Keweenaw Area

The Keweenaw Peninsula, also known as Copper Country, has pulled people here for thousands of years. First the native people found copper and mined it. In the 1700’s Europeans tried mining here and in the 1840’s the first American’s stated mines on the peninsula. The first mine rush in US history started here in 1844 and by 1900 this area was booming. Laurium went from 1500 people in 1890 to 10000 in 1910. Houses, mansions and  businesses were popping all over the Keweenaw.  The Calumet area had almost 50,000 people by 1910 but the good times were not to last for long. Labor strikes and new lower cost mines out West casued the mining to decline and the population stated to leave the area. Today the Calumet area’s population is around 5000 people but most of the buildings still remain to serve as a reminder of the boomtown era 100 years ago.

Keweenaw National Historical Park

Laurium Manor Mansion Tour is a Heritage Site of the Keweenaw National Historical Park. It was one of the original Cooperating Sites of the park when the program was created in 1993.

The Park was established in 1992 to commemorate the rich history of copper mining on the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan – the only place in the world where commercially abundant quantities of elemental copper occurred. It has the oldest metal mining heritage in the western hemisphere — one which dates back 7,000 years. Click on “more” for more information about this National Park.

Laurium, Michigan Historic District

Most of the village of Laurium, Michigan is now in the National Register of Historic Places. Laurium is located in Houghton County on the Keweenaw Peninsula, the northwestern tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The historic portion of the village is roughly rectangular in shape, oriented northeast to southwest, encompassing approximately three hundred acres. The Laurium Historic District includes the entire village as it existed from 1899, when the ninth addition was platted, through 1954, the end of the period of significance.

We have made available for viewing, the entire 102 page document, which contains all details about the Laurium Historic District, as presented in the registration form for the National Register of Historic Places.

Laurium Historic District Registration Form

Laurium Tour

A Tour Brochure of Laurium’s historic residential and business district is available to download and print by clicking on the link below. This 12 panel black and white brochure has history and photos about Laurium, 46 of its prominent homes, and 20 of its business buildings and schools.

Tour Brochure

Keweenaw Attractions

The Keweenaw Peninsula, also known as the Copper Country, is filled with cultural, historical, and natural attractions that are open to the public. Click on a link below to see all that there is to see:

Keweenaw Calendar of Events

Keweenaw  Attractions

Keweenaw Activities

Keweenaw Restaurants

Keweenaw Shops

Keweenaw Snowfall and Trail Reports