Copper Country in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

[Virtual tour] Discover the rich history, New York connections, and architectural heritage of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, famously known as the "Copper Country." Since 1992, this region on the shores of Lake Superior has been home to the Keweenaw National Historical Park. The area is renowned for its remarkable industrial archaeology and landscapes, a blend of high-style and vernacular boom-town architecture, and New Deal-era tourist infrastructure developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps-and rediscovered by Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay during an uncharted excursion in 2020. These elements trace the rise and fall of copper mining that has shaped the region for over 7,000 years. East Coast mining giants like the Calumet & Hecla and Quincy mining companies (and their investors like Horace Greeley) introduced designs, technology, and immigrant workers from Cornwall, Italy, Finland, and Austria-Hungary. Join historic preservationist James Russiello on a virtual tour to explore the remarkable surviving buildings-both private and public-in the rural and urban landscapes of the Keweenaw National Historical Park, and explore the materials, preservation challenges, and social history of these sites.

‍