Side Roads
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Keweenaw Countryby Jim Elder "In the winter nobody hurries because it is too cold...In the summer, hurrying might make you miss a lakescape view..."
My first taste of the Keweenaw, the tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, was in the winter. Winter on the Upper Peninsula, known by the locals simply as "the UP," is really winter. Snowfall in many years sets national records. Only the high Sierra in northern California and the Olympics in Washington are in the same league. And storms. Great, howling, dark storms roll onto the UP off Lake Superior. Awesome and exciting, if one is in a warm lakeside cafe or a cozy inn. We were on a commercial photo assignment. The storm had shut down our work, so we sought refuge in the aforementioned cafe and played Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" until we ran out of coins. And became addicted to the UP. The next visit was again in the winter. This time the sun was shining, shining on the phantasmagoric ice sculptures created by wind and water along the shoreline. Giant ghostly shapes, rivaling anything conjured up by Dr. Seuss. As on the first visit, the ice and snow and cold winds were more than balanced by the warm hospitality of the few "natives" who winter on the Keweenaw. In the summertime, snowbird locals return, along with tourists. The tourists are drawn by historic copper mine ruins, picture-book port villages, lighthouses, winding woodland roads, inland lakes, good fishing, birding, and the most northerly "manana" laid-back pace in North America. In the winter nobody hurries because it is too cold. Hurrying might break something, like your ears or hair or boots. In the summer, hurrying might make you miss a lakescape view, a deer in the woods, or a new entry on your bird list. Copper Harbor, at the tip of the Keweenaw, is the departure point to Isle Royale. Hikers and campers take the boat to commune with the woods, wolves, and moose of Isle Royale National Park. Copper (the locals drop the Harbor, as if it were taken for granted) was first famous for copper ore discoveries, beginning in 1843. By 1894, government troops were needed to keep order and construction was begun on Fort Wilkins, just east of the townsite. Fort Wilkins is now restored and is a popular visitor attraction. The 1849 lighthouse was rebuilt in 1867, still stands, and is a favorite camera target. From the summit of Brockway Mountain (735 feet above Copper) one can see Isle Royale 56 miles to the northwest. A 4x4 trail east from Fort Wilkins leads to the very tip of the Keweenaw, where two unimproved camp areas promise absolute solitude, great views of the lake, and sometimes glimpses of passing ships. The initial copper boom busted. Richer deposits south reduced Cooper Harbor to a sleepy fishing port until tourism, sport fishing, and the Isle Royale shuttle revived the economy. Mining exhibits at the Delaware Mine, south of Copper Harbor, offer fascinating glimpses into the mining history of the Keweenaw country. Many of the original settlers were Cornish miners and Finnish woodsmen. Early immigrants included fishermen and farmers. Today's Keweenaw preserves much of this old-world culture. You can find "pasties" -- a Cornish meat pie -- in many cafes. A real working-man's breakfast is normal fare in restaurants, especially in Hancock and Calumet: walleye filets, hash browns, pancakes, ham or bacon, and an endless refill of strong coffee. No donut and decaf diets for these hardy folks. Just up U.S. 41 from Hancock is the Quincy Mine Hoist, reportedly the largest mine hoist ever, anywhere. It weighs 880 tons, is housed in a four-story building, and can lift 10 tons. The hoist and underground mine tours are open to visitors mid-June through Labor Day. While the Quincy Mine and some other tourist attractions close for the fall and winter seasons, the Keweenaw scenery does not. In fact, the autumn colors in Copper country rival any of New England's fall foliage fireworks. The southern border of Keweenaw County is the Keweenaw Waterway, which cuts the peninsula in half. It was created by dredging Portage Lake and digging a canal. Recreational and commercial boat traffic make this a busy shortcut from Lake Superior to Keweenaw Bay. The Waterway saves more than time -- the north shore and the tip of the peninsula can be dangerous water in storms. Sport fishermen drive, sail, and fly to the Copper country each year, to fish Lake Superior and the inland lakes. Bete Grise Bay is a favorite deep lake area. Nearby Lac La Belle is also a productive fishery. Charter boats are available at lakeshore towns all around the county. The recreational, scenic, and historical attractions of the Keweenaw have been appreciated by locals and visitors for decades. But preservation of these treasures have been left to chance, private ownership decisions, and in some cases local policy. To coordinate these efforts (quoting from the Keweenaw National Historical Park mission statement), "When Congress created Keweenaw National Historical Park in October 1992, it created the first national park system unit to commemorate the rich and complex story of copper mining on the Keweenaw Peninsula. The park is in the center of the Keweenaw, a small peninsula that extends about 100 miles into Lake Superior from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The two park units, Quincy and Calumet, encompass historic industrial, commercial, and residential landscapes and structures situated along the extensive Copper Range, the belt of copper-bearing rock that forms the spine of the peninsula. "Congress directed the Secretary of the Interior to prepare a general management plan in consultation with the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission. The purpose of a general management plan is to help guide park managers during the next 10 to 15 years in opening the park to the public, managing the park's resources, and telling the copper mining story." This farsighted plan will provide ongoing opportunities for visitors to enjoy the rich heritage of the Copper country. Copyright © 1999 Jim Elder. All
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