Bay Furnace Picnic Area

Wikipedia

1870s pig iron furnace near Christmas

A picnic area and small beach look out at Grand Island across the west entrance to Munising Bay. Next to it are the dramatic sandstone ruins of a charcoal-fueled blast furnace, interpreted for visitors. Between 1869 and 1877, iron ore from the Marquette Iron Range was locally converted to pig iron, the most basic kind of iron ore, and shipped from a dock that once was here. (Later in the process, pig iron gets remelted to become a component of higher-grade iron or steel.) Small northern furnaces like these were superseded by big steel-making centers around Chicago and Pittsburgh.

It's hard to believe that some 500 people in the company town of Onota once lived on this unpopulated site until fire destroyed it in 1877.

Down the drive is the 50-site Bay Furnace Campground. The area is part of the Hiawatha National Forest.

From M-28 at Christmas, look for sign to Bay Furnace campground. It's not far north of the highway. (906) 387-2512. fs.usda.gov/hiawatha No entrance fee. Handicap accessible: 2 sites.
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Bay Furnace Picnic Area. The remnants of an 1870s blast furnace that made pig iron are next to this pleasant picnic spot with a splendid view of Grand Island across the bay ... more

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