Copper Harbor, Michigan
Copper Harbor is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located within Grant Township. The population of the CDP was 136 as of the 2020 census. The community is located at the northern tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. Copper Harbor is also the northernmost permanently populated community and northernmost point of mainland in the state of Michigan. Due to its natural environment and surroundings, Copper Harbor is marketed as an all-season tourist destination and also contains Fort Wilkins Historic State Park. History. Located  at the very tip of the Keweenaw peninsula, the Copper Country was home to the Ojibwe people prior to European settlement. In the year of 1836, the Upper Peninsula was officially ceded from the Native American Chippewa to the United States following the signing of the Treaty of Washington. The treaty was signed in the national capital, Washington, D.C., by Henry Schoolcraft, and Native American representatives from the Ojibwe and Odawa nations. Copper Harbor was host to the first mineral land agency throughout the entire Lake Superior District. Captain Walter Cunningham was appointed by the now-defunct United States Department  of War to act as a Special Agent to the area. As soon as wayfinding was established in the Spring of 1843, Cunningham had come to the area and opened his office which was thereafter named the "Government House." It was positioned on Porter's Island, a small rocky island just opposite of present-day Downtown Copper Harbor. The Pittsburgh and Boston Copper Harbor Mining Company, formed by John Hayes of Cleveland, Ohio, began excavating some pits near Haye's Point in Copper Harbor in the year of 1844. It was a small development at first, but its mine was  modern for its time, and the company struck it rich in 1845. The Pittsburgh and Boston mine operations were some of the very first in the state of Michigan. A few years later, the Central Mine, Cliff Mine and others were opened and became successful. By 1870, the copper resources in the community had been largely worked out. The community of Copper Harbor was listed as a newly-organized census-designated place for the 2010 census, meaning it now has officially defined boundaries and population statistics for the first time. Etymology. The name of the community, Copper Harbor, alludes to  the former use of its harbor as a port for shipping copper mined from local deposits during the mid-19th century. Transportation. Ferry services. Copper Harbor contains a ferry port that provides transportation to Isle Royale National Park. The Isle Royale Line, Inc. (formerly named Isle Royale Ferry Service) operates the "Isle Royale Queen IV" out of Copper Harbor during the warmer months from May to September. The ferry takes 3.5 hours to travel across Lake Superior to Rock Harbor. Geography. In 2010, Copper Harbor was listed as a census-designated place, but this does not give the community any legal  autonomy. The CDP contains a total area of , of which is land and (37.86%) is water. Copper Harbor is located at the northern edge of the Keweenaw Peninsula, although the peninsula extends for several miles to the east. Copper Harbor contains its own post office using the 49918 ZIP Code, which serves the small area surrounding the community. Some areas within the community and the surrounding area may use the Mohawk 49950 ZIP Code. Beyond the community center, there are thick forests, no roadways, and no development. In relation to other communities in the Keweenaw, Copper Harbor is located from  Mandan, north of Delaware, and east of Eagle Harbor. The village of Ahmeek is the nearest incorporated community at to the southwest. Climate. Copper Harbor has a humid continental climate. Summers are warm but rarely hot due to the moderating influence of Lake Superior, while winters are cold and snowy, albeit milder than areas on similar parallels to the west, due to the low-scale maritime moderation. Although winter temperatures are similar to those in the nearest large metropolitan city Minneapolis, a couple of degrees latitude south-west, the main difference is that April is also a winter month in  Copper Harbor, since the marine effects delay spring. The temperature lag effect is so great that March holds the town's record low, and April's record low temperatures are not much warmer than those of December.