Keweenaw
National Historical Park

Keweenaw National Historical Park was established on October 27, 1992 to commemorate the many stories of copper mining and the copper mining life on the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan. Jutting into Lake Superior, the Keweenaw contains the only place in the world where commercially abundant quantities of pure, native copper occurred. It has the oldest metal mining heritage in the western hemisphere -- one which dates back 7,000 years. It was the site of America's first large scale hard-rock industrial mining operations. Many of the processes developed here were fundamental to the success of later mining activity throughout America.

The copper mines of the Keweenaw were critical to the industrial development of the United States since they assured entrepreneurs that sufficient supplies of the red metal were available to supply greatly expanding markets, especially as the nation blossomed with the increasing use of electricity. Mine shafts here reached over 9,000 feet deep. The men who labored, and sometimes died in these mines, along with the women who nurtured them at home, gave the Keweenaw a rich mix of language, costume and custom. Their children and their children's children are now working with the National Park Service to share these many stories with all the people of America at a national park which relies on partnerships with local communities in the Keweenaw.

There are about 1700 acres within the two units of the park. Much of that area is, and will remain, in private ownership. Rather than purchasing all the land within the boundary, as has normally been the case, this park will own only limited areas where it will preserve key structures and sites and conduct its interpretive activities. Preservation assistance grants, requiring a match of four other dollars for each federal dollar, will be available to private property owners within the boundaries.

In addition, there are a series of Cooperating Sites scattered across a one hundred mile section of the Keweenaw Peninsula. These sites, a mix of public, private non-profit and private for- profit operations, are cooperating with the NPS to provide interpretive and visitor services while requiring a relatively small investment of NPS staff and money.

VISITATION:

Peak visitation to the Keweenaw occurs in July and August; lowest visitation and the least availability of services is in April.

 

LOCATION:

On the Keweenaw Peninsula of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

 

ADDRESS:

Keweenaw National Historical Park
Post Office Box 471
Calumet, MI 49931

 

TELEPHONE:

1(800)338-7982 (Keweenaw Tourism Council -- use for general park information) (906)337-3168 (park office; use for detailed operational questions)

 

OPERATING HOURS, SEASONS:

There are presently no facilities operated by the National Park Service. Hours and days of operation at the Cooperating Sites vary with the season. Check with the Keweenaw Tourism Council, which is presently acting as the park's information office, for specific details. Greatest visitor activity occurs from Memorial Day through early October, to the end of the color season. Winter activities are greatest from late November through the end of March.

 

CLIMATE, RECOMMENDED CLOTHING:

Lake Superior controls the weather of the Keweenaw year around. Early summer can be quite cool, especially near the Lake. By mid-summer, temperatures are usually mild, with daytime highs in the mid to upper 70's (F) and cool nights. September and October normally continue quite mild. Colors peak from the last week of September to the first week of October; brief, light snows may occur, but the temperature quickly warms up, moderated by the waters of Lake Superior at their warmest annual level. True winter snows begin in mid to late November; the ground is normally covered from Thanksgiving to Easter. Lake Superior's gradually cooling waters create an average annual snowfall which ranges from about 180 inches to 250 inches in different parts of the Peninsula. While creating abundant snowfall, the relatively warm Lake waters keep temperatures much milder than in surrounding areas of Minnesota and Ontario. Spring is a season which is relatively foreign to the Keweenaw.

 

DIRECTIONS:

The Quincy Unit of the park is located just north of Hancock, Michigan, along U.S. 41. The Calumet Unit is located in and around the village of Calumet, about 8 miles farther north on Highway 41. Directions to the Cooperating Sites may be obtained from the Keweenaw Tourism Council.

 

TRANSPORTATION:

To Park: daily scheduled air service is provided to the Houghton County Memorial Airport (CMX) by Northwest Airlink (800)225-2525). Inter-city bus service, connecting to major inter-state routes, is provided by Superior Transportation, at (906) 487-6511.  In Park: cab service is available in the Calumet, Hancock and Houghton areas. Rental cars are available at the airport and from several automobile dealers. A trackless trolley serves the Calumet Unit during the summer months. Excursion boats operate on the Keweenaw Waterway during the summer months.

 

FEES, COSTS, RATES:

Each Cooperating Site manages its own admissions policy and fee structure. A daily or annual motor vehicle pass is required to enter Ft. Wilkins, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness and McLain State Parks. Fees at the other sites range from free with donations of $10 per person for the full surface and underground tour of the Quincy mine hoist and mine.

 

FACILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES:

Visitor Center, Exhibits:
General visitor orientation is provided by the Keweenaw Tourism Council offices in downtown Houghton and at Calumet. The Cooperating Sites offer a variety of visitor services; see the section on Recommended Activities, below.

 

          Trails, Roads:

Hiking and cross-country ski trails are available at Ft. Wilkins, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness and McLain State Parks. Extensive ski trails at the Porkies are served by the chairlifts for the downhill ski area. The Swedetown ski trails, located adjacent to the Calumet Unit, provide a section of lighted trails. Several hundred miles of groomed snowmobile trails run throughout the peninsula. A number of these trails, and lightly travelled rural roads, provide an excellent network for mountain and road bikes. A water trail, for paddlers and small power craft, along the Keweenaw Waterway and Torch Lake, is under development. Good highways connect the Cooperating Sites, providing a scenic overview of the natural and human history of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The Brockway Mountain Drive, near Copper Harbor, is consistently rated as one of the top scenic drives in the United States.

 

          Programs/Activities:

The National Park Service does not provide visitor services at this time.   Interpreters, often in period costume, are at most of the Cooperating Sites during the summer. Museum displays, wayside exhibits and self-guiding brochures round out the visitor services.

 

          Lodging and camping facilities:

A full range of hotels, motels, bed and breakfast inns, public and privately operated cabin rentals and campgrounds are found throughout the Keweenaw Peninsula. Contact the Keweenaw Tourism Council (800)338-7982) for details.

 

          Food/Supplies:

A full range of restaurants, groceries, general merchandise and specialty stores are found throughout the Keweenaw. The major commercial services are found in the Houghton-Hancock and Calumet areas.

 

          Other Concessions/NPS-Managed Visitor Facilities and

Opportunities:
See Adjacent Visitor Attractions, below.

 

          Accessibility:

Most of the Cooperating Sites are accessible, although chair users may require some assistance. Most restaurants are accessible, as are most of the hotels and motels. Detailed information may be obtained from the Keweenaw Tourism Council and the ADA Resource Network of the Keweenaw, at (906)482-4477.

 

          Special Needs:

Hospitals and emergency room services are located in the Calumet and Houghton-Hancock areas.

 

RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES/PARK USE:

Details on the location and features of the Cooperating Sites follow:

Quincy Mine Hoist & Underground Mine:
Learn the story of the Quincy Mining Company and see the largest steam hoist in the world; also underground tours which give a first hand view of the copper mines, their equipment and its use. Orientation map to all of the Cooperating Sites.

[Just north of Hancock on U.S. 41. Open daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Limited spring and fall hours. Please call for details. (906)482-3101]

Fort Wilkins State Park:
Built in 1844 to provide some semblance of order on the Keweenaw frontier, Ft. Wilkins is a well-preserved example of a nineteenth century military post. It offers a chance to explore the daily routine of service and hardship through a number of restored buildings, museum exhibits and costumed interpreters.

[Just beyond Copper Harbor, along U.S. 41. Open 8:00 a.m. to dusk daily, mid-May to mid-October. Modern campground. (906) 289-4215]

Keweenaw County Historical Museum:
Shipping on Lake Superior was the lifeline of the Keweenaw in the early years. Learn about the ships and tour one of the lighthouses they depended upon. Eagle Harbor was one of the first ports developed on the Keweenaw.

[In Eagle Harbor, along M-26, between Calumet and Copper Harbor. Open daily, noon to 5:00 p.m.; June to September. (906)289- 4990]

Houghton County Historical Museum:
Located in the former mill office of the Calumet & Hecla Mining Company, the museum offers an extensive glimpse into the daily life of Houghton County's past.

[Along M-26 in Lake Linden, between Hancock and Calumet. Open Mon - Sat, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; June to September. (906) 296-4121]

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park:
Michigan's largest state park contains numerous early historic mining sites; virgin forest offers a glimpse of the conditions known by the prehistoric Native American, the voyageur, and the early European American miners.

[15 miles west of Ontonagon on M-107. Open all year; visitor center hours limited. Modern and backcountry camping; scenic drive. (906)885-5275]

Old Victoria:
The old Victoria restoration preserves a series of small log houses built to accommodate early miners. Its isolated setting will help you appreciate the conditions faced by the miners and their families.

[At Rockland on U.S. 45, go 5 miles SW on the Victoria Road. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., summers only (906)884-4735]

Hanka Homestead:
A goal of many Finnish immigrants to the Keweenaw was to work in the mines until they could afford to buy or homestead their own small, self-sufficient farm. The Hanka Homestead preserves just such a small farm; Hanka Homestead features hewn log buildings in a pristine cutlural landscape, largely unaltered since the turn of the century.

[Along U.S. 41 between Baraga and Houghton, turn W on the Arnheim road. Follow signs about 6 miles. Open noon to 4 p.m. daily except Wednesday, from Memorial Day to mid-October. (906)353- 7116]

Seaman Mineralogical Museum:
Learn about the geological forces which produced the most extensive concentration of pure native copper in the world and see the finest display of minerals from the Lake Superior Copper District. Michigan's official mineral museum.

[Located on the 5th floor of the Electrical Energy Resources Center on the Campus of Michigan Technological University. Open Mon - Fri, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. all year; Saturdays noon to 4:00 p.m. through October. (906)487-2572]

Delaware Copper Mine:
One of the oldest mines on the Keweenaw, the Delaware offers a number of underground and surface tours.

[Along U.S. 41, between Calumet and Copper Harbor. Open daily, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in May, Sept. and Oct.; 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in June, July and Aug. (906)289-4688]

F.J. McLain State Park:
Since ancient times, travellers used a shortcut across the peninsula -- up Portage River and across Portage Lake to a low portage at the north side. To the Ojibway, this was the "keweenaw." As modern mining developed in the mid 19th Century, a canal was dug along the portage route and the Keweenaw Waterway was born, providing ready access to the world's markets.

[Along M-203, midway between Calumet and Hancock. Open all year, modern campground. (906)482-0278]

Historic Calumet:
A village rich with history and architecture, Calumet is one of the main focal points of the new park. Start your visit at the Keweenaw Tourism Council chalet along U.S. 41. Coppertown Museum [(906)337-4534] offers an excellent overview of the Calumet & Hecla story. Tours are also available at the Calumet Theatre [(906)337-2610], the Fireman's Museum, St. Paul's Church [(906)337-2044] and the Laurium Manor [(906)337-2549] in nearby Laurium. Hours and days of opening vary.

Brochures describing walking tours of the commercial and residential areas are available at most locations. Conducted tours on a trackless trolley are available during the summer season. Restaurants and shops are concentrated on Fifth and Sixth streets. A variety of performances are presented at Calumet Theatre throughout the year.

RESERVATIONS/PERMITS:

As with any operating theater, reservations are always recommended for performances at the Calumet Theatre, (906)337- 2610. Tickets for the Quincy Mine Tour often sell out during July and August; drop by the Quincy Hoist gift shop early in the morning to purchase tickets for later tours. Cabin rentals at McLain and Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Parks are handled directly by the park offices. Reservations for the modern campgrounds at these parks and Ft. Wilkins State Park may be made by calling (800)543-2937. This is also the number for state-wide Michigan travel information. Permits are required for backcountry camping at the Porkies.

 

BASIC VISIT RECOMMENDATIONS:

Three days should be allowed to comfortably visit all of the Cooperating Sites of Keweenaw National Historical Park.

 

SPECIAL EVENTS, PROGRAMS:

A rich variety of programs and special activities occurs throughout the Keweenaw Peninsula all year, celebrating the rich human and natural heritage of the area. Information on upcoming events is available from the Keweenaw Tourism Council. Information on current activities is available in the Houghton- Hancock area on the park's traveler's information radio, at 1610 on the AM dial.

 

VISITOR IMPACTS:

At present, none of the property within the park's boundaries is owned or operated by the National Park Service. Visitors are asked to respect private property rights. Many of the important industrial buildings of the Quincy Mining Company and the Calumet & Hecla Mining Company are in declining physical condition. Entry into these buildings, without the consent of the present owners, is not only illegal, it is extremely hazardous.

 

ADJACENT VISITOR ATTRACTIONS:

Houghton is also the location for the headquarters of Isle Royale National Park, an isolated wilderness island about 50 miles offshore of the Keweenaw. Call (906)482-0984 for detailed information about Isle Royale National Park. Complete information about traveling throughout Michigan's Upper Peninsula may be obtained from the Upper Peninsula Travel and Recreation Association at (800)562-7134. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, (906)387-2607, is about three hours east of the Keweenaw. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, (715)779-3397, is about three hours west of the Keweenaw. The Ottawa National Forest, (906)932-1330, is located just south of the Keweenaw Peninsula.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

For very specific information or questions, which cannot be supplied by contacting the Keweenaw Tourism Council, (800)338- 7982, or the Cooperating Sites, contact the park superintendent at (906)337-3168 (voice); (906)337-3169 (fax); or on the Internet: kewe_superintendent@nps.gov.

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Last Updated: Friday, February 5, 1999 3:00 PM
http://www.nps.gov/kewe/index.html

We welcome your comments and suggestions to editor: Smitty Parratt