FREDA

Region: Keweenaw Peninsula

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End of the road: the big smokestack of Freda's copper processing mill remains a landmark long after it shut down.

Named for the daughter of a mining company owner, Freda sits on a high sandstone bluff overlooking Lake Superior west of Houghton. It's one of several Keweenaw shoreline settlements that grew up around a stamping mill. Copper mining companies had to take copper-bearing rock brought up from the mines and concentrate the ore into much purer ingots which could be shipped long distances to customers. This required a stamping plant to grind up the rock. The process used lots of water to separate the copper from other materials, so stamping mills were sited along lakes.

The Copper Range Company built the Freda stamping mill below the big bluff in 1899. The company also laid out the village, built employee housing, installed water mains, and created a fire department. By 1910 Freda had 500 residents. Freda's park, long since abandoned, was once a popular weekend destination by train for people in the area. The stamping mill finally closed in 1967, leading to the loss of the Freda post office.

Freda is literally at the end of the road. The only way out is back the way you came from Beacon Hill and Redridge. The road to Freda is called Covered Road because of the way trees arch over it and form a tunnel. In fall color season it's a popular excursion to drive out this way to Freda, enjoy the view, and have a meal or piece of pie at the Superior View Restaurant.

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PLACES AROUND FREDA TO

Eat Sleep Camp