What Is Keweenaw National Historical Park?
This patchwork of 21 heritage sites tells the story of copper mining on Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula!
What Makes It Historical?
Over 7,000 years ago, Native ancestors of the Chippewa and Ojibwe discovered large deposits of copper ore underground on the Keweenaw (“crossing place”) Peninsula and used heavy stones to break the copper out of its base rock! From this copper, they made all sorts of neat things, from bracelets to tools to fishhooks!
The Ojibwe passed this knowledge along to their new allies, the French, in 1621, and Alexander Henry of England tried mining it for a year in 1721, but large-scale copper mining didn’t get started here until Michigan became the 26th state of the USA. The Treaty of La Pointe transferred mineral rights from the Ojibwe to the US Government in 1842, and within two years, there was an industrial mine (Pittsburgh and Boston Mining Company) and a fort (Fort Wilkins) to protect it!
But Keweenaw National Historical Park focuses on two communities: Quincy and Calumet! The Quincy Mining Company opened up first in 1848, digging into the amygdaloid copper of the Pewabic Lode! After a decade of struggling, they made it work, paying dividends every year from 1862 to 1920 out of mines that stretched 9,260 feet underground!
Meanwhile, 12 miles north, Edwin J. Hulbert opened the Calumet and Hecla Mining Companies during a spike of demand for copper during the Civil War! In the aftermath of the war, with Alexander Agassiz at the helm, the two companies merged, churning out 8,100 tons of copper a year at a profit of $2,400,000 ($618 million in 2024), driven by the rise of wire communication and electricity! Around the mines grew the town of Red Jacket (later Calumet), equipped with churches, libraries, and the Calumet Theatre, which made Calumet a national destination for entertainment! It was not to last, though! The one-two punch of the Great Depression and the end of World War II sent copper prices plummeting and the mines out of business, having dug up five and a quarter million tons of copper for use all across the globe!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer at Keweenaw National Historical Park!
- Donate to the Isle Royale & Keweenaw Parks Association!
- Be a responsible visitor! Remember the old adages: Pack out what you pack in! Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints!
How Do I Get There?
Calumet Unit HQ
- 98 5th St
Calumet, MI 49913
Quincy Unit HQ
- 49750 US-41
Hancock, MI 49930
When Should I Visit the Park?
Your best bet of getting into the visitor center will be to visit between June and September when it’s open daily from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM! The rest of the year, hours are patchy, and the rest of the heritage sites have individual hours set by their private operators!
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