Copper Harbor Lighthouse

The Copper Harbor Lighthouse is located at the tip of the Keweenaw peninsula of Michigan. However with the road being closed, there’s only one way to arrive there, by boat. Join DaViking and I as we attempt to get to this obscure destination.

The Copper Harbor State Marina Boat Launch

DaViking and I started our journey in our zodiac, Thor. This tiny inflatable boat is capable of enduring rough waters as well as gliding over calm seas. With a short draft, Thor skims over shallow waters and can be pulled up onto a beach.

*Thor can take us anywhere!*
*Yes, I am wearing a winter coat with a raincoat on top. It was 52 degrees and I’m not a Viking.*

*A fifteen minute ride brought us to the Copper Harbor Lighthouse.*

As we neared the shore, DaViking had to maneuver around volcanic rocks. He was swift and efficient. I only got one foot wet as we landed Thor on shore.

*The water surrounding the point was littered with large boulders.*

Copper Rush

Douglass Houghton discovered copper ore on a scouting expedition in 1840. This was the catalyst to the Copper Rush in northern Michigan.

*Douglass Houghton sketched the Keweenaw peninsula with incredible accuracy in 1840.*
*The red N marks north at a downward slant.*

Houghton had written, “I hope to see the day when instead of importing the whole immense amount of copper and brass used in our country, we may become exporters of both.”

Sadly, Douglass Houghton never knew the full impact of his discovery. He died in a Lake Superior gale when his boat capsized near Eagle River on October 3, 1845.

The Treaty of La Pointe

In 1842 the Ojibwe (Chippewa) tribe signed over their rights to La Pointe, an area in the Territory of Wisconsin, along with the upper peninsula of Michigan, a newly formed state, to commissioner Robert Stuart. Stuart had been representing the United States under President Martin Van Buren. The natives were promised and paid a better compensation than the 1837 treaty. (It still wasn’t fair in my opinion as the natives were given only five years to relocate to a reservation.)

Newspaper Quote 1845

“Miners are flocking to Lake Superior copper mines in vast numbers” quoted from the Democratic Free Press on June 5, 1845 “The shores of Keweenaw Point were whitened with tents.”

Shipwrecks

Without railroads or wooded paths wide enough for wagons, boats were the only way to get supplies and load ore. The volcanic boulders hidden under Lake Superior’s surface had caused many vessels to sink. Framework from two ships were on display along the shoreline.

*The remains of two ships rested quietly in the grass.*

Fort Wilkins

Nearby, Fort Wilkins had been built in 1844 as the law enforcement agency for the copper mining camps. A battle never took place at this fort. It was abandoned two years later, in 1846 as troops were transferred to the Mexican boarder for the Mexican-American War which lasted from April 25, 1846 – February 2, 1848. Fort Wilkins was re-opened for a short time in the late 1860’s.

After restoration, both Fort Wilkins and the Copper Harbor Lighthouse are open for tours. Fort Wilkins also has 165 camping sites to host travelers to the area. (See ‘Resources’ below)

The Lighthouse

With the increase in shipping traffic due to the Copper Rush, the Copper Harbor Lighthouse was constructed in 1848. It was the second lighthouse to be built on Lake Superior. Later, the stones were used to rebuild a “more modern” structure in 1866. That lighthouse still stands today. In the 1970’s renovating had taken place and tours began in 1975.

The Lighthouse Keepers

I hold a dear admiration for those people who tended lighthouses. Their job as keepers was essential and lonely. I became fascinated learning some of the lighthouse keepers’ stories.

*Built in 1848 the keeper’s quarters hold many tales within the walls.*

Henry Clow was the first light keeper moving to the station in February of 1849. He was accompanied by his wife and two children. Henry had to keep thirteen lamps lit throughout each night.

Henry C. Shurter (1853 – 1855)

The third keeper, Napoleon Beedon, remained for 14 years from 1855 – 1869. Lamp improvements had been made, so Beedon only needed to keep a single lamp lit throughout the darkened hours. As a teen he had lost one arm while apprenticing for a blacksmith. Napoleon didn’t allow this to impede his job. (I stand impressed!)

John Power (1869 – 1873)

Charles Corgan (1873 – 1881) cared for the Copper Harbor Lighthouse along with his son, Henry, who was a teenager.

Edward Chambers (1881 – 1882), James W. Rich (1882 – 1883)

By 1883 “range lights were all that were needed” according to the Lighthouse Board, so the Copper Harbor lighthouse keeper was terminated. However, mariners complained, so Henry Corgan (Charles Corgan’s son) was assigned as keeper on June 1, 1888. After years of caring for the lighthouse under his father’s guidance, the work came naturally.

Henry made improvements to the location by adding a sidewalk and building a boathouse. Later in 1907 Henry remodeled the boathouse.

*Copper Harbor Boathouse built in 1907 by keeper Henry Corgan.*

Although Henry’s wife was sickly and he’d requested a transfer at one point, Henry stayed with the Copper Harbor light until it’s automation in 1919. Henry continued to work at other lighthouses until he was 70 years old. Henry Corgan retired in 1924 and holds the record as the oldest lightkeeper in Michigan.

The Lighthouse Closed

Roger T. Vaughan, a Chicago physician, leased the property in 1927 until around 1947 as a summer home. In 1933 the steel tower had been built and is still used today as an aid to navigation.

Then, in 1957 the United States Coast Guard sold the lighthouse for $5,000.00 to the State of Michigan. Restoration didn’t start until 1970. On August 3, 1975 public tours were given by the boat, The Copper Queen.

In 2012 Copper Harbor Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. I highly recommend taking the boat to tour this amazing piece of history. The guided tour lasts about an hour to an hour and a half. Unless you have access to a zodiac, the guided tour would suit anyone well!

Fascinating History

Fascinating history surrounds us. Thank you for joining DaViking and I for a look behind the curtain of the Copper Harbor Lighthouse. Come along with us throughout the Keweenaw Peninsula in the articles below.