Isle Royale and the counties that line the northwest coast of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula are called Copper Country because of the rich deposits of native copper there. In the nineteenth century, explorers and miners discovered evidence of prehistoric copper mining in this region. They used those “ancient diggings” as a guide to establishing their own, much larger mines, and in the process, destroyed the archaeological record left by the prehistoric miners. Using mining reports, newspaper accounts, personal letters, and other sources, this book reconstructs what these nineteenth-century discoverers found, how they interpreted the material remains of prehistoric activity, and what they did with the stone, wood, and copper tools they found at the prehistoric sites. “This volume represents an exhaustive compilation of the early written and published accounts of mines and mining in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It will prove a valuable resource to current and future scholars. Through these early historic accounts of prospectors and miners, Halsey provides a vivid picture of what once could be seen.” —John M. O’Shea, curator of Great Lakes Archaeology, University of Michigan Museum of Anthropological Archaeology

"On Midsummer Eve, 1865, more than 30 Finnish and Sami immigrants disembarked from a Great Lakes ship to a place called Hancock, Michigan. At the time, Hancock consisted of nothing more than a small cluster of humble buildings, but it was here, on the outskirts of mid-19th-century civilization, that Finnish settlement in Michigan's Upper Peninsula (UP) took root. Much to the surprise of these new Americans, Midsummer was not a religious holiday marked by feasts in celebration of the season's prolonged sunlight. Rather, the newcomers were immediately hastened into the bowels of the earth to extract copper in pursuit of the American Dream. In short order, hardworking Finnish immigrants became reputable miners, lumberjacks, farmers, maids, and commercial fishermen. A century and a half later, the UP boasts the largest Finnish population outside of the motherland and sustains the determined spirit the Finns call sisu--an influence that remains palpable in all 15 UP counties."--

Arthur Thurner tells of the enormous struggle of the diverse immigrants who built and sustained energetic towns and communities, creating a lively civilization in what was essentially a forest wilderness. Their story is one of incredible economic success and grim tragedy in which mine workers daily risked their lives. By highlighting the roles women, African Americans, and Native Americans played in the growth of the Keweenaw community, Thurner details a neglected and ignored past. The history of Keweenaw Peninsula for the past one hundred and fifty years reflects contemporary American culture--a multicultural, pluralistic, democratic welfare state still undergoing evolution. Strangers and Sojourners, with its integration of social and economic history, for the first time tells the complete story of the people from the Keweenaw Peninsula's Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon counties.

In 'Michigan's Copper Country in Early Photos' by B. E. Tyler, readers are transported back in time to the boom days of the copper mining industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The book is a carefully curated collection of historic photographs that visually document the rise of this industry in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Tyler's writing style is concise and informative, providing context for each photograph while allowing the images to speak for themselves. The book offers a unique glimpse into a pivotal era in American industrial history, shedding light on the lives of the men and women who worked in the mines and the communities that grew up around them. Tyler's attention to detail and dedication to preserving this important history make 'Michigan's Copper Country in Early Photos' a valuable addition to any historian's library. Scholars of American industrial history, photography enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the rich tapestry of Michigan's past will find this book both enlightening and engaging.

Old Victoria, a ghost town from the copper boom, shows what life was like homesteading in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Over the years, some of the site has been destroyed or has collapsed; still, many of Old Victoria's original homesteads remain standing. Thanks to the efforts of a local group, The Society for the Restoration of Old Victoria, quite a few of the buildings have been restored and refurnished in their original condition. Unlike Fayette, the U.P.'s best-known ghost town and a small shipping port on Lake Michigan, Victoria is a remote, rugged mining town, buried in the Ontonagon wilderness. Thus, Victoria is one of the least-known yet most interesting attractions of the Upper Peninsula. The town was carved out of one of the harshest sections of the rugged U.P. landscape. Situated at the top of a Michigan mountain, part of the picturesque Ontonagon River Gorge, Victoria is within the Gogebic Mineral Range. When visiting here, you get the feel for what it was like to struggle in a remote mining town. Join Mikel B. Classen, the Yooper History Hunter, on a romp through time with two dozen photographs that portray more than a century of Old Victoria! "Both history and travel guide, this thoroughly researched and gracefully written book -- illustrated with both historical and contemporary photographs -- is a must-read for people planning visits to lesser-known parts of the western Upper Peninsula." -- Jon C. Stott, author Paul Bunyan in Michigan "Old Victoria: A Copper Country Ghost Town, the inaugural volume of the Yooper History Hunter Series, offers a colorful, up-close look at the life of a small mining town in one of the remotest corners of Michigan. Painstakingly researched, but an effortless read." --Victor R. Volkman, Marquette Monthly Learn more at www.MikelBClassen.com From Modern History Press www.ModernHistoryPress.com