National Park Service Park News U.S. Department of the Interior The official newspaper of Keweenaw National Historical Park and the Keweenaw Heritage Sites The Keweenaw Guide Summer 2010 Issue Welcome from the Why Care About History? Park Superintendent Here is an interesting Historical fact: in 1849, Welcome to one of America’s special places. the Cliff was the first Keweenaw copper mine to pay a dividend. Keweenaw National Historical Park exists because local citizens fought to recognize When the word “history” comes up in conversation, is “interesting” and preserve the rich history found on the the first word that leaps to mind? Or, does your head ache at the Keweenaw Peninsula. thought of memorizing dates and events? Maybe you remember the Opportunities for exploring what many call panic you felt in a high school exam, as you drew a blank about the the “Copper Country” are broad. While the War of 1812? federally designated parts of the park focus on surviving historic resources of two major While many people may be good at remembering the dates of copper mining companies, Quincy and Calu- long-ago legislation, wars, and dividends, history is really about met & Hecla, there is far more to the mining the people behind those events. Sometimes, individuals have story. This national park is comprised of at- influenced events so significantly that they create a legacy shared by tractions at state parks, museums, historical all Americans: Abraham Lincoln is a good example. Other lives have societies, historic districts, copper mines, a more immediate impact on local history and on us as individuals: and heritage centers. Park partners include our grandmothers, perhaps, or a favorite teacher that provided sites from Ontonagon to Copper Harbor and support as we progressed through school. tell stories as varied as the simple life found at the Hanka Homestead to the cosmopoli- tan experience enjoyed in Calumet. We often connect people with the places where significant events unfolded. Who can think of Lincoln without imagining Gettysburg, In fact, Calumet’s story will soon be told at or his inspirational memorial on the National Mall in Washington, the new Calumet Visitor Center, scheduled DC, itself the site of so many important moments in our nation’s to open in late summer 2011. Exhibits in the history? Who can drive by their old school and not be reminded center will detail community life in a place of old friends or perhaps a chemistry experiment gone awry? dominated by a mining company that not From the national stage to the kitchen table, the place where our only provided benefits to its employees, but history happened retains a special meaning for us as citizens and also influenced aspects of their lives. New individuals. immigrants of many nationalities struggled to maintain cultural identity while also fit- The Keweenaw, its copper, and its people have an important place ting into mainstream America. The exhibit will include hands-on activities, oral history in our nation’s history. Mining began here thousands of years ago, listening stations, video programs, and arti- when early American Indians arrived. The Ojibwe used it too, when facts illustrating life in Calumet. I hope you they settled the area in the early 1500s. Drawn by reports of its rich return to take in this exciting new exhibit. copper deposits, French priests and English explorers were among above: Mine workers at South Kearsarge #1 pose for a shift photograph in 1904. background: Isabella Everett’s tombstone quietly marks her final resting spot in the first Europeans to visit the region. They were followed in the the forest near the Cliff Mine site. This year, I invite you to visit the partner sites 1800s by Americans, Canadians, and waves of immigrants from that tell aspects of this rich story. Talk to Europe who came to work, establish homes, and start families. We trees, her grave is a quiet reminder that people–not just dividends– the staff at these sites, many of whom are see this history today in the ancient mines, 19th century shaft houses, are at the heart of history. It is also an example of the challenges volunteers donating countless hours. Take historic commercial districts, and streets of company housing. parents and children faced–and in some cases continue to face–in a mine or theatre tour. Thank these local frontier communities here, across the nation, and around the world. history boosters for their part in preserving We also find it in a small, overgrown cemetery at the Cliff mine, one of America’s stories. And come back once the most important mine in the Keweenaw. There, a gravestone Isabella Everett, Henry Hobart, and other histories like theirs enrich for more! With more than 20 partners com- prising this national park, there is plenty to marks the final resting place of ten year old Isabella Everett, who our understanding of this special place. Look beyond the dates and experience today and tomorrow. died of typhoid in 1864. Her schoolteacher Henry Hobart, who kept think of the lives behind the Keweenaw’s rich historical landscapes, a journal during his time at Cliff, lamented the loss of this “bright- neighborhoods, and towns. Jim Corless, Park Superintendent eyed little girl” who was “loved by all.” Surrounded by towering By Jo Urion, Park Historian Maps 3 Heritage Sites 4-5 Bookstore 7 Inside this Newspaper Visitor Information ……………………2 Calumet & Quincy Maps ..……………3 Keweenaw Heritage Sites ......……4-5 Park News ………………………………6 Park Bookstore …………………………7 These maps will help you explore the The map and information on these pages Want to learn more of the history of the Calumet & Quincy areas of the park. will help you visit our park partners. Copper Country? Check out these items. Interpretive Services ………………….8 National Park Service Visitor Services And Facilities U.S. Department of the Interior Keweenaw NHP Information DESK Food and Restaurants Located in the entrance to the A variety of restaurants are lo- Accessibility Quincy Mine Gift Shop, staff at cated throughout the Keweenaw Park headquarters in Calumet the National Park Service in- Peninsula. Grocery stores are also and our information desk at Keweenaw National Historical Park formation desk can provide travel and trip available in all major communities. Quincy Mine are accessible. Other planning information on the park and the National Park Service facilities located in Keweenaw National Historical Park was Keweenaw Heritage Sites. Camping historic structures and several Keweenaw established to preserve and interpret the Phone (906) 482-0650 (summer only) Camping options, including natural and cultural resources related Heritage Sites are not accessible at this June 19 to september 6, 2010 both primitive and developed to the copper mining industry for the time. Information on which sites have Daily – 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. sites, are available across the enjoyment and benefit of current and accessible facilities is located on the back Keweenaw Peninsula. Fort Wilkins, future generations through cooperative page of the newspaper. Sites indicated as Park Headquarters Porcupine Mountains, McLain, Baraga efforts and partnerships with state and local accessible may require assistance in certain Keweenaw National Historical and Twin Lakes state parks have public governments, public and private entities. areas. Other parts of the site may not be Park Headquarters, located just campgrounds. Community-operated and accessible. Contact the sites directly for Mailing Address off U.S. Highway 41 at 25970 Red private campgrounds are also available. For further information on accessibility prior to Keweenaw National Historical Park Jacket Road in Calumet, provides park in- more information, contact the Keweenaw your visit. 25970 Red Jacket Road formation with a staffed reception desk and Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800- Calumet, MI 49913 book sales area. 338-7982 or visit www.keweenaw.info. open Monday through friday, E-mail 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Lodging [email protected] closed on all federal Holidays. A full range of hotels, motels, bed and breakfast inns and cabins are Website Special Events found across the Keweenaw Pen- www.nps.gov/kewe Many local communities and heritage sites insula. Contact the Keweenaw Convention Left: Visitors are greeted by a new park sign as they enter Calumet. Park Headquarters offer special events including parades, musi- and Visitors Bureau for more information. Center: A park ranger provides a guided tour of (906) 337-3168 cal performances, theatrical presentations, 1-800-338-7982 or www.keweenaw.info. surface ruins at Quincy Mine. Right: A reception area inside park headquarters festivals and more. Check the schedule of provides visitors with information on park and area Fax Number events page on the park website for details. attractions. (906) 337-3169 2010 Keweenaw Guide Editing and Design: Dan Johnson Contributors: Tom Baker, Jim Corless, Dan Johnson, Scott See, Jo Urion. Printed by Vertis Communications in Shakopee, Minnesota. Printed on recycled paper using agri-based inks. Please Recycle. The National Park Service cares for the special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage. Keweenaw by the Numbers Keweenaw Heritage Sites - 1 of the first large-scale mining rushes Mileage Chart in the United States started on Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula in 1844. The California Gold Rush began in 1848. A.E. Seaman Mineral Seaman A.E. Museum Mining Adventure Company sites area Calumet Site Mine Central Heritage Chassell Center Range Copper Museum Historical Copper Delaware Mine Light Harbor Eagle Museum & house Finnish-American Center Heritage Historic Wilkins Fort Park State Homestead Hanka Museum County Houghton Museum Historical Manor Laurium Tours Mansion Victoria Old Townsite County Ontonagon Museum Historical Mountains Porcupine Park WildernessState Tours Mine Quincy A.E.