Midwest Adventure: Copper Harbor

Our next stop on our Midwest Adventure was Copper Harbor, Michigan, on the very end of the Keweenaw Peninsula, the northernmost part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. 

The UP is definitely glacially carved

It's at the tip of the tail of the "dog" that constitutes the UP. This beautiful, wooded stretch of land projects into Lake Superior. It was the site of the first copper boom in the United States.

Lake Superior

The town, as its name implies, was a port for shipping copper mined from local deposits during the mid-19th century. The Pittsburgh and Boston Mining Company of Ohio began operating in Copper Harbor in 1844 and struck it rich in 1845. By 1870, the copper resources had been largely played out.

Copper Harbor wasn't a destination in itself. Rather, it was the disembarkation point for our ferry to Isle Royale National Park. But, even though it was just a stopover, it was a lovely place to visit. 

Photo: Fort Wilkins Historical Society

We camped at Fort Wilkins State Park, a very nice campground between Lake Superior and Lake Fanny Hooe. The Fort was built and manned during the copper rush to help with local law enforcement and to keep the peace between miners and the local Ojibwe/Chippewa population. 

The Army built 27 structures, including a guardhouse, a powder magazine, officer's quarters, barracks, mess halls, a hospital, a storehouse, stores, a bakery, a blacksmith's shop, a carpenter's shop, an icehouse, quarters for married enlisted men, stables and a slaughterhouse. Several of the structures survive. Others have been rebuilt. 

The fort was first garrisoned in 1844 and then temporarily abandoned in 1846 when the troops were sent to fight the Mexican American war. After serving as a private  health resort for a few years, it was reoccupied from 1867 to1870 during the Civil War. The army permanently abandoned the facility in 1870. In 1923, the fort became a Michigan state park. It is open only in the summer.

We never got around to visiting the actual fort (more on that in a later blog). 

Copper Harbor Light

Copper Harbor has a lovely (by Great Lakes standards) lighthouse, which is actually also part of Fort Wilkins State Park. It wasn't until I took the picture that I noticed that a Bald Eagle (juvenile) was flying overhead. An extra treat!

The town has some bluffs with boardwalks that are perfect for viewing the lakeshore.

Lakeshore

We saw a map that mentioned petroglyphs, but we never could find any other signs or evidence of any being around. There was, however, a rock with very interesting designs embedded in it. Maybe that was the "petroglyphs." I don't know.

Interesting rocks

After checking out the in-town areas, we drove to the end (or start, depending on your perspective) of Highway 41, which stretches all the way from Michigan to Miami. Just beyond the end/start is a dirt/gravel road that takes you to a path the takes you to Horseshoe Bay. We had no idea where we were going, but it turned out to be a very pretty rocky beach.

Horseshoe Bay

The bay is part of the 1,261-acre Mary Macdonald Preserve, the largest mainland preserve for "bedrock beach" in Michigan. The rock ridges that define the shoreline are wave-eroded edges of sedimentary conglomerate bedrock uplifted about 600 million years ago. The bluffs form a barrier between the wind and waves of Lake Superior and the woodlands behind them, protecting and allowing the emergence of slower growth plant species. The bedrock beach mostly supports lichens, shrubs, herbs and sedges.

Panoramic view

We walked along the rocky bed by the very, very clear water on a beautiful sunny afternoon. I think there are a lot of little beaches like this along the shore, but some of the roads are a bit dicey. It was warm enough to swim, but, of course, we were just sightseeing.

View from shore

After investigating the store, we headed south to Eagle Harbor, which also the site of a pretty lighthouse. We started out by walking up the observation deck, hoping to get some nice shots of the lighthouse. But, it was completely blocked by trees. They must have grown a lot since the deck was built.

Observation deck

The original Eagle Harbor Light, built in 1851, was replaced in 1871 by the present red brick structure, which is a Michigan State Historic Site and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Keweenaw County Historical Society operates the lighthouse as a museum. Although it is a tourist spot, it is still an operational lighthouse. We got there too late in the day to go inside, but the grounds were open, so we were still able to get photos.

Eagle Harbor Light

Just down the road a bit is Eagle River, which boasts a very pretty 40-foot waterfall and an old wooden arch bridge. It is easy to find because it is right beside the road.

Eagle Falls

There is also a decommissioned lighthouse in Eagle River, but it is now a private home and has been renovated to the point that it's a bit tough to make it out as a lighthouse. It is listed on some tourist maps, but we just didn't feel comfortable snapping pictures of a private home.

After driving down the coast a way, we turned around to get back to our campsite because we had to get up very early the next morning to catch the ferry to Isle Royale. Since we were leaving our car and trailer behind for three days, we had to make sure we were all packed up and ready to go.

We drove back via Brockway Mountain Drive, which is the highest paved road between the Rockies and the Alleghenies. That sounds a bit more impressive than it is. It sits 735 feet above Copper Harbor, giving it a top elevation of a whopping 1,350 feet! My house is at 6,450 and we're not really even in the mountains!

Hovering hawk

The view was very pretty. According to the literature I read after I got home, you can see Isle Royale 50 miles away on a clear day. I guess I should have looked.

Although we didn't see a lot of wildlife, in addition to the eagle, we saw some Red-tailed Hawks, including this one that hovered above us. It's amazing how many Red-tails there are in the world.

When we got back to Fort Wilkins, however, we got a real treat: two Pileated Woodpeckers, both feeding on the ground and oblivious to the fact that I was taking their pictures. 

This large, flashy bird is the inspiration for the cartoon character, Woody Woodpecker. It has the look and the "song." 

We think we saw some flitting through the trees on Madeline Island, but they were never still enough to even ID, much less photograph. That made it extra special that these guys (and there are two different one here) just went about their business and ignored me. Unfortunately, it was late and the light was a bit dim. Still, I was pretty excited (even enduring multiple mosquito bites as I took the pictures).

Pileated Woodpecker

Then, it was off to bed before we left for our next National Park.

Trip date: August 12-September 5, 2016