Gateway to the Keweenaw

“Focal point of the Finns”

In the town of Hancock, just across the canal from Houghton, street signs are written in both English and Finnish; one clue to the fact that there are more people of Finnish descent in this, and the surrounding three counties, than anywhere outside of Finland. Most homes and hotels have saunas, cafes serving pasties and pastries boast names like Kaleva (for a famed Finnish legend), and until it recently closed, the local flower shop was called Kukkakauppa, says David Maki, assistant editor of the Hancock-based, The Finnish American Reporter. The name, when translated, is “flower shop.”

Finnish workers, Maki says, joined miners from Cornwall, Italy, and elsewhere, in mines like Quincy, where a chill seeps in as our tram chugs through the door to the Number 5 shaft, and the temperature instantly drops by 30 degrees. Guides switch off the lights and instruct the group to touch the wall while imagining themselves as a miner, working alone, whose candle has just been accidentally extinguished. Between 1848 and 1901, there were no electric lights, and if a helmet candle went out, we’re told, feeling your way back to the shaft opening was the only option.

Gateway to fun

For more upbeat and artistic options for exploring the region’s historic, mineral and ethnic culture, a favorite is the impressive A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum at the Michigan Technological University, where 4,000 types of rocks and gems are on display at any given time. Within — what the director Ted Bornhorst calls the world’s finest collection of crystallized copper — are those highlighted for their whimsical beauty. Bornhorst says he especially likes one called the “grasshopper” for its shape (it looks like one), another referred to as the “buffalo” (same reason) and the “rocket,” so perfect its been used as a poster centerpiece.

Outside magazine recently named Houghton one of the best places to live in the United States for its adventurous options, bike lanes and green space, and National Geographic Adventure dubbed it a top 10 gateway town for summer sports. Local outfitters like to say there’s no outdoor fun you can’t have in a city and peninsula notable for mountain biking challenges, wilderness paddling and winter sports, like expert ski hills and ice climbing to the tops of frozen waterfalls up to 80 feet high.

Adrenaline junkies aren’t the only visitors who love exploring, though. Long stretches of sandy beach are often dotted with colorful Lake Superior agates. The chance to dig through poor rock piles (remnants from mining days) draws metal detector-toting treasure hunters during Houghton’s annual mineral week, held the first week of August.

The hunt for the thimbleberry is fun, too; though don’t bother asking a local to share hunting ground secrets. Find yours in jams or pies at roadside markets, or stores like the Jampot — an Eagle Harbor shop run by Eastern Orthodox monks to support their ministry. If you’re lucky, Father Basil will hand over your thimbleberry jam, hand-made truffles or brandy-soaked lemon pound cake after sharing a story about how they came for purgatory and found paradise, or a tale about the elf-like scoofies they like to say live in the waterfall next door.

Taste of the town

These days, copper is best found in gift shops, like Houghton’s Chickadee’s, as tiny nuggets on pretty necklaces. And remnants of mining days are tastily served up as memories via microbrews — with names like “Red Jacket Amber” or “Pick Axe Blonde” — alongside sacks of roasted peanuts in the cozy Keweenaw Brewing Company. For a full meal, The Library Restaurant and Brewpub serves dinners paired with brews like “Shafthouse Stout” or “Whiteout Wheat.” The menu at the Ambassador is particularly fun, says Houghton Chamber’s Trina Barrette; the Cudighi sandwich, popularized by Italian immigrants, is a local favorite. And for a Finnish and Cornish staple — the pasty meat pie that workers often carried into the mines — head to Roy’s Pasties and Bakery. Another must-stop is Peterson’s Fish Market on Quincy Hill. This three generation, family-run business operates two commercial fishing tugs year-round. Lake Superior fish are some the finest tasting freshwater fish in the world, and Peterson’s ship their fresh and smoked fish throughout the U.S. year-round.

Beauty in all seasons

Come summer, the Houghton County Marina along the Portage Canal makes a great exploration base. Bring or rent a bike, and take a ride on the 4.5-mile Waterfront Trail, which connects to more trails in the pretty Nara Nature Park and on the campus of Michigan Technological University (founded in 1885 to train mining engineers).

The waterfront also is port for the Ranger III, which offers both sightseeing tours and transportation to Isle Royale — one of the nation’s least visited, wildest National Parks. Moose and loons are a common sight, and those who want to explore via a guided paddling trip can book a tour through Keweenaw Adventure Company in Copper Harbor at the peninsula’s tip.

Autumn brings the energy of students returning to campus, as well as some of the country’s most brilliant fall color vistas. Brockway Mountain Drive, near the peninsula’s tip, boasts the highest drive above sea level between the Rockies and Alleghenies; and both local ski resorts — Mount Ripley in Hancock and Mount Bohemia in Lac La Belle — offer color tour ski lift rides to mountain valley panoramas.

For an unforgettable getaway, spend a night or two at Sand Hills Lighthouse Inn in Ahmeek. This former active lighthouse (the largest on the Great Lakes) was built on the shores of Lake Superior in 1917. The property was extensively renovated by the owners and converted into a bed and breakfast, which opened in 1995. Guests are treated to a guided tour to the top of the lighthouse for a magnificant view 101 feet above Lake Superior.

Another great place to stay in downtown Houghton, no matter the season, is Magnuson Hotel’s Franklin Square Inn. This premier property is the only full-service hotel serving the city and offers panoramic views from waterside rooms, and convenient access to recreational and snowmobile trails.

Winter Wonderland

But Houghton is a winter city — and by official designation; professional hockey was born here. Every summer and fall, the Copper Country Historic Fair in the historic Dee Stadium tells the story of how Houghton became the sport’s founding location. You can join a pick-up game at any of the rinks, but broomball — part soccer, part hockey and played with a broom — is so hot that webcams around the campus let parents watch students’ games online.

When 280 inches of snow falls during a typical Houghton winter, you have to embrace it, says Scott MacInnes, a longtime city manager and member of the worldwide Winter Cities Institute, of which Houghton is an active participant. Steep downtown hills host snowboarding competitions, the college runs a winter driving school, and the university’s annual Winter Carnival has become so popular that hotel rooms sell out months in advance. Intricate snow sculptures are the highlight, but the city’s also used that event to set world records at various times for the largest snowball, biggest snowball fight and most snow angels.

To find both snow and culture, Heikinpaiva — Hancock’s festival held at winter’s midpoint (January 23-26), or in folklore terms “when the (hibernating) bear rolls over” — is hard to beat. Locals dress in costume of characters from Finnish legends, including the mythical snow God responsible for all that snow. Kids play on kicksleds, and the highlight is a “wife carrying contest,” like one created in Finland.

“It’s just one of the many ways people choose to embrace winter rather than hide from it,” says Finnish expert Maki. “In a cliché way, it can be applied to the Finnish word ‘sisu,’ which, in a couple of sentences, is the willingness to persevere despite impossible odds. Winters aren’t always unbearable, but when they are, we make the best of it.”