Keweenaw National Historical Park

08/31/2026

For this summer's Quincy Mining Mondays, we're highlighting the Quincy Mine Historic American Engineering Record (HAER). If you've not familiar, "HAER is a long-range program for documenting historically significant engineering and industrial work in the United States." Included in this collection are a series of drawings produced in 1978. We're using these drawings to take a deeper dive into the fascinating history of the Quincy Mining Company.

Continuing to explore the inner workings of Quincy's famous 1908 #2 Shaft-rockhouse, we see the three types of skips, or large cars that carry men and materials in and out of the mine. Notice the evolution of moving rock up a shaft (from top left to bottom right). Hoisting technology moved from literal horsepower and one-ton kibbles in the mid 1800s to a massive 2500 hp Nordberg steam engine, pulling 10 tons of ore at approximately 35 miles per hour in 1920!

08/30/2026

Happy National Beach Day from Keweenaw National Historical Park! Cold, clear water, hot sand, and minimal crowds make Lake Superior beaches must-visit destinations. What are some of your favorite summer memories of Lake Superior beaches?

Photo courtesy of H. Lange.

08/28/2026

On we look at how Keweenaw Copper Country played an important part in our nation's history.

Immigrants came to the Keweenaw from around the world. Copper from the mines propelled the country forward in industry and innovation. A combination of new inventions like an affordable light bulb, the telegraph and telephone and copper from this remote place changed the course of history for the United States.

Keweenaw National Historical Park and the 22 Keweenaw Heritage Sites are amazing places where the important role of Michigan's Copper Country in our nation's History continues to be uncovered and interpreted. Visiting these sites and exploring American history provides a good opportunity to reflect on the past and imagine our future. Learn more and plan your visit at www.nps.gov/kewe.

How else do you think that the people and resources in the Keweenaw helped shape communities here and changes across the country?



NPS photo/ A Reilly

08/27/2026

It takes a community to preserve and share the stories of the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Keweenaw National Historical Park works with 22 Keweenaw Heritage Sites, the Isle Royale and Keweenaw Parks Association, and National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation among other community parters for preservation, education, and interpretation. 22 Keweenaw Heritage Sites across the Keweenaw Peninsula help to preserve and share the Copper Country story.

Which heritage sites have you visited?

📸 NPS Photos

08/26/2026

It's , and today is Watch Wildlife Wednesday! Let's take a look at the amazing invention that allowed folks like those living in Calumet in 1914 to “Take a Kodak” along when fishing, riding, enjoying nature, or walking. According to a "Calumet News" advertisement for the Vastbinder & Read Drug Store at 220 5th Street, a picture can tell the story of those adventures over and over again.

Like local residents and visitors of the past, let pictures tell your Keweenaw story. Perhaps your story will be about fishing and wildlife watching on “Lalabell” like that reported on a picture postcard sent from Calumet in 1941. “The fishing is fine. We saw a deer on the lake in this morn.”

Have you ever taken wildlife photos? What stories might they tell? Would you share them here?

Images courtesy of the University of Michigan/David V. Tinder collection & the Library of Congress.

08/20/2026

Join KNHP Historical Landscape Architect Karl for a program with the Ottawa National Forest - tonight in Watersmeet!

Hey Friends!

We'd love to see you this Thursday at the Ottawa National Forest Visitor Center in Watersmeet for a unique program. Karl Dietzler, from Keweenaw National Historic Park, and Greg Swallow, Heritage Program Manager here on the Ottawa, will be joining forces to talk about how different federal agencies work to preserve and celebrate the rich mining heritage we are lucky to claim here in the Upper Peninsula.

The program starts at 7 PM CST this Thursday, August 20th. The Ottawa National Forest Visitor Center is located at the intersection of US 2 and US 45 in Watersmeet, MI.

📷 Keweenaw National Historic Park

08/19/2026

Can you cross your eyes? If you do, these pictures come to life! Stereographs were the original VR (virtual reality). These double photos were designed to be printed and placed in a device called a stereoscope. The device would cross the two images to allow you to view a single 3D image. Maybe you remember a type of stereoscope from childhood, with discs of images? This stereograph features the interior of the Hecla Stamp Mill from around 1870 in the Copper Country of Michigan. No stereoscope? Cross your eyes and give it a try!

Stereograph courtesy of Michigan Tech Archives/Adobe stock photo

08/17/2026

NEWS RELEASE
Celebrate America’s Story at Keweenaw National Historical Park During National Park Week, Aug. 22-30

CALUMET, Mich. – Keweenaw National Historical Park is excited to welcome visitors to celebrate National Park Week from Saturday, Aug. 22 through Sunday, Aug. 30. Events and activities will incorporate the 2026 National Park Week theme of “Celebrate America’s Story,” highlighting the 250th anniversary of American independence and recognizing our shared American heritage of national parks.

Across the country, Tuesday, Aug. 25 is an entrance fee-free day for U.S. residents in honor of the National Park Service’s 110th birthday. Learn more about fee-free days throughout 2026 at nps.gov.

Throughout National Park Week, the park will host numerous programs and events. All programs are free and additional details are available at go.nps.gov/KEWECalendar.

Daily, 11 a.m., Ranger guided program.
August 20, 9 a.m., Keweenaw National Historical Park Volunteer Workday.
August 22, 1 p.m., Keweenaw Histories: Expanding Our Understanding of the Industrial Landscape Through Public History presentation and panel discussion.
August 26, 4 p.m., Resume Builder – How to Apply for Federal Jobs Workshop.

“We are excited to welcome visitors to Keweenaw National Historical Park during National Park Week and throughout the year,” said Acting Superintendent Denice Swanke. “These special places belong to the American people and tell the stories of this country. Here at Keweenaw National Historical Park, we share the area’s unique copper mining legacy that helped shape both the region and the nation. We invite everyone to discover how our history connects us all.”

On Sunday, Aug. 30, National Park Week will conclude with National Junior Ranger Day. Children and visitors of all ages are encouraged to participate in the park’s Junior Ranger Program by picking up an activity book at the park’s Calumet Visitor Center or downloading one from the park’s website at go.nps.gov/KeweenawJuniorRanger. Visitors of all ages are invited to participate and earn an official Junior Ranger badge. Drop-by the visitor center for interactive activities and pop-up programs throughout the day.

To learn more, visit go.nps.gov/KEWECalendar.

Photo courtesy of L. Webber.

08/13/2026

Hmmm, what’s for lunch? How about a pasty?

Industrial copper mining began on the Keweenaw Peninsula in the 1840s, sparking the journey of the culinary concoction from Cornwall to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Workers took pasties into the mines for compact, calorie-packed lunches. More than 180 years later, the Village of Calumet celebrates its home-baked heritage with the 22nd annual Pasty Fest this Saturday, August 15. Bookend your celebrations with ranger programs!

Be a part of your own pasty parade - join a ranger-guided pasty walk at 11 am. At 4 pm, sit back and digest while digging deeper into heritage foods with an illustrated talk. Take in these programs, exhibits, interactive activities, and more at the Calumet Visitor Center for Pasty Fest 2026!

Pasty Fest at KNHP:
11 am: *Pasty-themed Ranger Walk
4 pm: *Heritage Foods Illustrated Talk
10 am - 5 pm: *Permanent Exhibit
*World War I Exhibit
*Interactive Activities

08/11/2026

NEWS RELEASE

CALUMET, Mich. — Keweenaw National Historical Park will host a free program exploring how public history can broaden our understanding of what constituted an industrial landscape on Aug. 22 at 1 p.m. at its visitor center.

The program, “Keweenaw Histories: Expanding Our Understanding of the Industrial Landscape Through Public History,” highlights research from Keweenaw Histories, an ongoing digital public history initiative hosted by the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. Dr. Daniel Wallace will reflect on his American Conservation Experience–Mellon Humanities Fellowship and the development of the Keweenaw Histories project. He will be joined by four public history students from University of Wisconsin – Eu Claire.

“Keweenaw Histories shows that Michigan’s Copper Country stories live not just in mines, but in everyday spaces. By exploring these together, we deepen our understanding of how industry and community shaped each other,” said Denice Swanke, acting superintendent at Keweenaw National Historic Park. “We’re proud to welcome Dr. Wallace and UW–Eau Claire students.”

Location: Keweenaw National Historical Park Visitor Center
98 5th Street, Calumet, MI

Event Schedule:
1 p.m. Dr. Wallace presentation
2 p.m. Break
2:15 p.m. UW-EC Student panel

Jules Schwar, Mutal Aid and Femininity: How Women's Organizations in the Keweenaw Used and Defied Conventional Expectations of Femininity and Domesticity to Benefit Their Communities During the Copper Boom

Owen Anderson, Teaching Keweenaw History: Curriculum Design and NHD Revitalization for K-12 Teachers

Sy Neville, Fraternally Yours: Gender, Identity and Intimacy

Brendan Garanyi, As Dry Kindling Does

For more information about this program, visit go.nps.gov/KEWECalendar.