Copper Island facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Copper Island |
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| Kuparisaari, Northern Keweenaw Peninsula | |
Copper Island is on Lake Superior, separated from the rest of the Keweenaw Peninsula by Portage Lake and the Keweenaw Waterway
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| Location | Michigan, United States |
| Coordinates | 47°19′18″N 88°14′25″W / 47.321593°N 88.240184°W |
Copper Island is a special name for the northern part of the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan, United States. This peninsula sticks out into Lake Superior. It's called an "island" because it's separated from the rest of the peninsula by Portage Lake and the Keweenaw Waterway.
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Geography of Copper Island
This area became "isolated" because of a big project. In 1859, people started digging a ship canal. By the 1860s, they had built a canal across a narrow strip of land. This canal connected Portage Lake on the east side to Lake Superior on the west.
The ship canal is about 100 feet (30 m) wide and 21 feet (6.4 m) deep. Because of this canal, the land to the north looked like an island. Finnish, Irish, and French settlers in the area called it Kuparisaari. This means "Copper Island" in Finnish.
However, official groups like the United States Geological Survey don't actually call this area an island. They don't use the name "Copper Island" officially.
Isle Royale is the biggest natural island in Lake Superior. If Copper Island were considered a true island, it would be the largest. It covers about 554 square miles and has a population of around 21,500 people.
History of the Name
For a long time, "Kuparisaari" (Copper Island) meant the part of the Keweenaw Peninsula north of Portage Lake. But sometimes, it was used more generally for the whole copper country region in the Upper Peninsula.
People who lived there sometimes joked that they were "outside the American mainland." Even towns south of Portage Lake, like Oskar, Houghton, and Calumet, were sometimes included in this "Copper Island" idea. Finnish people living in these areas especially felt like they were "Copper Islanders." So, "Copper Island" became a nickname for Michigan's copper mining region.
For Finnish immigrants, "Kuparisaari" was more than just a place. It was a mix of geography and their cultural identity. It was like their own Ellis Island, a place where they landed and built new lives.
Michigan's Copper Country was very important for Finnish immigration to America. Many Finnish-American groups for religion, politics, and education started here. This "island" included busy mining towns like Quincy and Calumet & Hecla. It also included farming areas where Finns cleared forests, like Toivola and Tapiola. Finns settled both north and south of the Portage Waterway.
Towns and Travel
The main towns on the northern part of the Keweenaw Peninsula are Hancock and Calumet. This area is connected to the rest of the Upper Peninsula by the Portage Lake Lift Bridge. This bridge is the latest in a series of bridges between Hancock and Houghton. It crosses the Portage Canal.
US 41 is a major road that crosses this bridge. It enters Michigan at Menominee and goes all the way north. It ends just east of Copper Harbor, at the very tip of the peninsula.
How the Name is Used Today
The name "Copper Island" is still used in many ways today. For example, a newspaper called Copper Island News used to be published in Hancock in the 1880s.
The Keweenaw Water Trail wraps around Copper Island. This trail is a special loop route for canoes and sea kayaks. It goes around and through the Keweenaw Peninsula. The Keweenaw Waterway is a key part of this trail.
The 'Copper Island Classic' is a yearly ice hockey tournament. It's played between Hancock Central High School and Calumet High School. Many local businesses in the area also use the name "Copper Island."
A novel called The Race for Copper Island was written in 1905 by Henry Sanislaus Spaulding. This book is about the area.
Another Meaning of "Copper Island"
The phrase "Copper Island" was also used a long time ago, especially in the 1700s. It described a possibly mythical island in Lake Superior. People believed this island had lots of copper just sitting on the ground.
Some experts think this might have been a reference to Isle Royale. But because the northern Keweenaw Peninsula also has huge amounts of native copper, it could have been referring to that area too.
