The village of Copper City is Michigan's second-smallest incorporated municipality in area, after the nearby village of Ahmeek.
Copper City is in northern Houghton County, at its border with Keweenaw County, within the Keweenaw Peninsula of the northern Upper Peninsula. The chief route through the village is US-41.
The villages of Ahmeek, Calumet, Laurium, and Lake Linden are within ten miles of Copper City, while the unincorporated communities of Ahmeek Location, Bumbletown, Allouez, Phillipsville, Mohawk, Fulton, Kearsarge, Wolverine, Centennial, Centennial Heights, and Hebards are within five miles of the village. The cities of Hancock and Houghton are fifteen and eighteen miles away, respectively.
The community was formed as a station on the Keweenaw Central Railroad, which was created to serve several local copper mining operations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of the largest mining companies in the Upper Peninsula was Calumet & Hecla, and the last mine they opened was the Kingston Mine in Copper City. Mining up to twelve levels deep, they found copper, silver, cuprite, and epidote. However, a mining strike in 1968 brought about the permanent closure of the mine.
In 1907, J.T. Finnegan purchased eighty acres in the area where Copper City is now located. On this land, he platted a townsite to meet the housing and community needs of local mine workers, as there were then six mine shafts within a few miles of the location.
Within a few years, the town had grown considerably. A post office was established at Copper City on December 10, 1910, with John R. Bennetts, a local storekeeper, as postmaster. Copper City was incorporated as a village in December of 1917.
By the early 1920s, there were nine hundred residents, as well as a grocery store, saloon, hotel, department store, lumber company, gas company, and a school.
Governed by a seven-member council, the village provides fire protection, street maintenance, sanitation, water, sewer, recreation, and general administrative services.
By the time the village first appeared on a census in 1930, its decline had already begun, with a population of 587 in 1930. Since that time, it has continued to lose population every census year except 2000, when it rose by 3.5%. Its current population is just under two hundred.
With the decline of the copper industry, the village has declined considerably. The village has placed an emphasis on retaining as much of its historical architecture as possible, which has somewhat limited local business interests. Today, there is not a lot of commercial or industrial activity in Copper City, but there is a general store, village offices, and some other commercial interests serving residents, visitors, and people passing through.
The focus of this guide is on the village of Copper City, Michigan. Online resources for the local government or for local businesses, industries, schools, churches, organizations, attractions, or events are appropriate topics for this category. Web sites offering historic or other information about the village could also be listed here.
Recommended Resources
Historically, several mines were in Copper City, Michigan. The Diggings site offers information on these mines, which include the Mayflower-Old Colony Mine, Kingston Copper Mine, Mass Fissure Mine, Minor Conglomerates Mine, Unnamed Copper Prospect, New Baltic Copper Company Copper Mine, and about a hundred and ninety other nearby mines, offering information such as the dates of operation, the type of operation, and the general characteristics and site identification of each.
https://thediggings.com/places/mi0612398625
Building custom homes throughout Houghton County and the surrounding Copper Country area since 1988, the construction company was founded by Paul Hyrkas, and is joined by his son, John, who also offer roofing, eaves, siding, foundations, additions, pole buildings, remodeling, hardwood flooring, decks, and old building stabilization services, which are detailed here, along with a gallery of photographs depicting past projects, along with those built in association with Dickinson Homes.
http://www.hyrkasconstruction.com/
Queen Anne's Falls on Slaughterhouse Creek
Included in the Waterfalls of the Keweenaw Area site, which highlights various waterfalls over a period of years, Queen Anne's Falls is not one of the frequently visited waterfalls. Situated near Copper City, Michigan, Slaughterhouse Creek flows north and west of the village, and the falls are accessed on foot, along an ATV trail, and through the woods, just west of the village limits. Directions are provided on the site, along with several photographs, journal entries, and nearby waterfalls.
https://www.waterfallsofthekeweenaw.com/slaugterhouse-creek/queen-annes-falls/
