Western Upper Peninsula

A Short-Lived Beacon of Michigan’s Copper Boom Perched above the south shore of Lake Superior, the Eagle River Light tells the story of a town that rose fast, thrived briefly, and then faded just as quickly. Though modest in size and operational life, this lighthouse played a vital role. It was significant during one of the most dramatic boom-and-bust eras in Northern Michigan history. Location and Early Importance The Eagle River Light is a decommissioned lighthouse located at the mouth of the Eagle River in the community of Eagle River on the Keweenaw Peninsula. Its history is closely tied to… Read More »

Guiding Ships Through a Rocky Entrance Eagle Harbor has long been an important refuge along Lake Superior’s rugged Keweenaw Peninsula. However, getting safely inside the harbor was never simple. Shallow water, a rocky reef, and increasing ship traffic from the region’s booming mining industry made navigation tricky. That challenge led to the creation of the Eagle Harbor Range Lights. These are a lesser-known but vital part of Northern Michigan’s maritime history. Early Navigation Challenges at Eagle Harbor A lighthouse was first established on the western side of Eagle Harbor in 1851. While it helped vessels locate the harbor, a rocky… Read More »

A Beacon on the Keweenaw Peninsula Perched on the rugged shoreline of Lake Superior, the Eagle Harbor Light has been guiding mariners for more than a century and a half. This striking red-brick lighthouse sits at the entrance to Eagle Harbor. A spot that was once bustling with mining activity and Great Lakes shipping. Today it shines as both an active navigational aid and a beloved historic site. It offers visitors a glimpse into the maritime heritage of Michigan’s northernmost peninsula. Early Days of Eagle Harbor: A Harbor With Promise Before there was a lighthouse, there was ambition. In 1844,… Read More »

Guiding Ships Through Michigan’s Copper Boom Perched at the entrance to the harbor of Copper Harbor, Michigan, the Copper Harbor Lighthouse has long stood as a steadfast sentinel on the Keweenaw Peninsula. Located within Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, this lighthouse is not only a Michigan State Historic Site. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It played a vital role in guiding ships during the region’s copper mining boom. This was a time when the Keweenaw was bustling with life, industry, and opportunity. A Beacon Born from the Copper Rush As copper mining exploded across… Read More »

Shining a Light on Copper Harbor Perched on the rugged shores of Lake Superior, the Copper Harbor Front Range Light has played a vital role in guiding mariners safely through one of Michigan’s most treacherous harbor entrances. The original Copper Harbor Lighthouse illuminated the general harbor area. Unfortunately, it could not safely direct ships through the narrow rock-strewn channel. This need led to the construction of the range lights in 1869. This marked a new chapter in maritime safety on Lake Superior. The Origins of Copper Harbor Range Lights The first Copper Harbor Lighthouse began operation in the spring of… Read More »

On October 31, 1936, on the shores of Lake Gogebic in northern Michigan, what began as a day out on the water turned into a heartbreaking tragedy. A motorboat carrying seven men and a 12-year-old boy capsized in deep water roughly 600 feet from shore. The waves were about two feet high, the water cold, and the boat overturned in water some 20 feet deep. One by one, the men and boy struggled to hold on to the overturned hull. Two men drowned while swimming toward shore, and a third lost his grip and was pulled under when the boat… Read More »

📞 From Rockland to the World When you think of the first independent telephone company in Michigan, you might assume it started in a big city—Detroit, Grand Rapids, maybe Ann Arbor. But in fact, it all began in Rockland, a small town of a few hundred residents in Ontonagon County in the Upper Peninsula. And it started thanks to the vision of one man: Linus Stannard. Stannard had been inspired after witnessing Alexander Graham Bell demonstrate his groundbreaking invention at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. Excited about the potential of this strange new device, he returned home and… Read More »

Keweenaw National Historical Park officially established on October 27, 1992. This preserved one of Michigan’s most fascinating and enduring stories, the history of copper mining in the Keweenaw Peninsula. This northern stretch of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is home to the largest known deposit of pure native copper in the world. A resource that has shaped cultures, industries, and communities for thousands of years. Keweenaw Copper The copper of the Keweenaw Peninsula is unique. Unlike most copper ores, it occurred here in an incredibly pure form, up to 97% pure. The purity of the copper allowed it to be hammered directly… Read More »

Douglass Houghton and Michigan’s Copper Discovery On this day in history, October 14, 1845 Dr. Douglass Houghton died at just 36 years old. He was Michigan’s pioneering state geologist and the man often called the “father of copper mining in the United States.” In 1840, Houghton conducted a detailed survey of the Upper Peninsula’s mineral resources. His 1841 report included more than 27 pages on copper and copper ore, famously noting that “the copper ores are not only of superior quality, but also that their associations are such as to render them easily reduced.” He even observed that the ore… Read More »

The 1844 Discovery That Built Michigan’s Mining Legacy On September 19, 1844, William Austin Burt and his surveying crew were trekking through the rugged Upper Peninsula wilderness when their compasses began acting strangely. The needles wavered and swung off course and not because of supernatural forces. But because they were standing atop one of the richest deposits of iron ore in North America: the Marquette Iron Range. The following year, the Jackson Mining Company opened the Jackson Mine, and with it, the foundation for the city of Negaunee, Michigan. Before long, Ishpeming followed. While the California Gold Rush of 1848… Read More »

🎡 From 50 Cents to a U.P. Tradition: If there’s one thing the Upper Peninsula knows how to do, it’s throw a fair that celebrates hard work, community pride, and just the right amount of fried food. On September 17, 1928, Escanaba welcomed visitors to the very first Upper Peninsula State Fair. It was a celebration born out of a 1927 law signed by Governor Fred W. Green to promote agriculture and industry in the region. Tickets cost just 50 cents for adults (a bargain even back then) and dropped to 25 cents after 6 p.m. The fair is an… Read More »

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… Read More »