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Summary From 7,000 years ago until the 20th century, copper was mined in the Keweenaw. The American Indians used copper to make tools and other objects. In the 19th century, with the mining rush, investors and immigrants arrived and developed prosperous industries and cosmopolitan communities. While the mines are now closed, their mark still lingers on the land and on the people. Plan your visit Visiting Keweenaw National Historical Park is a different experience than many other national parks. The park was established to preserve and interpret the history of copper mining on the Keweenaw Peninsula through partnerships. To accomplish this goal, the National Park Service works with a wide variety of organizations, including public and private entities. Park partners, such as Keweenaw Heritage Sites, offer most Keweenaw National Historical Park visitor services, such as guided tours or museums. The National Park Service does not operate or own these sites, but park employees work with these entities to coordinate services and conservation efforts. For more information about Keweenaw Heritage Sites, including hours and fees, request a copy of the park's annual newspaper. The National Park Service operates a year-round information desk at the park headquarters and a seasonal information desk at the Quincy and Hoist Mine gift shop, located north of Hancock, Michigan, for main road US 41. Here you can learn more about the park and how to visit Keweenaw Heritage Sites. To do There are many things to see and do on the Keweenaw Peninsula. In addition to exploring the history of copper mining, there are numerous recreational opportunities in the area. Popular summer activities include hiking, kayaking, fishing, camping, and biking. During the winter, the large amount of snow that typically falls makes this a special area for snowshoeing, backcountry and downhill skiing, ice fishing, and snowmobiling. For information on area attractions and activities, visit the Keweenaw Convention and Visitors Bureau website. During the summer, National Park Service employees offer guided interpretive programs in the Calument and Quincy units. Check the current edition of the park newspaper for information on programs, locations and hours. The park's partners, known as Keweenaw Heritage Sites, offer a wide variety of activities, including museums, mine tours, theater performances, hiking and camping. Heritage places are a group of public and private entities. They operate independently, therefore you must contact them directly for information and schedules. Addresses From lower Michigan From the Mackinaw Bridge/I-75, take US 2 to M-77 north to M-28 east. Take M-28/US 41 east from Marquette. Continue on US 41 to Houghton, then drive north over the drawbridge to Hancock. The Quincy Unit in the park is located just north of Hancock, Michigan. The Calument Unit is located approximately 12 miles (19 km) north along US Highway 41 in Calumet, Michigan. From Green Bay, Wisconsin, and places south, including Chicago Take US Highway 141 north through Iron Mountain and Crystal Falls to Michigan Highway 28 east US Highway 41 north toward Houghton, and over the lift bridge. The Quincy Unit in the park is just north of Hancock, Michigan, along US Highway 41. The Calument Unit is near the Village of Calumet, Michigan, approximately 12 miles (19 km) north of the Quincy Unit, in the main road US 41. From Ironwood, Michigan/Hurley, Wisconsin Take US Highway 2 east to Michigan Highway 28 east to Highway 26 north toward Houghton, Michigan. Cross the drawbridge to Hancock. The Quincy Unit in the park is located just north of Hancock, Michigan. The Calumet Unit is located approximately 12 miles (19 km) north along US Highway 41 in Calumet, Michigan. Opening hours and seasons During the summer the National Park Service operates a visitor information desk at the Quincy and Hoist Mine Gift Shop, located north of Hancock, Michigan, off US 41. Year-round you can get park information at the park headquarters in Calumet, Michigan. Schedules Park Headquarters Located on the corner of Calumet Avenue (US Highway 41) and Red Jacket Highway in Calumet, Michigan Open all year Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. m. - 5:00 p.m. m. Closed on federal holidays (including those designated by presidential order). There is information, public toilets and publications for sale. Keweenaw National Historical Park Information Desk Located at the entrance to the Quincy and Hoist Mine gift shop Closed for the season. Most Keweenaw National Historical Park visitor services are offered through the park's partners, known as Keweenaw Heritage Sites. The hours and days of operation of these locations vary by season. Check the park newspaper for information on hours and days of operation of heritage sites. Most places close during the winter, around the end of October, and reopen at the end of May. Contact the Keweenaw Convention and Visitors Bureau at 888-646-6784 for specific information. Seasons Summer and early fall are the best seasons to visit the Keweenaw Peninsula, especially from Memorial Day until the end of the fall color season in mid-October. Winter activities such as snowshoeing, backcountry and downhill skiing, ice fishing, and snowmobiling are popular from late November to late March. Most Keweenaw Heritage Sites are not open in winter. Rates and reservations There is no entrance fee at Keweenaw National Historical Park. However, many of the Keweenaw Heritage Sites, the park's partners, charge either an entrance or activity fee or request a donation for visiting the site. What you should know before coming Accommodation and camping Accommodation A variety of hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, and cabins can be found on the Keweenaw Peninsula. Contact the Keweenaw Convention and Visitors Bureau for more information. 800-338-7982 or www.keweenaw.info. To camp On the Keweenaw Peninsula you will find many camping options, both rustic and modern areas. Fort Wilkins and Porcupine Mountains State Parks and McLain and Twin Lakes have public campgrounds. Additionally, you'll find community-run campgrounds and private campgrounds. For more information contact the Keweenaw Convention and Visitors Bureau at 800-338-7982 or www.keweenaw.info. Goods and services Climate Lake Superior controls the region's climate. Spring is short, rainy and cold. Summer is sunny and mild, with a daytime high in the 70s F (21 C) near the lake and a warmer temperature inland. Autumn comes early in September. In October the days are usually mild, but the nights are cold. Winter comes with the first accumulation of snow, often in mid-November. The ground is typically covered in snow from Thanksgiving (Nov.) until the end of April. Average annual snow levels are between 180 and 250 inches (4 and 6 m). In addition to generating abundant snow, Lake Superior moderates temperatures, making winters milder than in neighboring areas. Accessibility The park headquarters in Calument and the park information desk at Quincy Mine are handicap accessible. Other park facilities located at historic structures and Keweenaw Heritage Sites are not fully accessible to people with disabilities at this time. Information about sites that have handicap-accessible facilities is on the back page of the newspaper. Before your visit contact the venues directly for more information on handicap accessibility. 2. Brockway Mountain is one of Michigan’s highest points, and it affords breathtaking views of Lake Superior and the lush forest that blankets the Keweenaw Peninsula. The geological history and ecological significance of the iconic peninsula have led devotees of the area to call it a “land of superlatives.” The label is fitting. The Keweenaw was formed by a series of lava flows that occurred over the course of 100 million years and ended approximately 1 billion years ago. The peninsula extends 60 miles into Lake Superior, the largest lake by surface area on the planet. Indigenous peoples who have inhabited the area for over 7,000 years carried out the earliest metal workings in the Western Hemisphere. And the peninsula’s massive copper deposits helped fuel the growth of America’s modern economy, said Erika Vye, a geosciences research scientist at Michigan Technological University’s Great Lakes Research Center in Houghton, Michigan. The Keweenaw may soon be noteworthy for an entirely different reason: a community-based approach to land conservation. The Nature Conservancy recently purchased 22,700 acres of forest, wetlands and rivers on the peninsula, and it plans to acquire another 9,900 acres by the end of this year. Acquiring the 32,600 acres of land from a private equity firm will conserve four large tracts of forest known collectively as the Keweenaw Heartlands. It also will ensure that the public — including snowmobilers, ATV riders, anglers, hunters, hikers and mountain bikers — may continue to experience and enjoy the property. Having protected the land from development, TNC is now working with residents, community leaders and tribal officials to develop a community-based conservation plan that balances environmental, cultural and economic interests. It could become a model for other communities hoping to increase recreation-based tourism without ruining the natural resources that are often the foundation of such economies. “This project is more than conservation,” said Helen Taylor, director of TNC’s Michigan chapter. “We’re trying to help the community develop a rural prosperity plan for an area that has been driven by copper mining, then forestry and now recreation. Change is coming and we need to plan for it so we don’t love this area to death.” The Mott Foundation has provided grant support to TNC and its Michigan chapter for over 30 years. Taylor was elected to the Mott Foundation’s board of trustees in 2016. TNC will work with local, regional and state partners to develop an ownership and stewardship plan that will ensure both conservation and economic benefits are protected. The planning process also will help local leaders anticipate other needs, such as infrastructure, affordable housing, and ways to accommodate the growing number of tourists and seasonal workers streaming into the tiny community of Copper Harbor, near the tip of the Keweenaw. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation granted $1 million to TNC to help support both the land acquisition and a community engagement process that will help determine future ownership and management of the property. Ridgway White, president and CEO of the Mott Foundation, said the project could chart a new course for pursuing land conservation projects, and help communities identify new revenue sources for those projects, while also safeguarding and bolstering regional economies. “New models are sorely needed for land conservation projects,” White said. “In the past, there was sometimes a sense that you had to choose either conservation or economic prosperity. “What’s brilliant about The Nature Conservancy’s approach is that they’re protecting the forest while working with the community to ensure that the land can continue to be used and enjoyed, generate income from tourism and recreation, and support sustainable industry,” White added. “It’s a win-win approach that others would be wise to model.” Gina Nicholas, a local resident who spearheaded efforts to conserve the Keweenaw Heartlands and who serves on the committee developing the land management plan, said the project has widespread support. “Everyone up here is happy about this deal because we’re one step closer to protecting this land forever,” she said. “This peninsula is like no place else on Earth.” The Keweenaw is one of the most unfragmented, climate-resilient areas of forest and freshwater in the United States, according to The Nature Conservancy. It supports abundant wildlife and is an important stopover for migratory birds, particularly raptors. Taylor said the Keweenaw Heartlands project is “an opportunity to protect an extraordinary region for both nature and people.” The land purchased by The Nature Conservancy includes three miles of Lake Superior shoreline, 37 miles of rivers and 4,700 acres of wetlands. The group continues to raise funds for the land acquisition, which will improve wildlife habitat and conserve a forest that absorbs climate-changing air pollutants. Beyond its natural beauty, the Keweenaw region also is acknowledged as the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands and waters of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, a sovereign nation. Tribal officials will play a key role in determining how the Keweenaw Heartlands will be managed in perpetuity. “Change is coming and we need to plan for it so we don’t love this area to death.” HELEN TAYLOR, TNC MICHIGAN CHAPTER DIRECTOR “The Keweenaw Peninsula is part of the historic lands of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, which our families have used for hunting, fishing, gathering and ceremonial purposes for generations,” said Brigette LaPointe-Dunham, CEO of the tribe. LaPointe-Dunham thanked The Nature Conservancy for “leading a culturally appropriate plan that protects this sacred land so it can be enjoyed and appreciated for the next seven generations.” The Keweenaw has long been popular among snowmobilers, ATV riders, hunters, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts. In recent years, it also has become popular among birders, hikers and mountain bikers. The development of world-class mountain biking trails over the past decades is fueling a tourism boom that is straining Copper Harbor, which has a year-round population of 136. A primary goal of the community-based conservation plan is striking a balance between preserving the forest and allowing people to continue to use it, Nicholas said. “We’re trying to find that sweet spot of balancing recreation and conservation. They can coexist — everyone should be able to use this land,” Nicholas said. She chairs the Keweenaw Outdoor Recreation Coalition (KORC), which was formed in 2019 to preserve the Keweenaw Heartlands and ensure continued public access to the land. Don Piche, chair of the Keweenaw County Board of Commissioners, said many questions remain about how the conservation plan will be implemented. But he said The Nature Conservancy has addressed the biggest issues. “We have a long tradition in Keweenaw County of enjoying the outdoors, and losing access to these lands would have really hurt,” Piche said. The four parcels of land in the Keweenaw Heartlands border other large tracts of forest that have been purchased and protected by The Nature Conservancy, the state of Michigan and other conservation groups. Most of the land at the tip of the peninsula has been conserved and will remain in its natural state. Sustainable logging practices will continue in some areas. Vye, the Michigan Tech professor, said conserving the rugged landscape will foster education and outreach opportunities that nurture healthy relationships with the land and promote sustainable economic development that’s rooted in recreation and tourism. 3. The Keweenaw Gakiiwe-onigamiing (Ojibwe) Peninsula (KEE-wi-naw, sometimes locally /'ki?v?n??/) is the northernmost part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It juts out into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States, giving it the nickname "Copper Country." As of the 2000 census, its population was approximately 43,200. Its main industries now are logging and tourism, as well as jobs related to Michigan Technological University and the University of Finland. GEOLOGIA The peninsula is about 150 miles long and about 50 miles wide at its base. The ancient lava flows of the Keweenaw Peninsula occurred during the Mesoproterozoic era as part of the midcontinent rift between 1096 and 1087 million years ago. This volcanic activity produced the only strata on Earth where economically recoverable 97 percent native copper is found on a large scale. Much of the native copper found in the Keweenaw comes in the form of cavity fills in lava flow surfaces, which have a 'snap-like' consistency, or as 'floater'. copper, which is found in the form of a solid mass. Copper ore may occur within conglomerates or breccias such as void fills or interclasts. Conglomerate layers occur as interbedded units within the volcanic stack. The Keweenaw Peninsula and Royale Island, formed by the Midcontinent Rift System, are the only sites in the United States with evidence of prehistoric Aboriginal copper mining. Artifacts made from this copper by these ancient indigenous peoples were traded as far south as present-day Alabama. These areas are also the only place where chlorastrolite, the state jewel of Michigan, can be found. The northern tip of the peninsula is sometimes known as Copper Island (or "Kuparisaari" by Finnish immigrants), although this term is becoming less common. It is separated from the rest of the peninsula by the Keweenaw Waterway, a natural channel that was dredged and expanded in the 1860s through the peninsula between the towns of Houghton (named for Douglass Houghton) on the south side and Hancock on the north. A Keweenaw Water Trail has been established around Copper Island. The Water Trail extends approximately 125 miles (201 km) and can be paddled in five to ten days, depending on weather and water conditions. The Keweenaw Fault extends quite a bit across Keweenaw and neighboring Houghton counties. This ancient geological slide has given rise to cliffs. US Highway 41 (US 41) and Brockway Mountain Drive, north of Calumet, were built along the bluff line. CLIMA Lake Superior significantly controls the climate of the Keweenaw Peninsula, making winters milder than those of surrounding areas. Spring is cool and brief, transitioning into summer with highs near 21°C (70°F). Autumn begins in September and winter in mid-November. The peninsula receives large amounts of lake effect snow from Lake Superior. Official records are kept near the base of the peninsula in Hancock, Michigan, where the average annual snowfall is about 220 inches (560 cm). Farther north, in a community called Delaware, an unofficial average of about 240 inches (610 cm) remains. In Delaware, the record single-season snowfall was 390 inches (990 cm) in 1979. Averages of more than 250 inches (640 cm) certainly occur at higher elevations closer to the tip of the peninsula. HISTORIA Since seven thousand years ago and apparently reaching its peak around 3000 BC. C., Native Americans mined copper from the southern shore of Lake Superior. This development was possible largely because, in this region, large deposits of copper were easily accessible on the rock surface and from shallow excavations. Native copper can be found in the form of large nuggets and wiry masses. Copper as a resource for functional tools reached popularity around 3000 BC, during the Middle Archaic Period. The focus of copper working appears to have gradually shifted from functional tools to ornamental objects in the Late Archaic Stage c. 1200 BC Native Americans lit a fire to heat the rock around and on a mass of copper and, after heating, poured cold water to break up the rock. The copper was then pounded with stone hammers and stone chisels. The Keweenaw's rich copper (and some silver) deposits were mined on an industrial scale beginning in the mid-19th century. The industry grew during the latter part of the century and employed thousands of people well into the 20th century. Hard rock mining in the region ceased in 1967, although copper sulfide deposits continued for some time at Ontonagon. This vigorous industry created a need for educated mining professionals and led directly in 1885 to the founding of the Michigan School of Mining (now Michigan Technological University) in Houghton. Although MTU discontinued its undergraduate mining engineering program in 2006, the university continues to offer engineering degrees in a variety of other disciplines. (In 2012, mining engineering was restarted in the reformed Department of Engineering and Geological and Mining Sciences). At the same time as the mining boom in Keweenaw came the white pine lumber boom. Trees were cut down for wood for mine shafts, to warm the communities around the large copper mines, and to help build a growing nation. Much of the logging at that time was done in winter due to the ease of operation in the snow. Due to logging practices at the time, the Keweenaw Forest looks much different today than it did 100 years ago. US 41 ends north of Keweenaw at the Michigan State Park that is home to Fort Wilkins. US 41 was the so-called "Military Trail" that began in Chicago in the 1900s and ended in the Keweenaw Desert. The restored fort has numerous exhibits. For detailed information on the mineralogical history of the region, see the virtual tour of the peninsula written by the Mineralogical Society of America, found under "External Links" on this page. Information about the geological formations of the region is also detailed. From 1964 to 1971, the University of Michigan and Michigan Technological University cooperated with NASA and the US Navy to manage the Keweenaw rocket launch site.
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