We continued our July 2016 trip to Lake Superior with a visit to the Keweenaw National Historical Park. The park currently consists of twenty-one heritage sites on the Keweenaw Peninsula. Instead of being run by the park service, most of the heritage sites are operated by cooperating organizations that have varying admission fees.
Our first objective was to find the Calumet Visitor Center. Is is located in the historic downtown district and not on the highway. This wouldn't normally be a problem, but the park service signs directed us to a road that was closed for reconstruction. After wandering around the beautiful town for a bit, we found the visitor center and lots of free parking next door.
The visitor center is located in the historical Union Building in Calumet. Besides the usual information desk, bookstore, and restrooms, the visitor center houses a three story museum that does a fantastic job of explaining the history of the copper industry on the peninsula. An elevator is available for visitors that need it. An excellent 14-minute video entitled Risk and Resilience plays in a small theater on the second floor. The video explores the rise and fall of the copper industry and the resilience of the people then and now to make a living on the Upper Peninsula in general and on the Keweenaw Peninsula specifically. In my opinion, this is one of the best visitor centers in the entire park system.
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| Visitor Center from 5th and Scott Streets |
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| Visitor Center from 5th Street |
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| Bookstore |
First floor exhibits
Second floor exhibits
Third floor exhibits and meeting room
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| Exhibit Hall |
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| 1908 YMCA building is now a parking lot |
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| Auditorium on the third floor |
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| Stairs retrofitted into the building |
Entry to the Calumet visitor center is free. However, many organizations partnering with Keweenaw National Historical Park have admission fees for their sites.
The park website is https://www.nps.gov/kewe.
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