Although “old reliable” closed in 1945, the Quincy Mine’s No. 2 shafthouse still stands sentinel on the hill above Hancock.
The prospective miners’ early efforts were disastrous, however, and only two companies were still operating in 1846. The Cliff Mine became the first success story of the mid-1800s, and by the time the Soo Locks opened in 1855, the real boom began. The locks literally opened the door to commerce, cheaper shipping and immigration, and as a result, more than 30 different nationalities now call the Keweenaw home. From 1845 to 1865, three-fourths of America’s copper production came from the Keweenaw mines. Mining towns grew wealthy; Calumet, just north of Hancock, had electricity even before the city of Detroit. But, as with all booms, this one was destined to go bust. The last mine closed in 1968.
Discover the sister cities
King copper The Keweenaw also is known as the Copper Country, and for good reason—its history has as much to do with human enterprise as it does with Mother Nature. Evidence of the generations who have come before, with all their hopes and dreams, lies scattered throughout the region. From 5,000 to 1,200 BCE, a mysterious race of miners took approximately 1.5 million pounds of pure copper from pits in the earth and traded with neighboring tribes. Its high quality ensured longevity in trading circles; in fact, Lake Superior copper has been found at prehistoric sites throughout North and South America. Then, inexplicably, the miners disappeared. In 1843, the Ojibwe people ceded 30,000 square miles of the Upper Peninsula to the U.S. government. Douglass Houghton, Michigan’s first state geologist, documented the ancient Keweenaw pits and rich copper deposits, and the copper rush was on. 48 LAKELANDBOATING.COM o c t o b e r 2 011
Yet haunting echoes of this long-gone era remain, and boaters will be attuned to them the moment they cruise into the Portage Lake Ship Canal and spot the sister cities of Houghton and Hancock. Hancock lies on the north side of the Portage Lake Canal. Founded by the Quincy Mining Company in 1859, it was home to foundries, factories and the Quincy Mine, which still overlooks the city from Quincy Hill. “Old Reliable” closed in 1945 after 99 years in operation. Houghton lies on the canal’s south side and was named for Douglass Houghton, the young geologist who eventually lost his life in a shipwreck off Eagle River. By 1865 it was a bustling shipping port as well as a business and cultural center for the wealthy mining district. Fifty-one percent of Houghton’s population left between 1920 and 1970, but recent years have seen an economic revitalization. Tourism has been key, but perhaps even more important is the city’s relationship with Michigan Technological University. Formerly a state mining college, it’s now an internationally recognized university with world-class programs in science, engineering and business. Houghton and Hancock are joined by the impressive Portage Lift Bridge, which gradually takes on mammoth proportions as you motor through the ship canal from either Keweenaw Bay to the east or Lake Superior to the west. The two communities rise up on either side, with homes and businesses scattered among trees and steeply slanting streets. The No. 2 shafthouse at Quincy Mine peers across the treetops at the crest of the hill above Hancock, like a gatekeeper welcoming newcomers to the Copper Country, and the ruins of Quincy’s canal-side operations cast long shadows to the water. Houghton County Marina, located across from the Houghton City Dock on the Hancock side of the lift bridge, is one of only two full-service marinas on the peninsula—the other is at Copper Harbor, on the