Keweenaw Peninsula

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Keweenaw Peninsula.
Copper Island.
"Keweenaw Snow Thermometer," north of Mohawk, MI on US-41.

The Keweenaw ( ˈkiːwənɔː ) Peninsula , also known as the Keweenaw Peninsula , is the northernmost part of the Upper Peninsula in Michigan . It juts out into the Lake Superior and was the site of the first boom in the search for copper in the United States . Today logging and tourism are the most important industries in the region, and education is also a major contributor to employment through Michigan Technological University and Finlandia University . The northern end point of US Highway 41 leading to Miami , Florida is at Copper Harbor .

The north-eastern part is sometimes referred to as Copper Island (or Kuparisaari by the Finnish immigrants who are numerous in the region), although this designation is used less and less. This part, which is majority-owned by Keweenaw County , is separated from the rest of the peninsula by the Keweenaw Waterway , a natural watercourse that was dredged and widened in the 1860s and the peninsula between the towns of Houghton (after Douglass Houghton ) in the south and Hancock cuts through to the north. The southwestern part of the peninsula is part of Houghton County .

The Keweenaw Fault runs roughly the length of the half-line. This geological fault line made for the beautiful-looking cliffs on US 41 and Brockway Mountain Drive north of Calumet.

geology

Cross-section of the pelvis of Lake Superior with the inclined layers volcanic rock, both the Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale form

The oldest and largest lava flows known on earth are found on the Keweenaw Peninsula. This volcanic activity created the only strata on earth where economically minable 97 percent pure copper is found.

The Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale , formed by the Midcontinent Rift System , are the only places in the United States where prehistoric native mining of copper has been recorded. Objects made by these Indians were traded into what is now Alabama .

climate

The climate of the Keweenaw Peninsula is heavily influenced by the surrounding Lake Superior. The winters are therefore somewhat milder than further inland. Spring is cool and short, and turns into mostly mild summer with daily highs around 21 ° C in July. Autumn begins in September and brings with it the characteristic discoloration of the leaves of the sugar maple-dominated forests. Winter begins in mid-November and is characterized by continuous lake-effect snowfalls. Depending on the location, an average of 640 cm of snow falls per winter (the west coast and the tip of the peninsula receive far more snow than the southeast corner at Keweenaw Bay). The record is 990 cm for the winter of 1978/79.

history

The rich deposits of copper and some silver on the peninsula were industrially mined from around the middle of the 19th century. Industry grew in the second half of the century, and for much of the 20th century, thousands of people were employed in mining. This vibrant industry created the need for trained mining experts and led to the establishment of the Michigan Mining School (now Michigan Technological University , MTU) in Houghton in 1885 . Although MTU discontinued its mining course in 2006, engineering courses in other subject areas are still being offered. The mining of copper ore on the peninsula was stopped in 1967, but copper sulfate was still extracted in Ontonogan for a while. At the same time as the mining boom, Weymouth pine logging was flourishing . The wood was used for the stamps in the mine shafts and served the villages around the larger mines as firewood and as construction timber for the growing population. Much of the logging was done in winter when the ground was frozen, making operations easier. Due to the way the logs were felled at that time, the forests on the peninsula are very different from their condition at the end of the 19th century.

From 1964 to 1971, the University of Michigan cooperated with NASA and the US Navy in operating the Keweenaw Range rocket launch site .

Settlements

The settlements on the peninsula include:

See also

supporting documents

  1. ^ Exploring the North page on Houghton
  2. Public Law 102-543 (October 27, 1992); 106 STAT. 3569

literature

  • Williams A. Burt, Bela Hubbard: Reports on the Mineral Region of Lake Superior . L. Danforth, Buffalo 1846.
  • David J Krause: The Making of a Mining District: Keweenaw Native Copper 1500-1870 1992.
  • Arthur W. Thurner: Strangers and Sojourners - A History of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula . Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan 1994, ISBN 0814323960 .

Web links

Coordinates: 47 ° 15 ′  N , 88 ° 20 ′  W