Keweenaw Peninsula
The Keweenaw Peninsula ( ki ː ː wənɔ ) is the northernmost part of the Upper Peninsula in Michigan. It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first boom in search of copper in the United States. Today, forestry and tourism are the main economic activities of the region, the formation carries through the Michigan Technological University and Finlandia University a large portion of employment. The northern terminus of the leading up to Miami, Florida U.S. Route 41 is located in Copper Harbor.
The northeastern part is sometimes called the Copper Iceland (or by the Finnish immigrants who are numerous in the region, including Kuparisaari ) denotes, although this term is used less and less. This part, which belongs to the Keweenaw County is separated from the rest of the peninsula by the Keweenaw Waterway, a natural watercourse which was dredged and widened in the 1860s and the peninsula between the cities of Houghton (after Douglass Houghton ) in the south and Hancock in north cuts through. The southwestern part of the peninsula is part of the Houghton County.
The Keweenaw Fault runs approximately the length of the Halbsinel. This geological fault line caused the nice looking cliffs on U.S. 41 and on Brockway Mountain Drive north of Calumet.
Geology
The oldest and largest lava flows that are known on Earth, can be found on the Keweenaw Peninsula. This volcanic activity produced the only Strata on earth, where economically mineable 97 - percent pure copper is found.
The Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale, which were formed by the Midcontinent Rift system, are the only places in the United States where prehistoric mining of copper is detected by natives. Items that made these Indians were traded to present-day Alabama.
History
The rich deposits of copper and some silver on the peninsula were mined industrially from about the middle of the 19th century. The industry grew in the second half of the century, and also a large part of the 20th century, thousands of residents were employed in the mining industry. This vibrant industry generated the need for trained mining professionals and led in 1885 to the founding of the Michigan Mining School (now Michigan Technological University, MTU) in Houghton. Although the MTU has its mining course in 2006 no longer continue, but engineering courses in other subject areas will continue to be offered. The mining of copper ore on the peninsula was discontinued in 1967, but has not won in a while Ontonogan copper sulfate. At the same time as the mining boom flourished and the hammering of Weymouth pine. The wood was used for the stamp in the mine shafts and served the villages that were round about the larger mines, as firewood and as a timber for the growing population. A large part of the timber was operated in winter when the floor has been frozen, and thus the operation easier. Because of the way the logging of that time, the forests on the peninsula today differ greatly from their state end of the 19th century.
From 1964 to 1971, the University of Michigan collaborated with NASA and the U.S. Navy during the operation of the rocket launch site Keweenaw.
Settlements
Among the settlements on the peninsula include:
- Ahmeek
- Atlantic Mine
- Bete Grise
- Calumet
- Chassell
- Copper Harbor
- Delaware
- Dodgeville
- Dollar Bay
- Dreamland
- Eagle Harbor
- Eagle River
- Freda
- Gay
- Hancock
- Houghton
- Hubbell
- Hurontown
- Lac La Belle
- Lake Linden
- Laurium
- Little Betsy
- Mandan
- Mason
- Mohawk
- Osceola
- Painesdale
- Pelkie
- Phoenix
- Quincy
- Redridge
- Ripley
- South Range
- Tapiola
- Toivola
- Wyoming