Eagle Harbor, Michigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eagle Harbor, Michigan
Census-designated place (CDP) & unincorporated community
The Eagle Harbor Light within Eagle Harbor
Location within Keweenaw County
Eagle Harbor, Michigan Location in Michigan
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Keweenaw
Township	Eagle Harbor
Area
• Total	2.06 sq mi (5.33 km2)
• Land	1.80 sq mi (4.67 km2)
• Water	0.26 sq mi (0.66 km2)
Elevation	620 ft (190 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	69
• Density	38.27/sq mi (14.78/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)	49950 (Mohawk)
Area code(s)	906
GNIS feature ID	625075

Eagle Harbor is a small community in Michigan, located on the northern side of the Keweenaw Peninsula. It is part of Eagle Harbor Township in Keweenaw County. In 2020, about 69 people lived there.

Eagle Harbor is known as an unincorporated community. This means it's a place where people live together but it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. It's also a census-designated place, which means the U.S. Census Bureau has drawn boundaries around it to collect population data.

The highway M-26 goes right through Eagle Harbor. In the past, this community was very important for sailors. It had a great place for steamboats to land. It was also a convenient stop for boats on Lake Superior, being about halfway between Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan and Duluth, Minnesota. Many boats stopped here to get supplies.

Why is it Called Eagle Harbor?

This community got its name from two things. First, it has a beautiful harbor. Second, there used to be many eagles living in the area.

The harbor itself is quite interesting. It has a lovely sand beach and is part of a large bay. The harbor is shaped a bit unevenly. It is about 4,900 feet long and 1,100 feet wide. Its entrance is natural and opens on the west side of a large rock. This rock sticks out of the water about 40 rods from the harbor's east side.

There are some hidden rocks near the bay's mouth. But boats can still enter the harbor safely. They can come in from the northwest or northeast. The opening between the hidden rocks and the land is about 1,500 feet wide.

Eagle Harbor's Past

Early Days of Eagle Harbor

Lake Breeze Hotel with the Eagle Harbor Light in the background.

The first people to spend a winter in the Eagle Harbor area were Edward Taylor and his group. This was around 1842 and 1843. They stayed on the lake shore between Copper Harbor and Eagle River.

In 1844, Edward Taylor came back to Eagle Harbor. He built a tavern out of logs. This first building later burned down. Today, the Lake Breeze Hotel stands where his tavern once was. Taylor then built another saloon. He kept adding to it as more space was needed. This second building also burned down.

On January 17, 1852, a new part of the hotel was saved from a fire. This part was made of wood and included the dining room and kitchen. People worked hard to save it, and the wind helped by changing direction. James Bawden quickly rebuilt the front of the hotel. Soon, the business was open again. The Eagle Harbor Hotel became the biggest hotel in all of Keweenaw County. It had 36 rooms!

James Rasewarn bought the Eagle Harbor Hotel in 1881. He was born in Cornwall, England, in 1835. He grew up learning to be a miner. In 1854, he came to the United States. He worked in New Jersey for a year. Then, in 1855, he moved to the Lake Superior region. He worked in several copper mines like Flint Steel and Douglass Houghton. After a short trip abroad, he returned to work at the Central mine. He later worked at the Copper Falls mine for eight years. In 1880, he moved to Eagle Harbor. He leased the hotel in June 1881 and then bought it that same year.

The Eagle Harbor Mining Company was one of the first groups to settle here. They brought men to the area in the summer of 1845. Franklin Hopkins arrived with 13 men on October 17, 1845. They lived in a tent. Hopkins had been delayed by a big storm. This storm, on October 13, 1845, was very sad. It was when Dr. Douglass Houghton, a famous explorer, drowned.

Photo taken on an unspecified date in Eagle Harbor, MI

Franklin Hopkins was one of the first pioneers in the Lake Superior region. He was also an early mining agent. He was born in New York in 1817. In 1845, he moved to Michigan. He first worked as a mining carpenter at the North American mine. Then he worked at the Eagle Harbor mine for two years. He later returned to Michigan in 1848. He became a carpenter for the Methodist Indian Mission at L'Anse. He walked all the way to L'Anse! He left the Mission after 15 months because he didn't enjoy the work.

Hopkins then worked at the old Northwest mine for two years. After that, he was an agent for the Isle Royale mine in Houghton. He also managed the Pontiac mine for a short time. Later, he ran the Phoenix House in Eagle River. Sadly, in 1860, he lost his wife and one child. They were on the steamer PS Lady Elgin when it sank. Hopkins then became involved in the dock and warehouse business. He was a very active citizen in the community.

In Eagle Harbor's earliest days, there was only one house. It was made of rough logs and covered with thin strips of wood called "shakes." By 1846, Hiram Joy ran a boardinghouse made of logs. Charles Kuntz bought it in 1849. At that time, there were four buildings in the town.

Charles Kuntz was the village blacksmith. He was born in Germany in 1822. He came to the United States in 1844. He worked as a blacksmith at the Northwest mine for two years. He also did blacksmith work at the Copper Falls mine. In 1849, he moved to Eagle Harbor. There, he opened his own blacksmith shop and managed the hotel. He owned a lot of land and buildings. He also served as Under Sheriff for Houghton County. When Keweenaw County was formed, he was elected as its first Sheriff. He was known as a very good peace officer.

Eagle Harbor Today

Eagle Harbor was officially recognized as a census-designated place for the first time in the 2010 census. This means that it now has official boundaries and population numbers recorded by the government. As of 2020, the community had a population of 69 people. The average household income was $76,406.

Eagle Harbor's Weather

Eagle Harbor has a humid continental climate. This means it has four distinct seasons. Summers are short but warm, with cool nights. Winters are long, cold, and get a lot of snow. This heavy snow is due to lake effect snow from Lake Superior. Rain and snow fall fairly evenly throughout the year.

See also

In Spanish: Eagle Harbor (Míchigan) para niños