Fort Wilkins Historic State Park Fort Wilkins Historic State Park is a historical park operated by the U . S . state of Michigan at Copper Harbor , Michigan . It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 , and is a " Cooperating Site " of the Keweenaw National Historical Park . Copper Harbor is located at the northern tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula , bordering Lake Superior . It is one of the best natural harbors in Keweenaw County and was a quick focus of attention after copper was discovered on the peninsula in the 1830s . In the early 1840s , a copper rush took place , with fortune - seekers moving from all directions to the peninsula . The U . S . government was concerned about possible disorder and violence , and lake shipping interests asked the government to build an aid to navigation so that essential supplies could be shipped in and the copper moved out . Fort Wilkins . The U . S . Army occupied Fort Wilkins , located east of Copper Harbor , Michigan on the strait of land between Copper Harbor and northern shore of Lake Fanny Hooe , in 1844 . The troops stationed there were intended to help with local law enforcement and to keep the peace between miners and the local Ojibwa s ; some Chippewa opposed the Treaty of La Pointe that had ceded the area to the United States in 1842 - 1843 . However , the fort proved to be unnecessary . The Chippewa largely accepted the influx , and the miners were law - abiding . The Army built 27 structures , including a guardhouse , powder magazine , 7 officer ' s quarters , two barracks , two mess halls , hospital , storehouse , sutler ' s store , quartermaster ' s store , bakery , blacksmith ' s shop , carpenter ' s shop , icehouse , four quarters for married enlisted men , stables , and a slaughter house , to house the operations of two full - strength infantry companies . Several of these structures still survive . Others have been rebuilt following archaeological excavations . When it was first garrisoned in 1844 , two companies ( A and B of the 5th infantry ) were stationed there . When war was declared with Mexico , the soldiers were needed elsewhere . Companies A and B were sent to Texas and were replaced by Company K . The next year Company K was also sent to Mexico , and in 1846 the fort was temporarily abandoned , leaving behind a single caretaker , a Sergeant William Wright . While the passing of Wright in 1855 , the fort was subsequently rented by a Dr . Livermore , who hoped to open a health resort for people to come and take the bracing lake air . This plan fell through after his death in 1861 . Dr . Livermore ' s tombstone and that of his daughter can still be found in the Copper Harbor Cemetery . After the American Civil War , the U . S . army reoccupied Fort Wilkins for three years in 1867 - 1870 . The U . S . Army needed a place for men to serve out the rest of their enlistments from the war . Company E was stationed there from 1867 until May 1869 , when they were replaced by Company K First Infantry . The army permanently abandoned the facility at the end of August 1870 . State park . In 1848 , the Copper Harbor Lighthouse complex was begun on the tip of the eastern point of land , also sometimes called Hays Point , that sits at the entrance of the harbor . In 1923 , the fort and adjacent lighthouse became a Michigan state park . The historic portion of Fort Wilkins and nearby lighthouse are operated as a unit of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment ' s Park and Recreation Division as the immediately adjacent state park . , the facility is open to the public in summer months . For ten weeks each summer ( June – August ) the fort is staffed with costumed personnel ; they are historical interpreters portraying Army life during the fort ' s final summer as an active post .