Transforming a former smelting site into a place families want to come to takes a lot of dedication, coordination, and commitment to a unique vision. Last week Keweenaw Waters Resort opened its campground for the first time. The newest spot for camping in Houghton transformed an EPA superfund site into a place that families and friends will want to visit.
Last week Derek Bradway opened his Keweenaw Waters resort. The four-season campground offers a traditional campground and year-round cabins close to the trail, and portage canal. With only a short drive to downtown for restaurants when cooking over a fire isn’t in the plans.
You know, we’ve done a lot of student housing and rentals in the Houghton Hancock area. We’ve had other businesses in the area. And every time we get a hold of something, we just want to make it better than what we started off with. So this is just a natural evolution of continuing on with that same idea to take a look at something and try to, instead of looking at it as, you know, what it is, let’s see if we can take a look at what it could be. – Derek Bradway, owner of Keweenaw Waters Resort
Over the years Bradway face numerous hurdles. Including convincing people a former superfund site could have a new purpose and bring campers and visitors to town. And add another economic driver in the area.
He said, you know, up to 500 people a day will be here, you know, spending their money in town. It’s just an incredible opportunity. And that’s what the EPA is able to do. So we’ve invested over $11 million in the Torch Lake area superfund sites. – Anne Vogel, regional administrator, EPA.
EGLE director Phil Roos says Keweenaw Waters remediated one of 27,000 contaminated sites across the state. He says projects like the resort, and a farmers market space in Saginaw reimagine old spaces and create a new place people want to go to.
We started having other businesses on either side of it and suddenly you have a vibrant downtown that you didn’t before. There are a number of them in Marquette. The Vault Hotel is something that we worked very closely with Jen Jolene and her husband John and that team and they’re Houghton-based here and they’ve done stuff here as well. Just trying to, there are a lot of them in downtown areas but there are a lot that are more rural like this as well that you wouldn’t think of. – Phil Roos, director, EGLE
Keweenaw Waters Resorts has over 20 four-season cabins and more than 80 campsites. Bradway expects some work will continue in the park as summer moves along. But he’s happy to open the park and its amenities to visitors and the community. Learn more about the Keweenaw Waters Resort here.
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