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Keneenaw Area Photos
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Keweenaw Attractions
The Keneenaw Peninsula, with its many lakes and streams in addition to Lake Superior, is a favorite destination for fishermen, including those who enjoy ice-fishing. Lake trout, salmon, white-fish, and walleye are area favorites. Other popular summer activities include biking, hiking, swimming, golfing at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge’s nine-hole picturesgue golf course, boating (especially sailing and kayaking), and scuba diving (dry suit recommended!). Our 600-foot shoreline is a spot chosen by many scuba enthusiasts due to the off-shore agate veins. There are professional guides available for fishing and scuba diving as well as hunting during deer and bear season.
With a average snowfall of 250 inches, snowmobiling and skiing (cross-country and down-hill) dominate the winter sports scene. Mt. Ripley is located 40 miles south in Hancock, but Mt. Bohemia—”extreme” skiing not for the amateur—is only 11 miles away at Lac La Belle. Dog-sled races and Michigan Tech’s Winter Carnival ice sculptures also draw visitors to the area in the winter.
Other local interests include:
Fort Wilkins State Park This authentically restored military outpost was originally built in the 1840's to protect the copper miners from hostile Indians, a threat that never developed. Abandoned in 1844, regarrisoned in the late 1860's to house Civil War veterans, it became a state park in 1923. It is a living history complex with costumed interpreters assuming the identity of actual Fort residents 150 years ago. The park also contains copper mining sites from the 1840's and the Copper Harbor Lighthouse Museum, which is reached by tour boat from the Copper Harbor Marina. (1 1/2 miles from the B & B; 906-289-4215; summer only)
Isle Royale This island, the largest freshwater inland lake island in the world, is a protected wilderness area popular with campers and hikers. It has a significant population of wildlife, expecially wolf and moose, The Isle Royale Queen IV leaves Copper Harbor every morning for the three-hour trip to the island, returning every evening. Overnight accommodations are available. (906-289-4437; summer only)
Quincy Mine and Delaware Mine Tours are available at both of these old copper mines. The Quincy Mine in Hancock, part of the Keweenaw National Historic Park, has the largest steam hoist in the world. Passengers ride a cog rail tram a half mile into the mine to view the operation that at one time was the largest operating mine in the Keweenaw. (45 miles from the B & B; 906-482-3101; summer only) The Delaware Mine has been preserved just as it was left at its closing in 1887. Visitors descend 100 feet below ground on stairs through a 31-foot shaft and venture 900 feet through the mine's first level. (10 miles from the B & B; 906-289-4688; summer only)
Estivant Pines This forest, at approximately 400 acres, is the largest virgin (first growth) White Pine forest in Michigan, As the Copper Mining Boom denuded the slopes of their timber, most local forests are second growth. The Pines were saved due to difficult terrain, harsh weather, and the efforts of local activists and the Michigan Nature Association. The oldest pine is believed to be 500 years old. (3 miles from the B & B; 906-337-4579)
Houghton County Historical Museum Located in Lake Linden on the shore of Torch Lake, this museum is housed in the Main Mill Office of the old Calumet and Hecla Mining Company. The main building contains a large accumulation of mining and forestry artifacts; the 15-acre museum campus, an operational narrow gauge railroad. (30 miles from the B & B; 906-296-4121)
A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum Presenting a world-renowned premier collection of Lake Superior copper district minerals, this museum on the campus of Michigan Technological University is a Cooperating Site of the Keweenaw National Historic Park. It contains over 26,000 specimens with 5,500 currently on display. (48 miles from the B & B; 906-487-2572)
Upper Peninsula Firefighters Memorial MuseumThis museum in Calumet tells the story of America's first real mining boom. (30 miles from the B & B; 906-337-4354)
Eagle Harbor Lighthouse and MuseumThis is the only local lighthouse still operated by the Coast Guard. The museum site contains three museums--maritime, copper mining, and commercial fishing. (12 miles from the B & B; 906-289-4990)
Finnish-American Heritage CenterThis cultural center is located in Hancock at Finlandia University, formerly Suomi College, the only college founded by the Finns in the United States. It fosters the history and culture of all people of Finnish heritage through a museum, art gallery, theatre, and the Finnish-American Historical Archives. You may have difficulty pronouncing some of the street names in Hancock; they are all in Finnishl (48 miles from the B & B; 906-487-7347)
Calumet Theatre Built as a 1200-seat opera house in 1898 when Calumet was still called "Red Jacket," this beautifully maintained restored building is still the center of local and national entertainment, including weekly vaudeville during the summer months. (30 miles from the B & B; 906-337-2610) Michigan Tech also has a theatre—the Rozsa Center. (48 miles from the B & B; 906-487-3200)
Fine Arts The beauty of the Keweenaw seems to draw talent: theatre, drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, carving, photography, and jewelry design. These artists display in several local shops, most notably the Copper Country Community Arts Center in Hancock and the Vertin Gallery in Calumet, and the Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor summer arts and crafts shows.