Copper Harbor Lighthouse

Copper Harbor Lighthouse

About The Keweenaw Peninsula

  • Pronounced "KEE-wi-naw"
  • Northernmost part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula
  • Surrounded on 3 sides by Lake Superior
  • Opinions seem to differ as to where the Keweenaw Peninsula begins, but most consider it to include all of Keweenaw County, the majority of Houghton County and a small portion of Baraga County.
  • 2010 Census shows a total population of Houghton County and Keweenaw County as 38,784. Keweenaw County's population of 2,156 makes it the least populous county in Michigan.
  • Isle Royale is an island in Lake Superior and is part of Keweenaw County. It is located 56 miles from the Michigan shoreline, but within 15 miles of Minnesota and Canada.
  • Because of the area's copper mining history, it is also known as the Copper Country. We have also heard the northern end called Copper Island and the Upper Peninsula of the Upper Peninsula.
  • Main industries are logging and tourism.
  • The Portage Lift Bridge connects the northern end of the Keweenaw with the rest of the U.P. - separated by the Keweenaw Waterway between Houghton and Hancock. The middle section of the bridge is lifted to allow boats to pass. The bridge is made up of two decks. In the wintertime, the lower deck is used for snowmobile traffic.
  • Depending upon elevation and proximity to Lake Superior, seasonal snowfall averages in the Keweenaw Peninsula are between 220-270 inches.
  • The Keweenaw Peninsula has over 230 miles of snowmobile trails.















1 comment:

  1. Yep, Keweenaw is rich in mining history. In fact I would have to say that Calumet is the capitol of this gone bye era. Its the "ROSE" of this rich mining history. And to think you and Steve live right smack in the middle of it. Once shaft houses use to dot the landscape by the hundred,now there is only 6 left and three of them are right by you. (Two of them are scheduled to be torn down.) Also memorial of Ruth Ann Miller,the little girl who slipped in mile deep mine shaft is only two blocks away. Now is the time to stop and smell the roses.

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