking they also had a stage for concerts.<ref name=dmg>Template:Cite news</ref> The park was closed due to waning interest.

The Dee Stadium houses a museum that showcases the history of the site and the history of ice hockey in the area.

External links

• Template:Commons category-inline