Western Upper Peninsula

Exploring the History of Michigan’s Western Upper Peninsula

The Western Upper Peninsula is a place where history feels tied closely to the land. Copper mining, logging camps, and small towns grew along the shores of Lake Superior, each shaped by both opportunity and isolation. Here, you can explore stories of industry, resilience, and the communities that took root in one of Michigan’s most rugged regions

Western Upper Peninsula Hauntings

Western Upper Peninsula Hauntings

Join Northern Michigan History in our 5 part series as we explore the most haunted places in northern Michigan. This is our last installment in the series and we have found our way to the Western Upper Peninsula. Strange lights, actresses that never leave the theater and chainsaws in cemeteries. The western end of the U.P. is not to be messed with! Keweenaw Peninsula Calumet Theater – Legend is that Shakespearean actress, Madame Helena Modjeska who died in 1909 in the theater and that she never left. Lake Breeze – Originally a warehouse built in 1850s by William Raley that… Read More »


Zeba Indian United Methodist Church

Zeba Michigan

In the early 19th century Methodism was not practice west of Sault Ste. Marie. In 1832 Shaw-wun-dais (“sultry heat”) better known as John Sunday a Native American from Canada who become a missionary headed west to Kewawenon (Keweenaw Bay). He settled in the town of Zeba northeast of L’Anse. There he erected a log house to educate other natives about Christianity and the Methodism. John Sunday was a member of the Mississauga Tribe from central upper Canada. He was ordained in 1836 as a minister of the Methodist Church. Him and his wife Mary lost 10 children during the course… Read More »