A critical examination of the people and events that led to the gradual recognition of the mining potential of the unique native copper deposits of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, which culminated in the first great mining boom in American history. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

From the bestselling and award-winning author of The Sparrow comes an inspiring historical novel about “America’s Joan of Arc” Annie Clements—the courageous woman who started a rebellion by leading a strike against the largest copper mining company in the world. In July 1913, twenty-five-year-old Annie Clements had seen enough of the world to know that it was unfair. She’s spent her whole life in the copper-mining town of Calumet, Michigan where men risk their lives for meager salaries—and had barely enough to put food on the table and clothes on their backs. The women labor in the houses of the elite, and send their husbands and sons deep underground each day, dreading the fateful call of the company man telling them their loved ones aren’t coming home. When Annie decides to stand up for herself, and the entire town of Calumet, nearly everyone believes she may have taken on more than she is prepared to handle. In Annie’s hands lie the miners’ fortunes and their health, her husband’s wrath over her growing independence, and her own reputation as she faces the threat of prison and discovers a forbidden love. On her fierce quest for justice, Annie will discover just how much she is willing to sacrifice for her own independence and the families of Calumet. From one of the most versatile writers in contemporary fiction, this novel is an authentic and moving historical portrait of the lives of the men and women of the early 20th century labor movement, and of a turbulent, violent political landscape that may feel startlingly relevant to today.

sle Royale and the Keweenaw Peninsula have a rich cultural, industrial, and mining heritage, all connected by their geologic underpinnings. This region is the result of geologic forces during two vastly different periods in time that shaped spectacular landscapes¿the largest lava flow known on Earth, stunning red cliffs of sandstone, an archipelago in the largest freshwater lake in the world, wave-tossed pebble beaches, dunes, and Lake Superior itself. This book offers a general introduction to the processes behind the diverse and globally significant geology of the Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale and the relationship of that geology to human inhabitants, known as geoheritage.Humans came to North America more than 15,000 years ago when the glaciers were receding and leaving magnificent pieces of copper on the surface. Evidence from Isle Royale indicates that early people mined this area 4,500 years ago, although mining likely began here much earlier. Keweenaw copper was discovered at McCargoe Cove on Isle Royale, marking what is referred to as the North American Bronze Age. During this time, copper was traded all over NorthAmerica. Ancient pits have been discovered at dozens of sites on Isle Royale and the Keweenaw, and beautiful copper objects have been found throughout the Midwest, particularly in Wisconsin. Archaeological evidence along with a rich storytelling tradition indicates that early inhabitants had a deep understanding of the geologic landscape. Copper treasure from the Earth was a focus of human interest and marks the beginning of our geoheritage.

Known at age 25 as the "Joan of Arc of Calumet," Annie Clemenc had a dramatic role in the huge copper mining strike in Michigan in 1913. She is now a member of Labor’s International Hall of Fame and the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. “A clearly painted portrait of Anna “Big Annie” Clemenc, this is her definitive biography.” --Steve Lehto, author of Death’s Door and Shortcut Photographs of Annie taken after the strike are published for the first time.