Keweenaw Heritage Sites

Visitors stroll by a former miner's cabin at Old Victoria, a Keweenaw Heritage Site.

NPS Photo, Dan Johnson

 

Look for this logo which identifies  Keweenaw Heritage Sites.

Keweenaw National Historical Park was established to preserve and interpret the story of the rise, domination and decline of the region’s copper mining industry. Unlike many parks, however, the U.S. Congress legislated that the National Park Service and the park's advisory commission partner with sites owned and operated by state and local governments, private businesses and nonprofit organizations to achieve this goal. The Keweenaw Heritage Sites program, administered by the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission, is one aspect of this partnership.

Keweenaw Heritage Sites contain significant cultural and/or natural resources and make a unique contribution to the copper mining story. Embodying stories of hardship, ingenuity, struggle and success, each site allows you to explore the role mining played in people’s lives here and afar.



Heritage sites operate independently of the National Park Service. Admissions and hours may vary. Sites stretch along the length of the Keweenaw Peninsula, from Copper Harbor to south of Ontonagon.

Download a map of the Keweenaw Heritage Sites. Map is an Adobe pdf file.

Visit the Keweenaw Heritage Sites expanded website for a calendar of events, hours and fees.

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Interested in volunteering at one of the Keweenaw Heritage Sites? Download this
list of volunteer needs. (Adobe pdf)

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Adventure Mining Company
The Adventure Mine operated here from 1850 into the 1920s. Today, this privately-owned site provides a variety of guided tours that include both the surface ruins and undergound workings and range from a 45-minute walk to a 3-hour excursion.
Location: 200 Adventure Avenue, Greenland, Michigan
Phone: [phone]

 

A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum
Exhibits on native copper and an extensive mineral collection help visitors learn about the Keweenaw Peninsula's geology, understand the copper formation process and explore the history of mining.
Location: Michigan Technological University, 1404 E. Sharon Avenue, Houghton, Michigan
Phone: [phone]

 

Calumet Theatre
Built in 1899, the oldest municipally-built opera house in the country still offers a variety of theatrical and musical events throughout the year. Guided and self-guided tours are available.
Location: 340 Sixth Street, Calumet, Michigan
Phone: [phone]

 

Chassell Heritage Center
The community of Chassell developed on the site of a lumber mill that provided timbers for bracing mine shafts and lumber for buildings at many of the mine sites. The heritage center features exhibits following the community's history from a fishing and lumber town to today.
Location: 42373 Hancock Street, Chassell, Michigan
Phone: [phone]

 

Copper Range Historical Museum
Stories of the Copper Range Mining Company, its workers, and community life of this historic company town are displayed here. Nearby Painesdale is one of the best preserved copper company towns.
Location: Trimountain Ave. (formerly Michigan State Highway 26), South Range, Michigan
Phone: [phone]

 

Coppertown Mining Museum
Exhibits provide insights into operations at the copper mining giant, Calumet & Hecla. Housed in C&H’s pattern shop on Red Jacket Road, the building is a key historic element in the Calumet industrial landscape.
Location: 25815 Red Jacket Road, Calumet, Michigan
Phone: [phone]

 

Delaware Copper Mine
This privately-owned mine site provides tours of one of the oldest underground copper mines on the Keweenaw Peninsula.
Location: Off U.S. Highway 41, 12 miles south of Copper Harbor
Phone: [phone]

 

Finnish American Heritage Center & Historical Archive
Finlandia University's Finnish American Heritage Center houses a theater, art gallery, and the Finnish American Historical Archive.The archive houses the largest collection of Finnish-North American materials in the world. Along with archival materials, the collection includes genealogical resources, information about Finnish culture, artifacts, and North America's largest collection of Finnish-American artwork.
Location: 601 Quincy Street, Hancock, Michigan
Phone: [phone]

 

Fort Wilkins Historic State Park
Built in 1844, this military fort provided order on the Keweenaw frontier and protected the area’s copper resources during the Civil War. Costumed interpreters, restored buildings and museum exhibits explore daily routine in the military service.
Location: U.S. Highway. 41, Copper Harbor, Michigan
Phone: [phone]

 

Hanka Homestead Museum
Mining provided job security, but many Finnish immigrants longed for their former farming lifestyle. Some homesteaded on marginal farm lands known as "stump farms." It was a difficult but self-reliant life. Volunteers provide guided tours of the farm, restored to its 1920s appearance.
Location: approximately 3 miles west of U.S. Highway 41, off Tower Road Pelkie, Michigan
Phone: [phone]

 

Houghton County Historical Museum
The museum features artifacts and photographs spanning over 100 years of mining life. Take a train ride behind a C&H Porter 0-4-0 Steam Engine.
Location: 5500 Michigan State Highway 26, Lake Linden, Michigan
Phone: [phone]

 

Keweenaw County Historical Society
The society administers five sites throughout Keweenaw County including the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse, Central Mine & Village, Phoenix Church, Rathbone School and the Bammert Blacksmith Shop. Visitor Centers are located at the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse and Central Mine.
Location: throughout Keweenaw County, Lighthouse is in Eagle Harbor
Phone: [phone]

 

Keweenaw Heritage Center at St. Anne's
Constructed of Jacobsville sandstone, this former church stands at the entrance to downtown Calumet. Special exhibits are occasionally offered such as the current one on area churches. In 2007, the Keweenaw Heritage Center will host the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit, Key Ingredients, which focuses on ethnic foods.
Location: 25880 Red Jacket Road, Calumet, Michigan
Phone: [phone]

 

Laurium Manor Mansion Tours
Thomas Hoatson, a wealthy mining captain, built this 45-room home in 1908 using some of the finest and rarest building materials available. Today the inn offers self-guided tours and lodging year-round.
Location: 320 Tamarack Street, Laurium, Michigan
Phone: [phone]

 

Old Victoria
This group of small log houses once provided lodging for miners of the Victoria Mining Company. Today, a group of volunteers is working to preserve this early copper mining site. Guided tours interpret the rigors and solitude of miners and their families in the 1890s.
Location: Victoria Dam Road, Rockland, Michigan
Phone: [phone]
email

 

Ontonagon County Historical Society
Copper mining began early in Ontonagon County and continued until the White Pine Mine closed in the late 1990s. The community of Ontonagon served as important port in the early days of mining. The historical society's museum includes many artifacts related to mining and other topics. Tours are also provided of the nearby lighthouse.
Location: 422 River Street, Ontonagon, Michigan
Phone: [phone]

 

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
Michigan’s largest state park contains numerous historic copper mining sites. The 59,000-acre park also offers day-hiking, backpacking, camping, remote cabins, canoeing, kayaking, biking and winter sports.
Location: West of Ontonagon, Michigan on Michigan State Route 107
Phone: [phone]

 

Quincy Mine & Hoist
Explore the former Quincy Mining Company on a 2-hour tour that includes a walk through surface structures, a ride on a cogwheel tram and a trip into the underground mine workings. Shorter tours of the buildings are also available.
Location: 49750 U.S. Highway 41, Hancock, Michigan
Phone: [phone]

 

Copper Country Firefighters History Museum
The historic former Red Jacket Fire Station was built of Jacobsville sandstone around the turn of the century. The second floor features exhibits dedicated to the history of fire fighting in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Location: 327 Sixth Street, Calumet, Michigan
Phone: [phone]