Munising to Calumet, MI

We've been in the UP (Upper Penninsula) for 4 days (since Sault Ste. Marie). Today, we continued Westward onto Keweenah Penninsula jutting into Lake Superior. This area is also called Copper Country, with Calumet considered the heart of it. More on the copper story as our journey continues.

Enroute to Calumet, we stopped at Marquette, the largest city in the UP, nestled on the shores of Lake Superior. We walked through several coastal trails on Presque Isle Park, a public park of natural forest, rocky outcrops, secluded coves and beaches.  We watched a cross country skier gliding along on her practice (wheeled) skis. A dog swam in the lake, joggers and bikers whizzed by, and we were enchanted by this idyllic setting.

We pondered a massive steel structure on the shore, connected to a railroad, and watched a huge ship slowly ease in place alongside it. This was Marquette’s Upper Harbor Ore Dock, and, unfortunately, we didn't stay long enough to watch iron ore pellets loading onto the freighter.

We arrived at Calumet mid-afternoon, got settled in our Air B&B 3 BR house. Next up - The Calumet Visitor Center. This is not just any city visitor center. Nope. It is part of the Keweenah National Historic Park, staffed by the National Park Service. In the impressive historic building (1889 and lots of gorgeous oak)., there are three floors of exhibits, films, and activities about what life was like 100 years ago during the copper boom. In a fluke of timing, the city was celebrating the installation of a bronze statue of Annie Clemenc, a social activist instrumental in the fight for worker's rights during the 1913-14 Copper Miners' Strike in this town.  I'm in awe that the whole town turned out to honor this historic female leader!

To sum up what we learned - the copper industry BUILT Calumet and the entire Keweenah Penninsula, turning a remote wilderness into a global mining powerhouse that produced half the nation's copper in the late 19th century and sparked a massive immigration boom (more on that later).Read more