Isle Royale National Park Shares the Wonder of the Keweenaw Waterway with Residents and Visitors

In the 1860s a group of mining companies formed the Portage Lake and Lake Superior Company to dredge the remaining two miles of land separating the Keweenaw Waterway from reaching Lake Superior on the west side of the Peninsula. Since then the waterway has been used by countless ships traveling to Houghton and Hancock. In the early days of the canal’s use, it saw many ships carrying copper away from the Keweenaw Peninsula. After the mining industry in the region slowed down, the Keweenaw Waterway welcomes more visiting mining for memories along the water. Each summer the Island Royale National Park Service welcomes people aboard the Ranger III for an annual waterway cruise. Interpretive Ranger Kaylor Nicolson shares facts and history about several locations along the waterway, as well as directs attention toward points of interest along the way. She says that people often share their fascination with the Jacobsville Lighthouse as the Ranger III reaches Keweenaw Bay. As well as hearing interesting facts about how the region was formed by volcanic and glacial activity to create the original waterway, Sturgeon River, Keweenaw Ridge, and Isle Royale.