Ft. Wilkins - Copper Harbor MI
Posted by: 
kJfishman
N 47° 28.014 W 087° 51.331
16T E 435527 N 5257405
Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, in the northern Keweenaw Peninsula, offers camping and day use facilities and features a restored 1844 army military outpost and one of the first lighthouses on Lake Superior built in 1866. Fort Wilkins became a State Park in 1923. Extensive restoration work and development began in the 1930s under the Work Project Administration.
Waymark Code: WM2R2W
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 12/11/2007
Views: 38
The following is cut and pasted from: http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17447_18595_18604-51222--,00.html
Located on Lake Superior's rugged shoreline, nearly 600 miles northwest of Detroit, Fort Wilkins was once an active U.S. Army post built to keep the peace in Michigan's Copper Country.
Begun in 1844 and abandoned just two years later, the fort was briefly regarrisoned in the late 1860s. Long a popular resort for outdoor enthusiasts, the fort became a state park in 1923. Today, Fort Wilkins is a well-preserved example of mid-19th-century army life on the northern frontier. Nineteen buildings survive, 12 of them original structures dating from the 1840s. Through
Fort Wilkins' exhibits, audiovisual programs and living history interpretation, visitors may explore the daily routine of military service, experience with soldiers' families the hardships of frontier isolation and discover the lifeways of another era. Attractions include 19 restored buildings, costumed interpreters, copper mining sites, evening slide programs, camping and picnicking.
Copper Harbor LighthouseThe site also includes the Copper Harbor Lighthouse with a restored 1848 lightkeeper's dwelling, 1866 lighthouse, 1933 steel light tower and interpretive trails. The lighthouse is reached by boat. Boat passage is available for a fee daily throughout the summer season.