Near Calumet in Houghton County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Copper Country

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, June 30, 2022

1. The Copper Country Marker

Inscription. Long before Columbus reached America, Indians extracted native copper in the Lake Superior region and worked it into articles which were used by tribes throughout the continent. French explorers learned of the vast copper deposits but were not able to mine the metal. In 1771 an English group tried without success to mine copper near the Ontonagon Boulder, a huge mass of native copper weighing three tons. In 1841 Douglass Houghton's survey of copper resources was printed Prospectors by the hundreds soon flocked here. Boom towns sprang up. The Phoenix was the first real mine to begin operation, but the Cliff was the first to show a profit. Soon miners were tapping the rich deposits all along the Keweenaw Peninsula's backbone. Until 1887 this was the country's leading center of copper production. This has been virtually the only area in the world with any substantial native copper production. Copper is found in combination with other elements at the White Pine Mine where a great new mining operation began in the 1950's.

Erected 1957 by Michigan Historical Commission. (Marker Number 30.)

Topics. This historical marker

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is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources. A significant historical year for this entry is 1771.

Location. 47° 10.598′ N, 88° 30.447′ W. Marker is near Calumet, Michigan, in Houghton County. It can be reached from U.S. 41 half a mile north of Airport Park Road, on the right when traveling north. Located at the Memorial Airport Roadside Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Calumet MI 49913, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

and in Copper Country.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on Lake Superior’s South Shore Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

in the Great North Woods,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Michigan Tech (approx. 4.4 miles away); Hoar Family Mausoleum (approx. 4.6 miles away); The Amphidrome / The Birth of Professional Hockey

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, June 30, 2022

2. The Copper Country Marker

Map showing the many copper mines in the area.

(approx. 4.6 miles away); Historic Houghton (approx. 4.6 miles away); Clubs and Associations (approx. 4.7 miles away); Hotels and Saloons (approx. 4.7 miles away); a different marker also named Historic Houghton (approx. 4.7 miles away); St. Ignatius Loyola Church (approx. 4.7 miles away).

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, June 30, 2022

3. The Copper Country Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 5, 2022, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 358 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 5, 2022, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.