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Fort Wilkins Historic State Park is a historical park operated by the U.S. state of Michigan at Copper Harbor, Michigan. It is a "Cooperating Site" of the Keweenaw National Historical Park.
Copper Harbor is located at the northern tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, bordering Lake Superior. It is one of the best natural harbors in Keweenaw County and was a quick focus of attention after copper was discovered on the peninsula in the 1830s.
In the early 1840s, a copper rush took place, with fortune-seekers moving from all directions to this peninsula. The U.S. government was concerned about possible disorder and violence, and lake shipping interests asked Washington, D.C. to build an aid to navigation so that essential supplies could be shipped in and the copper moved out.
Fort Wilkins
The U.S. Army occupied Fort Wilkins, on the eastern shore of Copper Harbor, in 1844. The troops stationed here were ordered to keep the peace between miners, and to overawe the local Native Americans of the Ojibwa tribe. The Army built 12 structures, which survive, to house the fort's operations and two infantry companies.
The fort proved to be almost unneeded. The Ojibwa accepted the influx and the miners were law-abiding. Further, the war was declared with Mexico. In 1846, Fort Wilkins was "temporarily" closed.
After the American Civil War, some of the redundant U.S. army troops briefly re-garrisoned Fort Wilkins in 1867-1869, but the fort was no more useful then it had been twenty years earlier, and it was mothballed for good. In 1923, the redundant fort became a Michigan state park.
Copper Harbor Lighthouse
The Copper Harbor Light was built on the tip of the eastern point of land that hugs the harbor. The current lightkeeper's dwelling house is a survivor of the first light tower (1848). An improved lighthouse, which also survives, was raised in 1866, and the steel light tower in current use went into service in 1933.
Both Fort Wilkins and the Copper Harbor Lighthouse are currently (as of 2006) operated together as a unit of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. They are open to the public in summer months.
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