The Upper Peninsula Historical Page

Welcome to the Upper Peninsula Historical Page.  This page is specifically devoted to Upper Michigan's past.  When it was first learned that the state of Michigan acquired the Upper Peninsula from the government, many Michigan residents were disappointed or upset about the acquisition.  They thought that the U.P. was a scenic wilderness, inhabited by Indians, and wouldn't become important to the state.  Although they were misguided then, they have since changed their minds. After many years, most Michigan residents will agree that the acquisition was well worth it, even if it meant not getting the Toledo Strip, which went to Ohio (read a little more about the battle for the Toledo Strip below).  If it's Upper Michigan history you want, then you've come to the right place!

The Toldeo War

One of the most frequent questions I get from people regarding the history of the Upper Peninsula is the events surrounding the Toledo War.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with this event, it involves a great war that took place between members of Michigan's territorial militia and Ohio's military forces.  Eventually all of the Upper Peninsula was awarded to the state of Michigan as a comprise to the battle between the two states.  Here is some more information regarding the great Toledo War:

The battle began around 1778 when the boundaries were drawn after the Northwest Ordinance was enacted.  Boundary lines were mis-drawn and surveyors drew the boundary from the southern tip of Lake Michigan due east to Lake Erie.  It was determined that the line was actually much further north than it should've been.  A later survey eventually established the correct boundary between Ohio and Michigan, but Ohio would not relinquish control of the "Toledo Strip," a thin strip of land (a total of only 486 square miles) that fell in between the two boundary drawings.   It would be a battle the two "territories" would fight over for nearly 50 years. 

When Michigan applied to become a state in 1833, the issue quickly resurfaced.  Michigan's territorial government tried to negotiate with Ohio's Governor Robert Lucas (Ohio became a state in 1803) over the rights to the Toledo Strip, but Lucas would refuse.  Michigan's territorial governor Stephens T. Mason was quite upset at Ohio's position on the matter and hastily sent Michigan militia members south to the Toledo Strip at a takeover attempt.  However, a major battle between the two militia's did not take place because the two sides got lost looking for each other.

Eventually the dispute was settled by the United States Congress in 1835.  For Michigan to receive statehood, they needed to give up their fight for the Toledo Strip, in which they did.  As compensation, Michigan received a majority of the Upper Peninsula - while Ohio finally gained control of the small strip of land that the two sides were fighting over for years, which included the city of Toledo, Ohio.  At first, the new state of Michigan was outraged over the deal.  Instead of getting a highly populated strip of land (which included Toledo), Michigan received an un-inhabited, wildered chunk of property.  At that time, they didn't even know what the Upper Peninsula comprised of.  As they began exploring this new land, they quickly learned how valuable the Upper Peninsula really was - and didn't think the compromise for the Toledo Strip was really all that bad. 

Early Historical Data on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

In the years following the War of 1812, with the Indian threat gone, the American people began their westward migration in earnest and naturally showed a burning interest in the land and its resources.  This attitude can be seen in a petition written by Lewis Bringer seeking to have Congress pass a law which would allow individuals to develop gold, silver, lead, and copper mines in the United States.  Although Bringer was primarily interested in developing lead mines west of the Mississippi River, this spirit prevailed throughout the nation.

Dr. Francis Le Baron, a surgeon at Fort Mackinac, was now in a position to petition Congress to allow him a concession to exploit the copper of the Upper Peninsula.  He felt that the development of these deposits would "contribute to the prosperity and independence of these United States."  His request attracted Congressional interest, and on December 24, 1816 he answered a series of questions probably requested by a Senate committee concerning the region, transportation, the Indians, and naturally, the copper.  Dr. Le Baron further felt that the development of these copper deposits would bring about a strong American presence and eventual domination by British fur traders and this pro-British in their allegiance. 

In order to extract the mineral wealth, Dr. Le Baron proposed a unique interaction of workers in this region with an extremely sparse population.  Fur traders would continue to gather furs in the winter and work in the mines during the summer "until there are excavations made in the earth that will contain men so within its bowels as to produce a temperate climate."  Unfortunately, nothing came of Dr. Le Baron's enthusiasm, but more information on the region reached the public.

Mineral resources of the region were not the only items discussed in scientific publications.  In the summer of 1810, the youthful botanist Thomas Nuttall visited and collected specimens in the vicinity of Mackinac Island.  He eventually published his findings in 1818 under the title, The Genera of North America Plants, and a Catalogue of the Species, to the Year 1817.   Here he described three species new to science from the Upper Peninsula: a dwarf species of iris (Iris lacustris) found on the shores of northern Lakes Michigan and Huron; a large-headed tansy (Tanacetum huronense) named for Lake Huron; and a thimble berry (Rubus parviflorus) occurring in the northern Great Lakes and found in the West. 

By this time, information about the Upper Peninsula began to appear in variety of popular  publications.  Andrew Miller's emigrant guide, New States and Territories...in 1818, labeled the region of the Upper Peninsula as the "Northwest Territory" and stated that it "lies west of Michigan Territory and Lake.  It is bounded by Lake Michigan on the east, Superior and the grand portage north, Mississippi river west and Illinois Territory south."  As if to paraphrase earlier chroniclers, Miller wrote: "...the territory derives its chief importance at present from its mines, wild game, fish, fowl, and wild rice.  Virgin copper," he continued, "has also been found in several places, and iron ore."  In 1819, Daniel Blowe published an emigrant guide again calling the Upper Peninsula the Northwestern Territory.  Writing about Point aux Pins, he noted that shipbuilding continued to be carried out there and that there were places along the St. Mary's River that had the potential of becoming mill sites.  Neither Mackinac Island nor the copper deposits were forgotten.  He noted that his British audience should not be surprised to learn that Americans were finally entering the region to work the copper deposits and that the British should take heed of the possibilities.  Finally, he wrote that in November 1816, a company was formed in the United States to develop these deposits which "ensures the future commercial consequence of this territory."  The third and last descriptive study of the Upper Peninsula to be reviewed was the result of a trip taken by Estwick Evans during the winter and spring of 1818.  In his work, Evans described Mackinac Island and praised its fish: "The Michilimackinac trout are bred in Lake Michigan and are celebrated for their size and excellence; they sometimes weigh 60 to 70 pounds."  His account continued: "The tract of country lying between Lake Michigan and Lake Superior is rather sterile.  The falls of St. Mary situated in the strait between Lakes Huron and Superior, are mere cascades.  In this strait there are several islands.  Below the falls is situated Fort St. Mary.  In this strait are caught fine fish of many kinds."

Evans went on to write of the Indians and ended by saying that "...the vicinity of this place (Sault Sainte Marie) is a perfect wilderness."  The year 1820 was pivotal in the historical perception of the Upper Peninsula.  Up to that time, a surprisingly large amount of accurate data about the environment and resources had been gathered and made available to the public through published works, government reports, and specimens.  All of this knowledge about the region had been gathered by individuals, but an official government expedition with professional scientists and artists had never visited the area to develop detailed reports and drawings.   

The nationalistic territorial governor of Michigan, Lewis Cass, was well aware of the Upper Peninsula, its resources, and Indian difficulties.  On November 18, 1819, he wrote to Secretary of War John C. Calhoun proposing that he head an expedition through the little known area to the south of Lake Superior, to the headwaters of the Mississippi River, and back through Chicago.  Cass was primarily concerned with acquiring accurate geographical knowledge of the region and obtaining the cession of Indian lands in the area.  In response to this request, Calhoun wrote on January 14, 1820 that the expedition has his sanction, but financing would have to come from Cass's Indian superintendency budget and a supplemental one thousand dollars from the War Department.  Calhoun concluded: "Feeling as I do great interest in obtaining correct Topographical, geographical and military survey of our Country, every encouragement consistent with my means will be given by this department."  A few weeks later, he wrote to Cass attaching Henry R. Schoolcraft to the expedition so that the minerals of the country could be properly studied. 

The fact that the Cass expedition was in the process of being organized was promptly reported by the newspapers.  The Detroit Gazette of March 3 published an article praising Calhoun's foresight in having authorized such a beneficial expedition that would help to reduce the nation's ignorance of its own geography.  This article reached a much larger audience when it was reprinted by the Nile's Weekly Register in April. 

Individual territorial officials were also interested in the expedition and its results.  William Woodbridge, the Michigan territorial secretary, wrote to Calhoun in February, concerned about the purpose of the expedition and the importance of the government's obtaining the Indian cession to the copper-rich lands.  

In June 1820, the Cass expedition moved into the north country.  Stops were made at Mackinac Island and then at Sault Ste. Marie.  At the latter stop, a treaty was made with the Indians ceding land for a future military post, but no mention was made of the copper deposits to the west.  The flotilla of canoes passes along the south shore of Lake Superior making accurate observations.  Much of what they saw and wrote about merely pointed to the accuracy of the earlier reports.  

It is one thing to make reports and another to get the information published and out to the public so that perceptions of the land are created.  At first, the data uncovered were written up in the form of official reports.  In a letter written to Calhoun on October 1, Schoolcraft discussed the copper deposits and related matters.  First he noted that the lands belonged to the Ojibwe Indians and their title would have to be extinguished.  

As you can imagine, this is only a small excerpt of the Upper Peninsula's overall history.  In the future, I hope to add some more historical content pertaining to the U.P.

An Upper Peninsula Historical Time Line

Etienne Brule meeting the Natives.

1622 - Etienne Brule and his companion, Grenoble, French explorers, searching for a water route to the Pacific Ocean, discovered Lake Superior.

1634 - Jean Nicolet, an agent of the French, was the first European to pass through the Straits of Mackinac.  He was an agent of Champlain, Governor of Canada.

1641 - Isaac Joques and Charles Raymbault, Jesuit missionaries, reached the rapids at the foot of Lake Superior, which they named the Sault de Sainte Marie.

1654 - Medard Chouart, the Sieur des Groseilliers and Pierre Esprit Radisson explored the shore of Lake Superior.

1660 - Father Rene Menard, a Jesuit priest, was sent from Quebec to establish a mission among the Huron Indians.  He spent the winter near the present town of L'Anse. 

1667 - Peace treaty agreed upon by the French and Iroquois Indians permitted the French to travel the lower lakes.

1668 - Father Jacques Marquette and Claude Dablon founded the first mission at Sault de Sainte Marie. 

1669 - Adrien Jolliet with an Indian Guide traveled through Lakes Huron, St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario on a trip to Quebec and became the first European known to have visited the southern Lower Peninsula.

1671 - Francois Daumont, Sieur de St. Jusson, representative of Louis XIV, claimed the whole interior of the continent for the French as a result of the organization of the Hudson Bay Co. by the British in 1670.

1673 - Father Marquette and Louis Jolliet set out from St. Ignace for the Mississippi River but they traveled only as far as the Arkansas River.

1675 - Death of Father Marquette near Ludington.

1683 - Fort de Baude was built at St. Ignace.

1689 - War broke out between the British and French, the first of a series which lasted until 1815.

1694 - Cadillac served as a commandant at Fort de Baude, later known as Michilimackinac. 

1715 - French re-established a fort at the Straits of Mackinac and named it Fort Michilimackinac.  The fort was essential to French security and to keep the western Indians loyal.

1779 - The British abandoned Fort Michilimackinac on the mainland and built Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island. 

1783 - Treaty of Paris made at the termination of the Revolutionary War.  Land taken from the French in 1763 was given to the United States.

1787 - The Ordinance of 1787 established the Northwest Territory of which Michigan was apart and defined the procedure for obtaining statehood.

1787 - The Ordinance of 1787 established the Northwest Territory of which Michigan was apart and defined the procedure for obtaining statehood.

1791 - Michigan was incorporated into Upper Canada under the provisions of the constitutional act by British Parliament.

1792 - Under the Constitutional Act the first election was held in Michigan.

1794 - In an article in the Jay Treaty, the British agreed to evacuate the forts in the west on or before June 1, 1796.

1796 - British evacuated Detroit and abandoned fur post on the lakes.  New county of Wayne was created.  It contained all the present State of Michigan except the western part of the Upper Peninsula, with the addition of northern Ohio and Indiana, and a strip of eastern Illinois and Wisconsin bordering on Lake Michigan.

1799 - Michigan Territory had enough inhabitants to entitle it to representation at the General Assembly in accordance with the provisions of the Ordinance of 1787. 

1802 - Detroit was incorporated as a town under charter enacted by the Legislature of the Nortwest Territory

1803 - Territory of Indiana, of which Michigan was part, was created by the division of the Northwest Territory.  The seat of government was located at Chilicothe, Ohio. 

1813 - Lewis Cass appointed military and civil governor of the Michigan Territory and served until 1831. 

1815 - British built a fort on Drummond Island.

1822 - Fort Saginaw built on the Saginaw River; Fort Brady established at Sault Ste. Marie.

1834 - Michigan Territory included present states of Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and part of Dakota.

1836 - Treaty of Washington; Indians ceded remaining lands in western part of Lower Peninsula and eastern tip of Upper Peninsula.  First Convention of Assent called relative to Michigan-Ohio boundary line; Second Convention of Assent called to provide admission of Michigan to the Union.

1842 - Copper mining operations started on the Keweenaw Peninsula.  Indians ceded remaining lands in the Upper Peninsula; called Treaty of La Pointe.

1844 - Iron ore discovered in the Upper Peninsula at Negaunee.  Fort Wilkins built at Copper Harbor.

1855 - Ship canal at Sault Ste. Marie.

1857 - The first railroad in the Upper Peninsula extended from Marquette to Ishpeming.  Ore cars were moved by mules and oxen.

1881 - The Weitzel Lock was built at Sault Ste. Marie by the U.S. Government.

1884 - Mining was started in the Gogebic Iron Range, and the Colby Mine sent its first shipment.

1952 - Act of Legislature authorizing the building of a bridge between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

1954 - Construction started on the Mackinac Bridge.

1957 - Five-mile-long Mackinac Bridge opened November 1.

1975 - The Northern Michigan University football squad wins the NCAA Division 2 football championship.

1991 - The Northern Michigan University men's hockey team wins the NCAA Division 1 hockey championship after defeating Boston University 8-7 in a triple overtime thriller.

1991 - Construction of the Superior Dome is officially completed.  It cost $23.9 million to construct and opened as the world's largest wooden dome.

1995 - K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base in Marquette County is officially closed by the U.S. Government.  It was deemed unnecessary to keep open after the end of Cold War.  K.I. Sawyer was the closest geographic air base from Russia.

2003 - The Silver Lake dam in Marquette County breaks after a period of heavy rains.  It causes millions of gallons of water to rush along the Dead River and into Lake Superior.  Over $100 million worth of damage occurred as a result of the dam breach.  The Wisconsin Electric Power Plant near the Dead River was forced to shut down for awhile due to the flood waters.  This caused a power crisis within the Upper Peninsula and also resulted in the closure of the Empire and Tilden mines until the power plant was able to come back on-line.

2004 - President George W. Bush speaks at the Superior Dome in Marquette during a campaign stop for his re-election.  This marked the first time a sitting president has visited the Upper Peninsula since William H. Taft. 

Silver Lake dam in Marquette County drained after a period
of heavy rains in 2003. 

2005 - A fire at Ishpeming's Mather Nursing Center kills two people and causes 109 other residents to evacuate.  

2007 - The Sleeper Lake fire consumes nearly 20,000 acres north of Newberry in Luce County. The wildfire ended up being the state of Michigan's worst in a decade.

2011 - President Barack Obama makes a visit to Marquette to speak about the national wireless initiative on the campus of Northern Michigan University.  Obama becomes the third sitting president to visit the Upper Peninsula.

2012 - The Duck Lake fire in Luce County burns nearly 22,000 acres and destroys a total of 132 structures north of Newberry.  The fast moving fire burned north to the shore of Lake Superior. It became one of the most destructive fires ever during Michigan's history.  

2014 - The Eagle Mine in northern Marquette County officially begins production.  The underground mine is located near Big Bay, with processing facilities located near Humboldt. The mine is expected to be in production for approximately eight years.  

2015 - The Manistique Paper Mill closes after the owner experiences financial difficulties.  This put approximately 147 employees out of work.  Over a year later, the paper mill re-opens with new owners.  About 100 employees are hired-on.  

2016 - After 56 years in production, the Empire Mine in Marquette County official ceases production.  The mine is left in an indefinite-idle condition, in the hopes that steel demand increases in the coming years. This put about 300 employees out of work.  

Origins of Upper Peninsula County Names

ALGER COUNTY - Named for Governor Russel A. Alger (1885-1886).  Organized in 1885. 

BARAGA COUNTY - Named for the missionary Bishop Baraga.  Organized in 1826.  

CHIPPEWA COUNTY - Named after a large Indian tribe.   

DELTA COUNTY - From the Greek "delta" referring to the triangle shape of the original county, which includes segments of Menominee, Dickinson, Iron, and Marquette Counties.  Organized in 1861. 

DICKINSON COUNTY - Named for Don M. Dickinson of Michigan, Postmaster General under President Grover Cleveland during his first term.  Organized in 1891. 

GOGEBIC COUNTY - An obscure word.  Most references interpret it as "rock."  Organized in 1887.   

HOUGHTON COUNTY - For Michigan geologist Professor Douglas Houghton.  Organized in 1846, and reorganized in 1848. 

IRON COUNTY - For the mineral product of that county.  Organized in 1885. 

KEWEENAW COUNTY - An Indian word meaning "portage" or "place where portage is made."  Organized in 1861. 

LUCE COUNTY - For Governor Cyrus G. Luce (1887-1890).  Organized in 1887. 

MACKINAC COUNTY - This county was laid out under the name Michilimackinac in 1818.  Organized in 1849. 

MARQUETTE COUNTY - For the Jesuit missionary and explorer, Father Jacques Marquette.  Organized in 1846, reorganized in 1848. 

MENOMINEE COUNTY - Derivation of the word means "riceman," or "rice gatherers." Named for the Menominee tribe which lived in the area.  Organized under the name of Bleeker in 1861, and reorganized in 1863.   

ONTONAGON COUNTY - "Dish" or "bowl" is from the Chippewa "onagon."  Organized in 1846, reorganized in 1848, and legalized by the Legislature in 1853. 

Ghost Towns in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Back in the mining and lumber booms of the 1800 and 1900's in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, towns formed in areas where these two prominent industries took place.  In some instances, towns turned into cities and the population swelled.   After awhile, things began to slow and people began leaving these communities.  In one example, the city of Calumet in the Keweenaw was so populous, it nearly became the state capital of Michigan.  But just as quickly as they came, they soon left.  It wasn't only the case in Calumet but for many other communities in the U.P.  In fact, some communities completely died out and became ghost towns.  On this page, you will see a few examples of towns once filled with residents but only have buildings as reminders of its heyday.  The listing of ghost towns on this page isn't the complete list of communities in the Upper Peninsula that have died off, but are the most notable ones.  Find out exactly what made these communities lose their residents and if any remnants of their past exist to this day.

Atkinson and Gibbs City, MI

Atkinson - 1898

Around 1887, J.K. Stack, an Escanaba banker, and Henry M. Atkinson, from a Green Bay farm family, organized the Metropolitan Lumber Company and secured thousands of acres of virgin pine lumber along the north and south branches of the Paint River in north central Iron County.  They dammed the river for a mill pod and built a big sawmill on the north bank about a mile below the confluence of the two branches.  Within a short time a good-sized town sprang up on the big flat near the mill.  At its peak a few years later, the town had board sidewalks, electric lights, two hotels, a rail depot on a branch of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, which terminated there, a hospital, and a big general store housing a library and a post office.  Thomas G. Atkinson, secretary of the lumber company, was its first postmaster.  

Meanwhile, the Atkinson area had become the scene of a homesteaders land rush.  Settlers were attracted by the great pine forests and fertile land in the Paint River valley.  But a dispute arose between the farmers and the lumber company, and soon it developed into a was like the one being out West between homesteaders and cattle ranchers. 

There were acts of sabotage, violence and counter violence.  Mill saws were stripped of their teeth by railroad spikes driven into pine trees by the homesteaders.  Logging teams were shot and killed.  One homesteader who claimed the forty acres on which the sawmill was built was found dead one morning, lying face down in three inches of water.  The coroner, a company man, called it death by drowning. 

One of the leaders of the homesteaders was the notorious Jim Summers, the same Jim Summers who had been left for dead on the beach near Fayette after a beating by the citizens of that town. (The story goes that he revived during the night and crossed Big Bay de Noc in a rowboat, never again to be seen in Delta County.)

Summer's role is ambiguous.  Certainly no homesteader, he seems to have been a kind of hired (or perhaps voluntary) gun for the farmers.  He was a crack shot with a rifle.  Once, to demonstrate his skill, he shot a clay pipe from the lips of an unsuspecting passerby.  Another time, in the Atkinson saloon, he shot off part of the tongue and some teeth of a man named Jerry Mahoney, who kept needing him about his infamous past. 

The two men were friends of a sort, at least drinking buddies, but Summers had a violent temper and Mahoney's gibes finally got under his skin: "Jerry, your tongue is too long," he warned him. "Someday I'll shorten it for you."  And he did.  

After the shooting, Summers disappeared into the woods.  A manhunt was organized but failed to capture him. 

Gibbs City
The thing to remember about these two towns is they
were essentially the same town, at different times and
places.  Atkinson came first.  

Several days previously, Summers and a friend named George Finch had gone fishing together in a small stream in a swamp a few miles south of town, riding there on a borrowed railroad handcar.  The day after the shooting, Finch was handed a note addresses to him and delivered by one of the homesteaders.  It had no signature, but Finch recognized the handwriting.  It said: "George, do as we did Sunday, and be mum." 

  

Finch got the homesteader to buy some food at the company store and that night went down the track on the handcar to deliver it to to his friend.  As he told it: "When I reached the swamp, I heard a loud crashing noise in the brush and thought I was about to be eaten by wolves.  I pumped the car as fast as I could for awhile and about the time I was about to congratulate myself on my escape, I ran over pebbles or something that had been placed on the rails, and stopped so quickly the car left the track. "    

"As soon as the noise subsided, I heard heavy breathing and became desperately scared.  "Is that you, George?" said Summers. And when I succeeded in answering, he said, It's a good thing that you it is you. 

  

"I made several other trips to his hideout before leaving Atkinson, but I shall always remember that last night.  We talked for hours before parting. Then he extended his thin cold hand, expressed gratitude for what I had done, bade me goodbye, and we parted--never to meet again." 

The Atkinson mill was destroyed by fire in 1900; after that, the town languished and died.  It was resuscitated in 1914, when lumberman Royal F. Gibbs built a sawmill on the south bank of the river just upstream from Atkinson.  Some of the Atkinson buildings were moved there, and some former Atkinson workers were employed at the Gibbs mill and lumber camps.  Following a familiar pattern, Atkinson had logged off all the pine, and now Gibbs was harvesting the hardwood.  

Gibbs City had a post office, granted in 1917, and a hotel-sized boardinghouse accommodating up to two hundred people, along with other facilities and businesses.  In 1922, its mill, too, was destroyed by an explosion.  It had a brief renascence in 1941, when two big sawmills there produced hardwood lumber for army cots, powder boxes, and other wartime needs. 

The old buildings stood empty for years after that.  They were finally put to the torch in a controlled burning on April 12, 1966, at the behest of the property owners, who worried about people getting hurt there.  Spectators came from miles around to watch the old town go up in smoke to the drumbeat of paint-can explosions and the popping of old bottles and electric light bulbs.

Now all that remains of Gibbs City are a few ruined foundations hidden in a jungle of weeds and brush.  The only relic of Atkinson is the free standing chimney of Ed Atkinson's home; in its day the biggest home in town.   Atkinson and Gibbs City were located in Iron County.  

Fayette, MI

Fayette, MI and its ruins

Like Deward and Stratford and dozens of other Michigan ghost towns, Fayette was a company town.  The Jackson Iron Company of Negaunee built the town in 1867 and owned everything in it, including, as some of them said, the bodies and souls of its employees. Actually, the company, was a benevolent employer, paid good wages in gold, and took care of its workers.  Its product was pig iron. 

Fayette, on Delta County's Garden Peninsula on Big Bay de Noc, was named for Fayette Brown, a company agent.  He scouted the area in 1861, and reported that it offered an ideal location for iron smelting operations.  It offered an ideal location for iron smelting operations.  It had abundant stands of hardwood for making charcoal, huge outcroppings of limestone for building material and flux for furnaces, and a snug, deep-water harbor for shipping.  Because of its shape, the beautiful little bay had been known for years to Great Lakes sailors as Snail Shell Harbor. 

The company acquired the land, including some twenty thousand acres of hardwood forest, in 1864.  The first furnace stack was built in 1867 of limestone blocks quarried from the harbor cliffs, and the first pig iron was produced in December that same year.  A second furnace was built in 1970.  Iron ore was transported from the rail head at Escanaba by tug and barges.  The company built its own narrow-gauge railroad and hauled charcoal from its sets of bee-shaped brick kilns all over the lower part of the Garden Peninsula.  Each set of kilns had its own boardinghouse and a group of log cabins for its workers.  

During the 1870's and 1880's, Fayette became the second largest producer of quality charcoal-forged iron in Michigan.  Altogether, it produced some 230,000 tons of pig iron.  Most of it was shipped to Chicago. 

Fayette boomed during the seventies and eighties.  It received a post office in 1870; Marvin H. Brown, the company agent, was postmaster.  At its peak in the late 1880's, Fayette had a general store, office building, superintendent's and supervisor's houses, a machine shop, black smith, doctor's office, hotel, boardinghouse, opera house, 40 log cabins for its workers and their families, and a population of five hundred-but no saloons. 

By company decree the town was dry.  However, it made an exception in the case of "Pig Iron" Fred Hink, one of its workers who had been disabled in a plant accident.  He had been permitted to open a tavern about a mile from town on the Garden road. That led to trouble.  

"Pig Iron" was a good guy, but his tavern became a hangout for a bunch of toughs known as the Summers Gang.  Jim Summers operated a bordello known as "The Stockade" a mile or two south of Fayette.  It had a high wooden fence around it to keep the girls from leaving without permission-many of them had been forced into prostitution against their will. 

Trouble started when one of the girls escaped and sought asylum at Fayette after wandering in the woods for two days.  The story goes that she was taken in at the home of the deputy sheriff, but instead of protecting her he turned her over to Jim Summers, who was waiting outside in a buggy. 

This aroused the citizens of Fayette to a fury.  They held a town meeting, formed a posse of vigilantes, and, armed with clubs and mops and ax-handles, descended upon Pig Iron's tavern, where the Summer's Gang was whooping it up.  After beating up the gang, they marched to the Stockade, liberated the girls, and left Summers battered and bleeding on the beach to die.  But when some his friends returned next morning to bury him, the body had disappeared.  

Fire destroyed the furnaces in 1883.  They were rebuilt and smelting operations continued for a few years, but by that time the areas hardwood forests had been virtually wiped out for charcoal, and new and more efficient methods of iron smelting were coming into use. 

In 1959, after slumbering on Snail Shell Harbor for more than half a century, visited by only occasional travelers and boatmen, Fayette was acquired  by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and transformed into what many people consider Michigan's most interesting and beautiful state park.  The castle-like ruins of the great blast furnaces have been left virtually untouched, but many of the frame buildings have been mended and completely restored.  Many are now on-site museums, filled with antiques and memorabilia of their time. Fayette is truly a long step back in time. 

Mansfield, MI

Mansfield Mine Site

During the twenty-some years of its existence, Mansfield, a little mining town in Iron County near Crystal Falls, probably never had a population of more than four hundred, even counting the dogs and cats.  It has, nevertheless, one tragic claim to distinction.  Mansfield was the scene of one of Michigan's worst mining disasters.  It happened on the night of September 28, 1893. 

In 1889, W.S. Calhoune discovered iron ore in profitable quantities there and platted the town.  A year later, the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad built a branch line from Armenia Mine (near Crystal Falls) to the site and Mansfield Mining Company began developing the mine.  The miners and their families represented a rich potpourri of ethnic backgrounds: Cornish, Italian, Scandinavian, Finnish, and Irish.  The town soon acquired several boardinghouses, two general stores, three saloons, and a school.  Tom Corbett ran a stage line from Mansfield to Crystal Falls.  John Erikson became the first postmaster on July 23, 1891. 

By 1893, the Mansfield Mine had six galleries at various levels, the deepest being 423 feet.  All of them ran directly beneath, and parallel to, the Michigamme River.  The top level was only thirty-five feet below the riverbed.

Five of the galleries had been stopped (mined out), leaving only the timber shoring and the pillars of ore to bear the tremendous weight of the earth above.  The sixth and deepest level had not been stopped, and that's why twenty-one of the forty-eight miners who descended the shaft that fateful night escaped with their lives. 

It is generally believed that the disaster occurred when the fifth level of the mine caved in, allowing the levels above, and consequently the river, to crash down on the miners. 

Andrew Sullivan, night boss on the sixth level, heard the crash.  He knew immediately what had happened and told his men to follow him to the ladder.  The downdraft caused by the crash blew out their lanterns and candles, and they had to grope their way in total darkness to the shaft.  All but four of them reached the ladder and started to climb.  

At the fourth level, they were met by a torrent of water from the Michigamme River, pouring down the shaft.  From there, they could hardly breathe except at the landings at each level, and reached safety at the top more dead than alive.

But alive.  The miners on the fourth level weren't so lucky. Frank Rocco, night boss at the fourth level, was standing with another man when he heard the crash.  Instead of heading for the skip (lift), which would have carried him to safety, he went back into the drift to warn his men, and was never seen again.  Only the operator of the skip lived to tell the tale of his heroism. 

Altogether, twenty-seven miners lost their lives.  The death of so many husbands and fathers, as well as single men, was a terrible blow to the town, and it never recovered.  By diverting the river into another channel, the mine was later redeemed and was operated until 1911 by the Oliver Mining Company.  But by 1913, the mine was closed and Mansfield's post office was discontinued, and that was the end of Mansfield except as a ghost town.  

Now all that marks the site are a bridge across the river, a few houses, and a gray granite monument that bears the names of twenty-seven miners who lost their lives in the Mansfield mine disaster.

Wilson, MI

The Wilson Saloon

The old Wilson saloon is still open for business (**see note below**), and you can buy a drink - soft, hard or in-between - at the original mahogany bar from the Finnish barmaid or from one of one of the owners, Joyce and Clarence O'Sullivan, a  general Irish couple (except she's Lithuanian) who bought the place thirty years ago and live next door.

The bar itself is high off the floor.  It's what they used to call a stand-up bar.  The lumberjacks and mill hands would "belly-up" to the bar for their  drinks.  The way they figured it, bar stools were for sissies and loose women.

In these decadent times, however, there are tall bar stools for the clientele, which consists mainly of the pick-up truck trade.  Business isn't rushing, but it's steady and the O'Sullivans do all right.  It's better in the winter than  summer, Joyce says, and better on rainy days than sunny, when there's nothing  else to do. 

Clarence says that the building hasn't changed a bit since it was built in  1902 by the Menominee Brewing Company, except maybe that the ceiling has been  lowered a little.  Back then, the ghost town of Wilson, on old U.S. 2 in  Menominee County 17 miles west of Escanaba, was all ready thirty years old.

In 1871, the Chicago and North Western Railroad came through Spalding Township on its way from Green Bay to Escanaba, and built a depot to serve the charcoal kilns at a little settlement the railroad called Ferry Switch.  Other  than the charcoal kilns there wasn't much to it, but the town came back to life and started growing in 1881, when Frank D. Wilson built a big sawmill there. It got its first post office as Myra on February 24, 1881; and Daniel McIntyre, who built the first big general store, was its first postmaster.  That same  year, the name was changed to Wilson, and the sawmill owner replaced the storekeeper as postmaster.  The first school was built in 1881. 

After that, the town grew by leaps and bounds, reaching a peak of more than  four hundred people around 1910.  In addition to the big sawmill, which  speculated in cutting railroad ties, Wilson had a shingle mill, two general stores, a hotel, blacksmith shops, two saloons, and several cheese factories. One of its most important buildings, a two-story brick mansion, was built by August Enfield, owner of one of the general stores.

Wilson continued to flourish into the 1920's.  Clarence O'Sullivan says that  the second floor of the Wilson saloon was a dance hall.  The finest dance  bands from Wisconsin made it a must-stop on the polka circuit.  People from miles around came to Wilson on Saturday nights and danced into the wee hours.  Even as late as 1927, Wilson had a population of over four hundred. 

Then things began to slide.  The sawmill closed and the cheese factories went out of business.  People moved away, looking for work.  Fundamentally, Wilson had two strikes against it.  One, it was too close to Escanaba and therefore, unnecessary; two, it was on old U.S. 2 and thus practically invisible. 

The C&NW trains still pass through Wilson but they don't stop any more.  The  old depot, discontinued in 1950, was moved away several years ago and now  serves as a storage warehouse.  Along with the saloon and two to three other empty buildings, the old Enfield mansion still stands, but its windows and  doors are boarded up now, and the weeds and brush flourish like a jungle around it.

Wilson still has its post office; and you can still buy a drink at the old Wilson saloon, the last and only business in town.

**As of 1994, the Wilson Saloon was still in operation.  However, it has since closed.  One individual even e-mailed me to say he took the bar from the Wilson Saloon and completely restored it and it is now located in his basement.  As far as I know, the Wilson post office still exists and may be the only business left in town.  

The excerpts of these ghost towns located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula came from the book titled "The Ghost Towns of Michigan," written by Larry Wakefield, copyright 1994.  A special thanks to Mr. Wakefield for this information contained in his book for this web page.

The Upper Peninsula Facts Page

Welcome to the Upper Peninsula Facts Page.  This page has been created for those people who are completely unfamiliar about the U.P. and would like to learn more about our peninsula.  It may be especially helpful to read over this page before making a journey north above the Mackinac Bridge - just to learn some of the basics about the U.P.  Even Yoopers at home may find some interesting facts about the U.P. on this page that they never even knew about!  Just take your time reading the interesting information we have about the land Yoopers call home, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan!

First of all, a little information about the name of the Upper Peninsula.  The state of Michigan is comprised of two peninsulas, an upper and a lower peninsula.  We are located in the Upper Peninsula.  Residents of the Upper Peninsula call this land the U.P. (short for Upper Peninsula).  Other names commonly referred to this area of the state is Northern Michigan, the U.P. of Michigan and Upper Michigan. The Upper Peninsula is located in the Northern 1/3rd of Michigan.  The state of Michigan has roughly a population of over 9 million, yet the U.P. only has 300,000 residents.  The U.P. also comprises 1/3rd of the total land mass of the state of Michigan.   
A "Peninsula" is an area of land in which three of its sides are bordered by water.  The U.P. is surrounded by Lake Superior to the north, Lake Michigan to the South, and Lake Huron to the east.  The U.P. also is bordered to the west by our neighboring state of Wisconsin.  

Upper Peninsula residents are a hardy-breed of folk, who can endure 5 or more months of winter during a given year.  If you hate the snow and the cold, then the U.P. is not the place for you.  Residents of the U.P. are commonly referred to as "Yoopers."  Since the Upper and Lower Peninsula's are connected together by the Mackinac Bridge at the Straits of Mackinac, Lower Peninsula residents are referred to as "trolls," but truly, nothing bad is meant by this.

The Upper Peninsula's largest city is Marquette, located in the north central U.P.  The population of Marquette is around 20,000 people.  A few big employers reside in this city, including Marquette General Hospital as well as Northern Michigan University.  The city also has a top-notch school system and has many fun and exciting things to do on an average day.  The next largest cities in the U.P. are Sault Ste. Marie in the eastern U.P., Houghton in the western U.P., and Escanaba in the south central U.P.  The U.P. is home to a rich copper and

iron ore mining heritage.  One large iron ore mine is located in central Marquette county, named the Tilden Mine which is managed by Cliffs Natural Resources.  Over eight million tons of iron ore pellets are made at the Tilden mine and its pellets are shipped out of Marquette and Escanaba via large ore docks, onto large ore vessels that travel the Great Lakes.  The pellets make their way to large steel factories and are made into products.  A smaller copper and nickel mine was created near Big Bay, which is referred to as the Eagle Mine.  The ore that is extracted from underground is shipped to a processing facility near Humboldt.  Here, the ore is ground down to a fine concentrate which gets railed out to be further processed.  As for copper mining in the Copper Country (Keweenaw), it has ended for the time being.  A rich Copper Mining history remains there where many mines were once located.  Believe it or not, the town of Calumet once had 90,000 people living there because of the huge copper boom, and was once considered a candidate to be the Michigan state capital.

The Upper Peninsula is home to only one Interstate highway.  I-75 runs from North to South, beginning at Sault Ste. Marie and ending at St. Ignace and traveling across the Mackinac Bridge.  The U.P. has two major east-west trunk lines: US 2 and M-28.  Yet neither of these highways are four-lane freeways.  The only freeways or expressways on these two highways are near major population centers.  No other highways in the U.P. are considered to be freeways or expressways.

The Upper Peninsula has some of the most beautiful natural territory in the United States.  The U.P. is home to the Hiawatha and Ottawa National Forests.  There are camping, hiking, canoeing, fishing, and many other activities available while visiting the national forests.  The Ottawa National Forest is headquartered in Watersmeet, MI while the Hiawatha National Forest is headquartered in Munising.  There are also over 15 state parks located across the U.P. territory.  The most popular state parks include the Tahquamenon, Mackinac Island, Laughing Whitefish, Porcupine Mountains, and Van Riper State Parks.

There are three national parks located peninsula wide.  The Isle Royale National Park is located in far Northwest Lake Superior.  An island ferry travels to the park everyday during summer months.  It is a very isolated and heavily forested island, with a variety of wildlife, such as bear, wolves, and moose.  The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is located in east-central Upper Michigan along the Lake Superior shoreline.  The park stretches from Munising to Grand Marais in Alger County.  The park is named for the beautiful sandstone rock cliffs that are exposed along the lakeshore. Pictured Rocks is also known as being home to America's first national lakeshore.  Such amazing attractions within the parks boundaries include Miners Castle, Munising Falls, Miners Beach, and Sand Point.  Last but not least, one of the newest National parks is the Keweenaw National Historical Park.  The park has been developed to commemorate the rich copper mining history in the Keweenaw Peninsula.  The Peninsula was home to the only place in the world where commercially abundant quantities of elemental copper occurred.  The park is headquartered in Calumet, MI. 

Believe it or not, the U.P. also has over 100 waterfalls within its boundaries.  There are many that are not on the state map, so a handy U.P. waterfalls manual may be needed to get to them all.  Most of them are small falls, but the larger falls are the most impressive.  Some of the larger falls include the Tahquamenon, Laughing Whitefish, Munising, and Wagner.  

Another famous landmark in the Upper Peninsula is the Soo Locks near Sault Ste. Marie.  The Soo Locks were built to accommodate large shipping vessels to travel the other Great Lakes while leaving or entering Lake Superior safely.  The St. Mary's River is the only body of water that connects Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes.  The locks are a much easier bypass for ships, especially when the other route is impassible because of large river rapids.  Before the locks were constructed, boats had to be diverted around river rapids, and this meant carrying boats around the rapids.  For the larger boats, cargo had to be taken off the one ship sitting below the rapids, and then carried to another boat sitting above the rapids in Lake Superior The construction project started in 1853, and a lock connecting both sides was completed.  Since then, other locks have been built to help alleviate demand.  Four locks exist in the Soo, with two of the larger locks getting the most use.  A third has been deemed obsolete and is no longer in use while the fourth only gets used to accommodate smaller vessels.  A new construction project is being planned to restore locks that are old and outdated.

Dog Sled Racing in Upper Michigan

Welcome to the Upper Peninsula Mushing Adventure Page!  This web site not only honors Dog Sled Racing in the Upper Peninsula, but also the two mid-distance race and shorter 30-mile race that have made the U.P. a great place to race sled dogs - the U.P. 200, Midnight Run, and Jack Pine 30.  I will also recount a few of my fondest memories while attending a few of these dog sled races in my hometown.  So lets mush away....!

History of Dog Sled Racing in the U.P.

The U.P. 200 and Midnight Run was only a glimmer of an idea 20 years ago.  It was an intriguing thought and the location of the Upper Peninsula for such dog sled races was great, seeing the U.P. is known for its snow.  The idea was discussed amongst a few area families and they soon brought the dream to reality.  Jeffrey Mann and his family moved to Marquette, Michigan after living in Seattle.  He met a few people who loved something that he loved just as much; the sport of dog sled racing.  A race plan was quickly developed along with a race course.  The course of this new U.P. race was to include Marquette, Alger, and Delta counties, within the towns of Marquette, Chatham, Rapid River, Escanaba, and Gwinn serving as checkpoints for the inaugural start of the U.P. 200. Not only was there to be one dog sled race, but two.  The U.P. 200 was developed for the more experienced racing team and would include all of the five checkpoints for an approximate total of 240 miles.  The Midnight Run, a smaller race for the less-experienced, would include three of the checkpoints and would start in Chatham and end in Escanaba.  The strategic plan came together, and soon enough, it was time to race.   On a stormy night in February of 1990, the first annual U.P. 200 took off from the heart of downtown Marquette.  Not only was there enormous support from area businesses and volunteers, but the general public also attended the race with a crowd of 10,000 witnessing the first ever dog sled race in the Upper Peninsula.  Later on in Chatham, the first Midnight Run also began, again with mind-boggling crowds for a town of its size.  The crowd support was huge then and it continues today.   

Things have changed since the initial running of the U.P. 200 and Midnight Run.  In 2003, the U.P. Sled Dog Association decided to change the course of the U.P. 200.  In more recent years, the southern Upper Peninsula has lacked the snow necessary for the race to continue on through that part of the trail, so the trail was rerouted.  Some new checkpoints have been incorporated into the new race course including Wetmore and Grand Marais, MI.  Grand Marais now serves as the half-way point for the race.  After the teams leave Grand Marias, Wetmore again serves as a checkpoint for the final leg of the race until the finish at the lower harbor in Marquette.  The Midnight Run race course has also changed since 2003.  The racers participating in the Midnight Run also get to experience a "downtown start," as Marquette serves as the starting point of the race. A traditional starting point for the race in the past now serves as the primary checkpoint for the race, that town being Chatham.  Once the teams take their mandatory rest here, they follow the same trail back to Marquette where the finish line is.  

Lastly, the Jack Pine 30, a sportsman's class race covers a course of 30 miles in length which starts and ends in Gwinn.  The inaugural running of the race was in 2003, where eleven racers hit the trails.  

The U.P. 200, Midnight Run, and now the JackPine 30 are successful winter-time events in the Upper Peninsula that draw thousands of people to the area to witness some of the best dog sled racers in all of the sport.  Some of the mushers use these races as a qualifier or a training run for the Iditarod - the grand daddy of all dog sled races held in Alaska.  But there are many mushers who hold high praise for the officials and the communities responsible for the U.P. 200, Midnight Run and JackPine 30 races.  It's why many keep coming back year after year.  Some even compliment the race as being the best in the lower 48.  And that's quite the compliment for such a successful event in our wonderful Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

My Memories of Attending Dog Sled Races

I can't say I've attended all of the U.P. 200 and Midnight Run races in all of my life in Chatham.  In 2000, I had a serious cold and couldn't take the chance of catching anything worse than I all ready had.  And the first two or three races in the history of the event were missed by me because I was probably too small to go out there bundled up tighter than a mummy.  But excluding all those years, I've attended them all.  It's not about knowing all of the mushers names and rooting just for one or two of the favorites, but it's about much more than that.  Its about having fun, and wishing good luck to all of those mushers that come out of the starting gate as they breeze by from the dog's excitement.  That is the best part of all.

  

I've had plenty of fond memories while attending the races.  One of my most fondest was around the time when I was about 8, and attended my first dogsled race.  Back then, the Midnight Run didn't start out of the ball field, but right along the railroad grade just North of the Chatham post office.  Now I was too young to remember a lot of what went on.  But I remember the dogs whizzing by, about as fast as a speeding bullet, as they soon drifted off out of site along the trail into the night sky.  I remember tons of people aligning the trail, and the excitement a cheers that went up once a team departed.  I also remember walking by many of the parked trucks with the built in dog kennels, keeping some of the extra dogs inside, with their noses peeking out.  I saw thousands of people, gazing and walking around the back roads of Chatham, peering into the dog kennels, like I did with my dad.  It was an amazing night, one that I will never forget.   

A few other events leave a definite impression on my mind.  I remember when the starting line of the U.P. 200 became the finish line for the race in downtown Marquette.  Hearing Chatham native Lloyd Gilbertson being defeated by only the smallest of margins to a fierce competitor.  Trudging through the deepest of mud puddles on a balmy February night that caused the snow to melt tremendously, causing race officials to postpone the final leg of the trip to Marquette, meaning Gwinn became the new finish point.  Finally, I'll end it here, the coldest race ever when the mercury reached 20 below zero!

Those are just a few of the finest memories I have about the races.  Long live dog sled racing in the U.P.!

What is it Like to Race Sled Dogs?

You are in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. As you stand on the runners of the dog sled, looking in amazement at the very excited dogs that are about to pull you down the trail, you begin to wonder ... Just what have I gotten myself into? 

These dogs are psyched and based on how the sled is bouncing around, strong, too. You get a little comfort knowing you will not be alone on the trail. Your guide will be ahead with his own team.

As you stand there, many, many questions go through your mind.  Will I fall?  Will I be able to hold onto the sled if (and when) I fall? Which one of these things is the brake? When do I use the snow hook again? What were my leaders' names? I think I remember how to undo the snub line.

Suddenly, your guide turns around and gives what you think is the thumbs-up signal with his fur-mittened hand and like a shot he is gone. Your dogs are screaming to join their kennel mates on the trail. You lift your foot off the brake and without warning, you can't believe how fast you are going down this narrow chute through the trees. 

The loud barking and excitement at the hook up are behind you. The dogs don't make a sound while they are running. Trees are flashing past you in a blur, seemingly close enough to reach out and tear off your parka. You vaguely remember something the guide said about trying not to hit the trees. You've made it the first half-mile and turn onto a straight, wide trail. Even though the dogs are still running quickly you remember that you are supposed to breathe and begin to relax a little. 

Further down the trail the dogs slow to a nice trot and things seem to be under control. 

This is the point where you begin to see the attraction of this wonderful sport. It is absolutely breathtaking in the winter woods. Snow hangs on the pines creating a white, sparkling tunnel into a magic land. 

You see the breath of each of your dogs and the enjoyment they derive from being on the trail again. They strain into their harnesses, eager to see what is around the corner or over the next hill. It is obvious they are enjoying their work. Their adventurous spirit is almost overwhelming, and definitely contagious. It is apparent these dogs are healthy and well taken care of. They are physically fit athletes that receive excellent nutrition, training and the opportunity to do the thing they love most-run. 

The variety of feelings and emotions you experience during your trip is amazing. Excitement, fear, exhilaration, awe, solitude and serenity are just a few, not to mention the kinship you will begin to feel with your dog team as you traverse the north woods. It is easy to understand why mushers choose this type of lifestyle. 

You are one of the growing number of people wanting to experience this mystical thing called "mushing." Dog sled touring businesses, or outfitters, are popping up all over the country where snow is abundant. 

Here in Michigan, there are numerous mushers around the state, but only a few are offering guided trips, and they are all in the U.P. where winters are long and the snowfall is incredible.

A variety of formats is used by mushers. Some only offer rides in the sled where a musher drives the team. Others allow you to ride the runners of a "trail sled," a second sled attached to the team behind the first sled. A musher drives the sled and actually controls the team. Some outfitters offer half day or whole day outings, while a few offer more extensive, multiple-day trips. On these types of excursions, many outfitters will supply most or all of the specialized winter equipment you will need.

Some of the information and pictures gathered in creating this web site came from the Upper Peninsula Sled Dog Association's Web Site, "www.up200.org." Much thanks to them!