One of the first municipal theaters in America, the Calumet opened on March 20, 1900, "the greatest social event ever known in copperdom's metropolis." The theater contained a magnificent stage and elegant interior decorations, including an . . . — — Map (db m76299) HM
The Calumet and Hecla Mining Company couldn't allow winter to derail its operation. In a remote region that can receive upwards of 300 inches (762 cm) of snow each year, snow removal was serious business. Clear rail lines were essential for moving . . . — — Map (db m122496) HM
a mass of native copper weighing 9,392 lbs. found in 1970, buried under three ft. of soil, (glacial till), about 4½ miles southwest of Calumet. Float copper such as this, was torn loose from fissures and lodes by glacial action and together . . . — — Map (db m76304) HM
St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church was established in 1889 by Slovenian immigrants who came to the area to work in the mines of the Copper Country. The wood frame church erected by the parish in 1890 was destroyed by fire in 1902. The following year . . . — — Map (db m76302) HM
On March 25, 1890, nine Lutheran congregations, representing 1200 Finnish immigrants, assembled at Trinity Lutheran Church in Calumet and organized the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church In America-Suomi Synod. Four pastors and seventeen laymen . . . — — Map (db m201425) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m201426) HM
Side A
The Italian Hall
The building that stood on this site was called the Italian Hall, and was home to the Societa Mutua Beneficenza Italiana, which aided immigrants and others in need. Built in 1908, the hall housed a saloon . . . — — Map (db m76300) HM
Site of the childhood home of photographer
Edward Steichen (1879-1973) and Lilian Steichen Sandburg (1883-1977), wife of writer Carl Sandburg.
At this site in the 1880s the seed was sown that later
grew into Steichen’s signature . . . — — Map (db m122590) HM
Hancock
The Quincy Mining Company platted Hancock in 1859, a decade after the company began mining Keweenaw copper. While many copper towns boomed and busted within a short period of time, Hancock remained stable, incorporating as a city in . . . — — Map (db m122367) HM
Old Main
Suomi College was founded in 1896 by the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The cornerstone of Old Main, the first building erected at Suomi College, was laid on May 30, 1898. Jacobsville sandstone, quarried at the . . . — — Map (db m122387) HM
Finlandia University, founded in 1896 as Suomi College, established the Finnish American National Historical Archive and Museum (FANHAM) in 1990 to honor the past contributions of Finnish Americans, to link present visitors with Finnish America and . . . — — Map (db m122599) HM
The first Finnish newspaper in America was the “Amerikan Suomalainen Lehti,” published by A. J. Muikku in Hancock on 14 April 1876. It was printed at the northwest corner of Quincy and Reservation Streets at the offices of the North . . . — — Map (db m122668) HM
Residents of Houghton found many outlets for social interaction, including membership in a wide variety of clubs and organizations. Some relied on the community of large extended families, while others sought the camaraderie of those with shared . . . — — Map (db m153995) HM
The Copper Range Company was a fully integrated industrial enterprise, operating the Champion, Baltic and Trimountain copper mines south of Houghton, a number of milling facilities, and a large smelting works along Portage Lake. It was a late . . . — — Map (db m153999) HM
Methodism had considerable success in Cornwall, an important mining area in southwest England. Cornish miners migrating to the Keweenaw Peninsula during the copper boom of the mid-nineteenth century brought their devotion to Methodism with them. . . . — — Map (db m201429) HM
Houghton has grown dramatically since 1861, when its two thousand residents, wood frame commercial district and few industrial buildings were incorporated as a village. By the time of the copper district's peak production, 1900-1920, the population . . . — — Map (db m153994) HM
It is said that there are two seasons in the Copper Country: "winter's here" and "winter's coming." The region's northern latitude and unsheltered exposure to Lake Superior combine to guarantee heavy "lake effect" snowfall. The Keweenaw Peninsula . . . — — Map (db m80074) HM
Commissioned by prominent Houghton residents Mary Shelden and James R. Dee, the Shelden-Dee building is one of the key architectural landmarks of central Houghton. It was built in 1899-1900 for an estimated $75,000 and is on the National Register of . . . — — Map (db m201465) HM
Although many families and businesses have called Houghton their permanent home, the city has also catered to a more transient population as well. Its growth as the center of the region's major transportation routes guaranteed a steady stream of . . . — — Map (db m153996) HM
Houghton wasn't merely a port for the pass-through of raw materials and wholesale goods. Throughout its history, the city's central waterfront location was attractive to manufacturing and industrial operations. As with the larger Keweenaw Peninsula, . . . — — Map (db m154076) HM
side 1
The Amphidrome
The Amphidrome stood on this site from 1902 until 1927, when it burned. The first hockey game was played in the arena on December 29, 1902, when Portage Lake beat the University of Toronto, 13-2. The Amphidrome . . . — — Map (db m76308) HM
Many of the Cornish miners, storekeepers and mining captains who immigrated to this area during the Copper Country mining boom (1842-1860) were Anglicans. On July 17, 1860, the Reverend Samuel A. McCoskry, Episcopal Bishop of Michigan, met with nine . . . — — Map (db m76306) HM
