Fund-raising efforts to build a sculpture to honor one of Michigan’s most fearless labor leaders -- “Big Annie” -- received a big boost from Michigan’s history grant program.
The America 250MI Committee has awarded $50,000 to the Big Annie Statue Project as part of its first round of the America250MI History Grant Program. The program aims to preserve Michigan history in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The money will go toward the design and creation of a life-size bronze statue of Anna “Big Annie” Klobuchar Clemenec, a prominent labor activist during the early 20th century. The statue will stand in her hometown of Calumet.
“The Big Annie Statue Project Advisory Commitee is deeply grateful to the Michigan History Center and the Historical Society of Michigan for awarding us this grant and recognizing the lasting legacy of Anna Klobuchar Clemenc -- Big Annie,” said Anita Campbell, who is co-chair of the Big Annie Statue Project Advisory Committee.
“Our Keweenaw community takes great pride in her role in America’s early labor movement. This support brings us one step closer to honoring her with a bronze statue.”
What’s happening: The America250MI Committee has awarded $50,000 to the Big Annie Statue project as part of the first round of the America250MI History Grant Program. The grant will support the design and creation of a life-size bronze statue of Anna Klobuchar Clemenc, locally known as “Big Annie” and a towering figure in Michigan labor history and women’s leadership.
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National Park Service, Keweenaw NHP, C&H, Capello, Strike Album, #164About Big Annie: Anna Klobuchar Clemenc was a newsworthy and notable young activist that spearheaded a labor movement to improve the working conditions for miners. This movement became known as the Copper Country Strike of 1913-1914, and the effects of the strike reached far beyond the bounds of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
She was the wife of a copper miner and served as president of the Women’s Auxiliary of the local branch of the Western Federation of Miners union during the early 1900s. She initiated a movement to improve working conditions for the copper miners, leading daily parades of strikers to buoy spirits during the strike. Clemenc and the 6-foot-by-10-foot American flag she carried on a 10-foot pole became the face of the strike in national news media.
For her bravery and heroism, Clemenc was inducted into both the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame and Labor's International Hall of Fame.
What is the America250MI History Grant: It’s a funding project designed to help preserve Michigan’s history for future generations. The grant program represents a key element of Michigan’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer directed the Historical Society of Michigan and the Michigan History Center to coordinate the state’s commemoration of the federal anniversary. The two organizations created the America250MI Committee, which supports the effort.
About the statue: Plans call for the bronze statue to be located in Calumet’s new greenspace park
between the Calumet Theatre and Shutes 1890 Saloon. Fundraising started in 2023. With the support of America250MI, the committee hopes to raise a total of $117,000 for the statue. The goal, however, is to raise another $30,000 to cover the cost of the statue base, interpretive signs, and the cost of installation. The statue is expected to be completed by next summer with installation in the fall of 2026.
The organizer: The Big Annie Statue Fund Committee has organized this event to help raise funds to build a statue in Calumet to honor her legacy. The Annie Statue Fund is a special project of the Keweenaw Community Foundation.
About the foundation: The Keweenaw Community Foundation's vision is of a thriving community. To meet this vision of a thriving community, the foundation connects the needs of the community with resources to collaboratively improve quality of life in the Keweenaw. The Foundation collaborates with other organizations on a variety of community-wide initiatives such as accessibility, housing, and childcare; provides grants to local non-profit organizations, schools, and municipalities, and awards scholarships to local students; assists donors with their philanthropic goals to provide support for the community they love.
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