Near Copper Harbor in Keweenaw County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Corridor to the World

Wild, cold, and untamable, Lake Superior is also a working waterway

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 3, 2017

1. Corridor to the World Marker

Inscription. Lake Superior is famous for its wild beauty and extreme weather, but it's also a busy maritime corridor.

There are many types of boats that frequent the waters around the Keweenaw Peninsula. Chances are you can see a ship right now.

What's on board?
Freighters headed west are likely bound for Duluth, the westernmost port in the Great Lakes system. Typical incoming cargo includes cement, salt, steel, wood products, or imported machinery. Freighters headed east are carrying products from America's heartland — mostly iron ore, coal, and grain — to supply east coast and international industries.

Is it a ferry shuttling visitors to and from Isle Royale National Park?

Is it Coast Guard on patrol, keeping our borders and inland waters safe?

Is it a fishing boat bringing in today's catch?

Is it a lake freighter hauling cement, salt, steel, or other goods?

Keweenaw ships' earliest imports were people — immigrant laborers from Finland, Ireland, Cornwall, Germany, Italy, and the Balkans. Their traditions still enrich Keweenaw culture today.

Learn more about maritime history at museums in Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor.

Erected by Copper Country Trail National Byway.

Topics. This historical

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 47° 27.84′ N, 87° 58.173′ W. Marker is near Copper Harbor, Michigan, in Keweenaw County. Marker is on Brockway Mountain Drive, 4 miles west of Gratiot Street (State Highway 26). Marker is located at the West Bluff overlook on Brockway Mountain Drive, overlooking the Keweenaw Peninsula and Lake Superior to the northwest. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Copper Harbor MI 49918, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Wired for Light & Sound (here, next to this marker); The Copper Country (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Connecting with Wilderness (approx. 2.2 miles away); Tracing the Story (approx. 3.4 miles away); Isle Royale National Park (approx. 3.8 miles away); Copper Harbor (approx. 3.8 miles away); Fort Wilkins State Park and Historic Complex (approx. 3.8 miles away); The Estivant Pines (approx. 3.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Copper Harbor.

Also see . . . Immigrants to Copper Country (Wikipedia).

Marker detail: Keweenaw ships' earliest imports were people image. Click for full size.

Courtesy Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections

2. Marker detail: Keweenaw ships' earliest imports were people

Initially, Irish, Cornish, French-Canadian and German immigrants came to mine copper on the peninsula. They were followed by large numbers of Finns, Swedes, Danes, Sami and Norwegians who immigrated to the Upper Peninsula, especially the Keweenaw Peninsula, to work in the mines. (Submitted on July 31, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 3, 2017

3. Corridor to the World Marker

(rightmost of three related markers at this location)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 31, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 30, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 129 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 31, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.