Hancock is the northernmost city in Michigan and has strong Finnish heritage which is evident in the annual midwinter festival – Heikinpäivä – and the many street signs printed in both English and Finnish and the Finlandia University.
Hancock is connected to Houghton by the Portage Lake Lift Bridge, which is the heaviest aerial lift bridge in the world. Every summer Hancock plays host to the International Frisbee Tournament.
Hancock links
City of Hancock
Wikipedia – Hancock
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photo: Gartner's, Hancock by Marjorie O'Brien
Houghton is one of the premiere "Winter Cities" and one of "The 100 Best Small Town in America" and is home to Michigan Technological University. It was the birthplace of professional ice hockey in the United States with the formation of the Portage Lakes in 1903 and in the winter of 2001 became the site of the first lumitalos – a Finish temporary show dwelling – in the United States.
Although Houghton is known for its winters it's also a great summer destination, offering numerous biking, hiking, and kayaking experiences the area has to offer.
Isle Royal National Park is a ferry ride away and the Keweenaw Underwater Preserve offers excellent diving.
Houghton links:
City of Houghton
Wikipedia – Houghton
Houghton County
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Ishpeming is known for its rich history, beautiful surroundings, and the birth of organized skiing in the United States – it is now home to the National Ski Hall of Fame. Ishpeming serves to this day as the Upper Peninsula operations headquarters for Cleveland-Cliffs Iron, which was one of the country's biggest iron-mining companies for decades. The Cliffs Shaft Mine site, a Michigan state historical site, is the location of one of the most productive of the area's underground iron ore mines. Although the mines were closed in 1969, the shaft buildings dominate Ishpeming's skyline.
In the winter the area is known for its 1200 foot iced toboggan slide, nearby luge run, and Suicide Hill Ski Jump. Ishpeming's local area offers recreation for all seasons, one of which is Jasper Knob, the worlds largest gemstone which is composed completely of jaspilite. Jaspilite is rock made of bands of bright red jasper, alternating with bands of specular hematite.
Ishpeming links:
Wikipedia – Ishpeming
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Escanaba has rich resources and natural beauty that make is a regional hub for Michigan's south central Upper Peninsula. The area is renowned for its beaches and water activities and its proximity to lighthouses, waterfalls, the Fayette Historic Townsite and Kitchitikipi – the Big Springs in the Palms Book State Park.
Escanaba links:
City of Escanaba
Wikipedia – Escanaba
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The Munising area was originally inhabited by Ojibwa who used the area as a summer camping ground. After the first exploration by Europeans, Grand Island soon became a fur-trading outpost, and later a steamship fueling station. In 1895 construction began on the town of Munising. It wasn't until the 1870s that a iron blast furnace was built, attracting permanent settlers to the area. Sawmills, a tannery, and the Munising Woodenware Company led to greater development in the area.
Munising sits on the edge of a beautiful bay with the thick forested hills of the Hiawatha National Forestproviding shelter behind. Grand Island sits just beyond the harbor while the Picture Rocks National Lakeshore lies along the coast to the east. The Lake Superior waters around Grand Island and Munising are home to the Alger Underwater Preserve which protects eight major wrecks.
Munising links:
Munising Visitors Bureau Inc
City of Munising
Munising
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Champion was first settled by French-Canadian lumberjacks and miners from Cornwall. By 1900 new immigrants, Scandinavians, Germans, Italians, Irish, and Finns had settled the area. Champion soon became a vital railroad, mining, logging, and farming center.
In 1912 a cave-in struck Champion. A hole one hundred feet deep and three hundred feet wide was formed, which destroyed several homes. The cave-in caused the Champion Mine to collapse and was subsequently shut down for good. By that time the mine had brought up over 4 million tons or iron ore.
Champion links:
Champion
Van Riper State Park
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Big Bay was founded as a company-built sawmill town, tucked between the Huron Mountains and Lake Superior. In 1943 after a brief recession the mill was bought and reopened by Henry Ford. Like many other of Henry Ford's model towns it was pretty but unprofitable and soon closed. Big Bay is neighbored by the Huron Mountain Club, a vast fenced off fishing and hunting retreat and wilderness area owned by extremely wealthy families, most of whom made their money in the 19th century, including the Ford family. Big Bay is most famously known for being the location of both the book and the movie of Anatomy of a Murder.
Big Bay is also the western trailhead of the Hiawatha Water Trail, and near unusual Jacobsville sandstone formations under the waters of Lake Superior that rise up to become cliffs.
Located on the shores of Lake Michigamme, Michigamme draws visitors into what is now a quaint mining town with proximity to the Craig Lake State Park and Van Riper State Park. When first settled Michigamme served as a hub between several mines operating in the area. The Michigamee Mine, located just northeast of the village on Mt. Shasta, produced almost a million tons of iron ore before it shut down in 1900. Henry Ford started another boom in the 1920s when he opened the Imperial Mine one mile to the west of Michigamme, in a place still called Imperial Heights. Like many of his Upper Peninsula locations, it was never a money-maker. It closed in the 1930s.
Michigamme links:
Michigamme
Craig Lake State Park
Van Riper State Park
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Neqaunee was founded by The Jackson Iron Company in 1846. Today Negaunee is a safe, friendly community that is home to the Michigan Iron Industry Museum, the historic Vista Theatre, and the Negaunee Historical Museum. Due to the large population of miners and mine managers the village is both plain and stately. The village celebrates its heritage with the mid winter Heikki Lunta Winterfest and the mid-summer Pioneer Days.
Negaunee links:
City of Negaunee
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Hancock is the northernmost city in Michigan and has strong Finnish heritage which is evident in the annual midwinter festival – Heikinpäivä – and the many street signs printed in both English and Finnish and the Finlandia University.