Michigan Tech, Then Called Michigan Mining School, Holds First Classes
On September 15, 1886, the future of higher education in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula began… in a fire hall. That’s right — the first classes of the Michigan Mining School (today’s Michigan Technological University) were held in the Houghton Fire Hall, with just four faculty members and 23 students eager to learn the science and engineering of mining.
The school’s founding was the result of determined lobbying by Jay Abel Hubbell, a local politician who convinced the state legislature to establish a school to train mining engineers for the booming copper industry. Hubbell even donated land for the school’s first real buildings — though it would be three years before the students moved out of the fire hall and into a proper classroom.
Becoming a University
By 1897, the little mining school had outgrown its name and became the Michigan College of Mines. As the decades rolled on, its curriculum expanded well beyond mining, and the school’s name evolved again — first to the Michigan College of Mining and Technology in 1927, and finally, in 1964, to Michigan Technological University. That last change reflected not only its growth into a full university, but also its status as a hub of advanced research.
Over the years, Michigan Tech has seen impressive developments — from the construction of the Memorial Union Building and the acquisition of an ice rink and golf course under President Grover C. Dillman, to the expansion of PhD programs under J. Robert Van Pelt. The school’s location on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake in Houghton is now home to 36 buildings across 925 acres, with more than 140 degree programs and nearly 7,000 students.
And of course, no Michigan Tech story is complete without a nod to its Huskies athletic teams. While most compete in NCAA Division II, the men’s hockey program is a Division I powerhouse with three national championships.
From its humble fire hall beginnings to becoming a top-ranked research university, Michigan Tech has stayed true to its engineering roots while growing into a place where innovation, technology, and a strong sense of community thrive — all while embracing its rugged U.P. heritage.
