Fort Wilkins State Park and Historic Complex

Courtesy mighican.org

Authentically restored to show the daily routine of military life as it was in 1869, this remote army post has a stockade that surrounds 19 buildings: kitchen and mess room, hospital, bakery, company quarters, etc.

The 1843 Keweenaw copper rush in this distant area, way beyond the frontier of settlement, led to building this small fort. From 1844 to 1846 the fort was the area's only source of law and order. The government's greatest concern was friction between native Indians and unruly miners. But little hostility actually broke out. By 1846 most of the small-time prospectors had left. Large mining companies had stabilized the region, so the fort was abandoned. It reopened after the Civil War, from 1867 to 1870, due to inadequate barracks facilities elsewhere in Michigan.

This was a typical 19th-century frontier garrison, the most northern in the U.S., 600 miles from Detroit.

The army abandoned Fort Wilkins for good in the 1870s. Within two decades it had become a favorite picnic and camping destination. Local people appreciated its beautiful, forested location on Lake Fanny Hooe. (Named for an early visitor, it's pronounced "hoe" like the tool.) A bicycle club made regular visits starting in the 1880s, followed by auto jaunts circa 1910.

A laundress answers questions while doing her work. Conversations are based on the premise that one is addressing a person living in the 1870s.

In 1923 Fort Wilkins became one of Michigan's earliest state parks. At that time, over two-thirds of the fort's original structures remained. Some buildings were rebuilt, starting as Depression make-work projects.

What you see today is the daily routine of military life as it was in 1869, far from any kind of armed conflict. A stockade surrounds 19 buildings: kitchen and mess room, hospital, bakery, company quarters, etc. Structures have been restored or rebuilt and authentically furnished by the state's Michigan Historical Center. The officers' quarters have fancy lamps and furniture befitting their higher status. Their wives here were supposed to bring civilization to the frontier here. Many objects are replicas, so the museum is becoming more hands-on, with fewer period rooms shielded by plexiglass. Now you can go in, sit down at a table, and look out the window. Some buildings have brief, to-the-point displays about how archaeology is being conducted here, about the area's natural history, and about military life. (Of the soldiers garrisoned here between 1844 and 1870, we learn that 8% died while in the army, half of natural causes, and 11% deserted.)

It's worth beginning your visit by seeing the well-written tape-slide show, played on demand in the visitor center in the second building as you enter the fort. It provides a fine introduction to the early history of Keweenaw copper mining. (Just outside the fort is an abandoned mine shaft from the 1840s.)

Living history can be a real highlight of a visit. You may come upon a soldier's wife doing the post's laundry, or the schoolteacher, or an officer and his wife. Most years re-enactors, trained by Northern Michigan University, convincingly act as if it is the summer of 1867. (An occasional year has sub-par actors.) They stay in character as developed through historical research, using the language and accents of that time. Visitors can ask them about their life: where they're from, why they're in the army, what they eat, how long they work, how they spend free time. It's well worth overcoming any shyness and starting a conversation. Kids really enjoy this.

The gift shop and camp store outside the fort has now been combined with the nature and regional history shop of the Fort Wilkins Natural History Association to make an unusual destination for adults and children, with lots of activity books and kits to encourage nature exploration. Sales help pay for the association's publications and for park interpretive programs.

Check at either shop for the summer events schedule. The highly recommended evening lectures (at 7:30 nearly every night in summer) attract local people as well as campers. Talks are indoors inside the West Barracks across the parade grounds from the entrance area. Speakers' specialties range from mining to moose and wolves.

Many happy hours could be spent exploring the features of the rest of the 700-acre park. A pretty trail through the woods along Lake Fanny Hooe connects the fort parking area with many park attractions: the interesting cemetery, the recently expanded and improved playground and picnic area, the fort, and the campgrounds. Don't miss the beautiful Lake Superior shoreline and lighthouse overlook across U.S. 41. On the south side of Lake Fanny Hooe over three miles of trail within the park and another 10 miles (the Kamikaze Trail, a favorite mountain-biking destination) are groomed for cross-country skiing.

1 1/2 miles east of Copper Harbor on U.S. 41. (906) 289-4215. TDD: (800) 827-7007. www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails. Park open year-round. Fort open mid-May thru mid-Oct, 8 a.m.-dusk. Park interpreters and living history are from the last week in June through the 3rd week in August, 9-5 daily. State park sticker required; $6 a day or $24/year for Michigan residents, $8/day or $29/year for others. Wheelchair access: fort, stores, campground, marina are now fully accessible. Dogs permitted on 6-foot leash.

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