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This summer has been quite special for Fort Wilkins historic state park. The fort was built in 1844 to order in the Keweenaw Peninsula during the copper rush in the late 19th century. Then in 1923 after the fort was decommissioned for military use, the fort became a state park. With years of disrepair to fix, the state began to quickly turn the former fort into a premiere destination spot for visitors to Michigan’s northernmost point. Hiring Charles Beatty as the park’s first superintendent.
Beatty was in charge of the park’s 1928 project, which accomplished major repairs to building roofs and foundations. Another round of repairs financed by the Works Projects Administration during the Great Depression allowed the state to continue working on developing the fort into a park, and provided much needed economic stability at the time for residents in Keweenaw County by increasing visitor access to areas such as Copper harbor and Fort Wilkins.
During the 1950’s extensive work was completed to create exhibits within the park interpreting the history of the fort, and telling the stories of the soldiers stationed there. Then in 1976 the park’s historical interpretation took a major step forward, immersing visitors in the Michigan History Center’s Living history program, allowing for park staff to act out life in the early days of the fort’s history.
Celebrating the park’s 100 years of bringing travelers to the tip of the Keweenaw, the Department of Natural Resources intends to install thirteen new interpretive outdoor signs around the park ground, and within the mess hall a display title “Fort Wilkins Becomes a State Park”.
Find out more of how the DNR is celebrating 100 years as a stat park in Fort Wilkins here.
