Keweenaw Peninsula
Encyclopedia
The Keweenaw Peninsula (icon ) is the northern-most part of Michigan
's Upper Peninsula
. It projects into Lake Superior
and was the site of the first copper
boom in the United States
. As of the 2000 census, its population was roughly 43,200. Its major industries are now logging
and tourism
, as well as jobs related to Michigan Technological University
and Finlandia University
.
The ancient lava flows of the Keweenaw Peninsula were produced during the Mesoproterozoic
Era as a part of the Midcontinent Rift. This volcanic activity produced the only strata on Earth where large scale economically recoverable 97 percent pure native copper
is found.
Much of the native copper found in the Keweenaw comes in either the form of cavity fillings on lava flow surfaces which has a lacy consistency, or as float" copper, which is found as a solid mass. Copper ore may occur within conglomerate
or breccia
as void or interclast fillings. The conglomerate layers occur as interbedded units within the volcanic pile.
The Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale
, formed by the Midcontinent Rift System, are the only sites in the country with evidence of prehistoric aboriginal mining of copper. Artifacts made from this copper by these ancient Indians were traded as far south as present day Alabama
. These areas are also the unique location where Chlorastrolite
, the state gem of Michigan, can be found.
The northern end of the peninsula is sometimes referred to as Copper Island
(or "Kuparisaari" by the Finnish immigrants), although this term is becoming less common. It is separated from the rest of the peninsula by the Keweenaw Waterway
, a natural waterway which was dredged and expanded in the 1860s across the peninsula
between the cities 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 stretches approximately 125 miles (200 km) and can be paddled in five to ten days, depending on weather and water conditions.
The Keweenaw Fault
runs fairly lengthwise through both Keweenaw and neighboring Houghton counties. This ancient geological slip has given rise to cliffs along US 41
and Brockway Mountain Drive
north of Calumet.
The peninsula receives copious amounts of lake-effect snow from Lake Superior. Official records are maintained close to the base of the peninsula in Hancock, Michigan
, where the annual snowfall average is about 220 inches. Farther north, in a community called Delaware
, an unofficial average of about 240 inches is maintained. At Delaware, the record snowfall for one season was 390 inches in 1979. Averages over 250 inches certainly occur in the higher elevations closer to the tip of the peninsula.
The Keweenaw's rich deposits of copper (and some silver) were extracted on an industrial scale beginning around the middle of the 19th century. The industry grew through 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 though copper sulfide deposits continued for some time after in Ontonogan. This vigorous industry created a need for educated mining professionals and directly led in 1885 to the founding of the Michigan Mining School (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.
Running concurrently with the mining boom in the Keweenaw was the white pine lumber boom. Trees were cut for timbers for mine shafts, to heat the communities around the large copper mines, and to help build a growing nation. Much of the logging at the time was done in winter due to the ease of operability with the snow. Due to the indiscriminant logging practices at that time, the forest of the Keweenaw looks much different today than 100 years ago.
US 41 terminates in the northern Keweenaw at the Michigan State Park housing Fort Wilkins. US 41 was the so-called "Military Trail" that started in Chicago in the 1900s and ended in the Keweenaw wilderness. The restored fort has numerous exhibits.
For detailed information on the region's mineralogical history, see the virtual tour of the peninsula written by the Mineralogical Society of America, found in "External links" on this page. Information on the geological formations of the region are also detailed.
From 1964-1971, the University of Michigan
cooperated with NASA
and the U.S. Navy to run the Keweenaw Rocket launch site
.
Primary sources.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
's Upper Peninsula
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
. It projects into Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
and was the site of the first copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
boom in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2000 census, its population was roughly 43,200. Its major industries are now logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, as well as jobs related to Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University is a public research university located in Houghton, Michigan, United States. Its main campus sits on on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake...
and Finlandia University
Finlandia University
Finlandia University is a university in Hancock, Michigan, United States, and the only private university in the Upper Peninsula. Founded in 1896 as Suomi College, it is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.-History:...
.
Natural
Mesoproterozoic
The Mesoproterozoic Era is a geologic era that occurred between 1600 Ma and 1000 Ma . The Mesoproterozoic was the first period of Earth's history with a respectable geological record. Continents existed in the Paleoproterozoic, but we know little about them...
Era as a part of the Midcontinent Rift. This volcanic activity produced the only strata on Earth where large scale economically recoverable 97 percent pure native copper
Native copper
Copper, as native copper, is one of the few metallic elements to occur in uncombined form as a natural mineral, although most commonly occurs in oxidized states and mixed with other elements...
is found.
Much of the native copper found in the Keweenaw comes in either the form of cavity fillings on lava flow surfaces which has a lacy consistency, or as float" copper, which is found as a solid mass. Copper ore may occur within conglomerate
Conglomerate (geology)
A conglomerate is a rock consisting of individual clasts within a finer-grained matrix that have become cemented together. Conglomerates are sedimentary rocks consisting of rounded fragments and are thus differentiated from breccias, which consist of angular clasts...
or breccia
Breccia
Breccia is a rock composed of broken fragments of minerals or rock cemented together by a fine-grained matrix, that can be either similar to or different from the composition of the fragments....
as void or interclast fillings. The conglomerate layers occur as interbedded units within the volcanic pile.
The Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale
Isle Royale
Isle Royale is an island of the Great Lakes, located in the northwest of Lake Superior, and part of the state of Michigan. The island and the 450 surrounding smaller islands and waters make up Isle Royale National Park....
, formed by the Midcontinent Rift System, are the only sites in the country with evidence of prehistoric aboriginal mining of copper. Artifacts made from this copper by these ancient Indians were traded as far south as present day Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. These areas are also the unique location where Chlorastrolite
Chlorastrolite
Chlorastrolite also known as Michigan Greenstone, is a green or bluish green stone. Chlorastrolite has finely radiated or stellate masses that have a "turtleback" pattern. The stellate masses tend to be chatoyant, meaning they have a changeable luster. This chatoyancy can be subtranslucent to...
, the state gem of Michigan, can be found.
Copper Island
Copper Island is a local name given to the northern part of the Keweenaw Peninsula , separated from the rest of the Keweenaw Peninsula by Portage Lake and the Keweenaw Waterway.- Geography :The area was "isolated" by dredging in 1859 and construction in the...
(or "Kuparisaari" by the Finnish immigrants), although this term is becoming less common. It is separated from the rest of the peninsula by the Keweenaw Waterway
Keweenaw Waterway
The Keweenaw Waterway is a partly natural, partly artificial waterway which cuts across the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan; it separates Copper Island from the mainland. Parts of the waterway are variously known as the Keweenaw Waterway, Portage Canal, Portage Lake Canal, Portage River, Lily Pond,...
, a natural waterway which was dredged and expanded in the 1860s across the peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
between the cities of Houghton
Houghton, Michigan
Houghton is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and largest city in the Copper Country on the Keweenaw Peninsula. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,708. It is the county seat of Houghton County...
(named for Douglass Houghton
Douglass Houghton
Douglass Houghton was an American geologist and physician, primarily known for his exploration of the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan.-Early life and education:...
) on the south side and Hancock
Hancock, Michigan
Hancock is a city in Houghton County; the northernmost in the U.S. state of Michigan, located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, or, depending on terminology, Copper Island. The population was 4,634 at the 2010 census...
on the north.
A Keweenaw Water Trail
Water trail
Water trails or Blueways are marked routes on navigable waterways such as rivers, lakes, canals and coastlines for people using small non-motorized boats such as kayaks, canoes, rafts, or rowboats. Some trails may be suitable for float tubing...
has been established around Copper Island. The Water Trail stretches approximately 125 miles (200 km) and can be paddled in five to ten days, depending on weather and water conditions.
The Keweenaw Fault
Keweenaw Fault
The Keweenaw Fault is a geological feature that bisects the Keweenaw Peninsula of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The fault is the boundary between the mid continent rift and adjacent Precambrian terrain. The peninsula, itself, is the eastern side of a large syncline beneath Lake Superior...
runs fairly lengthwise through both Keweenaw and neighboring Houghton counties. This ancient geological slip has given rise to cliffs along US 41
U.S. Route 41
U.S. Route 41 is a north–south United States Highway that runs from Miami, Florida to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, was U.S...
and Brockway Mountain Drive
Brockway Mountain Drive
Brockway Mountain Drive is a scenic highway just west of Copper Harbor in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States. Drivers can access the road from state highway M-26 on either end near Eagle Harbor to the west or Copper Harbor to the east in the Keweenaw Peninsula...
north of Calumet.
Climate
Lake Superior significantly controls the climate of the Keweenaw Peninsula, keeping winters mild. Spring is cool and brief, transitioning into a summer with highs near 70 °F (21.1 °C). Fall begins in September, with winter beginning in mid-November.The peninsula receives copious amounts of lake-effect snow from Lake Superior. Official records are maintained close to the base of the peninsula in Hancock, Michigan
Hancock, Michigan
Hancock is a city in Houghton County; the northernmost in the U.S. state of Michigan, located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, or, depending on terminology, Copper Island. The population was 4,634 at the 2010 census...
, where the annual snowfall average is about 220 inches. Farther north, in a community called Delaware
Delaware, Michigan
Delaware is an unincorporated community in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It was established in 1846 as a copper mining town. It is located in the Keweenaw Peninsula, ten miles south of Copper Harbor and around twenty five miles north of Calumet. When the town was first settled it...
, an unofficial average of about 240 inches is maintained. At Delaware, the record snowfall for one season was 390 inches in 1979. Averages over 250 inches certainly occur in the higher elevations closer to the tip of the peninsula.
History
Beginning as early as seven thousand years ago and apparently peaking around 3000 B.C., native Americans dug copper from the southern shore of Lake Superior. This development was possible in large part because, in this region, large deposits of copper were easily accessible in surface rock and from shallow diggings. Native copper could be found as large nuggets and wiry masses. Copper as a resource for functional tooling achieved popularity around 3000 B.C., during the Middle Archaic Stage. The focus of copper working seems to have gradually shifted from functional tools to ornamental objects by the Late Archaic Stage c. 1200 B.C. Native Americans would build a fire to heat the rock around and over a copper mass and, after heating, pour on cold water to crack the rock. The copper was then pounded out, using rock hammers and stone chisels.The Keweenaw's rich deposits of copper (and some silver) were extracted on an industrial scale beginning around the middle of the 19th century. The industry grew through 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 though copper sulfide deposits continued for some time after in Ontonogan. This vigorous industry created a need for educated mining professionals and directly led in 1885 to the founding of the Michigan Mining School (now Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University is a public research university located in Houghton, Michigan, United States. Its main campus sits on on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake...
) in Houghton
Houghton, Michigan
Houghton is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and largest city in the Copper Country on the Keweenaw Peninsula. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,708. It is the county seat of Houghton County...
. Although MTU discontinued its undergraduate mining engineering program in 2006, the university continues to offer engineering degrees in a variety of other disciplines.
Running concurrently with the mining boom in the Keweenaw was the white pine lumber boom. Trees were cut for timbers for mine shafts, to heat the communities around the large copper mines, and to help build a growing nation. Much of the logging at the time was done in winter due to the ease of operability with the snow. Due to the indiscriminant logging practices at that time, the forest of the Keweenaw looks much different today than 100 years ago.
US 41 terminates in the northern Keweenaw at the Michigan State Park housing Fort Wilkins. US 41 was the so-called "Military Trail" that started in Chicago in the 1900s and ended in the Keweenaw wilderness. The restored fort has numerous exhibits.
For detailed information on the region's mineralogical history, see the virtual tour of the peninsula written by the Mineralogical Society of America, found in "External links" on this page. Information on the geological formations of the region are also detailed.
From 1964-1971, the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
cooperated with NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
and the U.S. Navy to run the Keweenaw Rocket launch site
Keweenaw (Rocket launch site)
The Keweenaw rocket launch site was an isolated launch pad located in U.S. state of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. It was used between 1964 and 1971 for launching rockets for meteorological data collection. NASA along with the University of Michigan conducted the project under the lead of Dr....
.
Communities
A partial list of towns in the Keweenaw Peninsula:- AhmeekAhmeek, MichiganAhmeek is a village in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 157. The village is in Allouez Township. The name Ahmeek is derived from the Ojibwa language. In Ojibway, amik means beaver....
- Atlantic Mine
- Bete Grise
- CalumetCalumet, MichiganCalumet is a village in Calumet Township, Houghton County, in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, that was once at the center of the mining industry of the Upper Peninsula. Also known as Red Jacket, the village includes the Calumet Downtown Historic District, listed on the National...
- ChassellChassell Township, MichiganChassell Township is a civil township of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,822 at the 2000 census.The township was organized on April 14, 1888, and named John Chassell, a prominent businessman and farmer whose farmland became the site of the community of...
- Copper HarborCopper Harbor, MichiganCopper Harbor is a small unincorporated community in northeastern Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is within Grant Township on the Keweenaw Peninsula that juts from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan into Lake Superior.-History:...
- DelawareDelaware, MichiganDelaware is an unincorporated community in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It was established in 1846 as a copper mining town. It is located in the Keweenaw Peninsula, ten miles south of Copper Harbor and around twenty five miles north of Calumet. When the town was first settled it...
- Dodgeville
- Dollar Bay
- DreamlandDreamland, MichiganDreamland is an unincorporated community on Copper Island , in Torch Lake Township, Houghton County, in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It has been described as being a "district of Bootjack" or in Bootjack, but is usually recognised as a separate town...
- Eagle Harbor
- Eagle RiverEagle River, MichiganEagle River is an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Keweenaw County.The community is on M-26 on the north side of the Keweenaw Peninsula, which projects into Lake Superior. It is about 27 miles northeast of Houghton and is situated in the northwest...
- FredaFreda, MichiganFreda, Michigan is an unincorporated community fifteen miles west of Houghton, Michigan, United States in the Stanton Township. Once a booming, dynamic town, Freda was a key part of the copper industry in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, on the western edge of the Keweenaw Peninsula...
- GayGay, MichiganGay is an unincorporated community in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is 12 miles from Lake Linden on Copper Island at the western end of the Upper Peninsula. Local government is provided by Sherman Township. As of 2000, its population is 60....
- HancockHancock, MichiganHancock is a city in Houghton County; the northernmost in the U.S. state of Michigan, located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, or, depending on terminology, Copper Island. The population was 4,634 at the 2010 census...
- HoughtonHoughton, MichiganHoughton is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and largest city in the Copper Country on the Keweenaw Peninsula. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,708. It is the county seat of Houghton County...
- HubbellHubbell, MichiganHubbell is an unincorporated community in Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The U.S. Census Bureau has defined an area around the community as a Census-designated place for statistical purposes. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 1,105...
- Hurontown
- Lac La BelleLac La Belle, MichiganLac La Belle , is the name given to both a lake and a small unincorporated community in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The town was originally the site of a stamping plant for the copper mines of the Keweenaw, specifically the Mendota Mine and the Delaware Mine...
- Lake LindenLake Linden, MichiganLake Linden is a village in Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,081 at the 2000 census. The village is mostly within Schoolcraft Township, though a tiny portion lies in Torch Lake Township.-History:...
- Lake Medora, Michigan
- LauriumLaurium, MichiganLaurium is a village in Calumet Township, Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan, in the center of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The population was 2,126 at the 2000 census.-History:...
- Little Betsy
- Mandan
- MasonMason, Houghton County, MichiganMason is a small community in Houghton County, Michigan that is the remainder of past Stamp mill operations at the Quincy Mining Company Stamp Mills. Still standing and mostly occupied are 23 mining company houses, all along M-26. Mason has been dubbed by some locals "shutter town," because each...
- Mohawk
- Osceola
- PainesdalePainesdale, MichiganPainesdale is an unincorporated community in Houghton County, Michigan, United States. Painesdale is located in Adams Township along M-26, southwest of South Range. Painesdale has a post office with ZIP code 49955.-History:...
- PelkiePelkie, MichiganPelkie is an unincorporated community in Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community is on the Sturgeon River in the northeast part of Baraga Township at ....
- PhoenixPhoenix, MichiganPhoenix is an unincorporated community in Keweenaw County, Michigan, United States. Phoenix lies at the junction of M-26 and US 41. Phoenix lies about two miles south of Eagle River, Michigan, near the shores of Lake Superior.-Copper:...
- QuincyQuincy, MichiganQuincy is a village in Branch County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,701 at the 2000 census.The village is located within Quincy Township on U.S. Highway 12. Note: there is also another Quincy Township in Houghton County.-Geography:...
- Redridge
- RipleyRipley, MichiganRipley is a small, unincorporated community in Franklin Township situated upon a slope, just east of Hancock on M-26 and across the Portage Lake Canal from Houghton....
- South RangeSouth Range, MichiganSouth Range is a village in Adams Township, Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is bordered on the east by the unincorporated community of Baltic. It is about five miles southwest of Houghton on M-26. The population was 727 at the 2000 census...
- TapiolaTapiola, MichiganTapiola is an unincorporated community in Houghton County, Michigan, United States. Tapiola is located in Portage Township, west of Keweenaw Bay.- History :...
- ToivolaToivola, MichiganToivola is an unincorporated community in Houghton County, Michigan, United States. The far-flung rural community is divided between Stanton Township, Adams Township, and Bohemia Township. It is found along M-26, southwest of South Range...
- Wyoming (Helltown)
See also
- Keweenaw National Historical ParkKeweenaw National Historical ParkKeweenaw National Historical Park is a unit of the U.S. National Park Service. Established in 1992, the park celebrates the life and history of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan...
- Copper mining in MichiganCopper mining in MichiganWhile it originated thousands of years earlier, copper mining in Michigan became an important industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its rise marked the start of copper mining as a major industry in the United States.-Geology:...
- ThimbleberryThimbleberryRubus parviflorus, commonly called thimbleberry or salmonberry, is a species of Rubus, native to western and northern North America, from Alaska east to Ontario and Michigan, and south to northern Mexico...
Further reading
., focuses on three companies, Calumet & Hecla, Copper Range, and Quincy, in a study of native copper mining and copper-sulfide mining on Upper Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula..Primary sources.