Houghton - Michigan's Upper Peninsula

<html> <head> <title>Houghton - Michigan's Upper Peninsula</title> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1"> <META Pragma: No-Cache> <META name="Pragma" No-Cache> <META Cache-control: No-Cache> <META HTTP-EQUIV="expires" CONTENT="Wed, 26 Feb 1997 08:21:57 GMT"> <META name="description" content="Town profile plus candid recommendations of attractions, restaurants, lodgings, shops, & campgrounds."> <META name="keywords" content="Houghton, Travel, Upper Peninsula, U.P., Michigan, Keweenaw."> <base href="http://hunts-upguide.com/"> <link href="/style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <center> <table width="100%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0> <tr> <td width="18%" colspan=2 height=82 bgcolor="#306799" valign="top"> <table width="100%" cellpadding=22 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td align="left"> <b><font size="-2" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <font color="#FEE384">We welcome<br> your comments<br> experiences &<br> corrections.<br></font> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=10 height=8 alt="---"><br> <a class="whitelinkunderlined" target="_top" href="http://hunts-upguide.com/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/dehunt/feedback.pl">E-mail us</a> </font> </b> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="63%" height=82 bgcolor="#306799" align="center" valign="top"> <table cellpadding=22 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td align="center"> <img src="/images/online_words.gif" width=386 height=13 alt="The online version of the popular regional travel book""><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=500 height=2 alt="---"><br> <nobr><font color="#FFFFFF" size="+2" face="Georgia,Times New Roman,Times"><b>Hunts' Guide to Michigan's UPPER PENINSULA</b></font></nobr><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=500 height=7 alt="---"><br> <img src="/images/candid_words.gif" width=391 height=13 alt="A candid guide to enjoying and understanding the U.P."> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td valign=top width="1%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5" rowspan=3>  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=9 height=25 alt="|"></td> <td width="18%" rowspan=3 valign="top"> <a target="_top" href="/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/dehunt/click.pl?nextfile=http://hunts-upguide.com/up_travel_map.html"><img src="/ads/Small_map_ad_ver_6.gif" border=0 ALT="UP Travel Map ad" width=160 height=418></a> <p>  <a target="_top" href="http://www.wunderground.com/US/MI/Houghton.html?bannertypeclick=bigtemptr"> <img src="http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/bigtemptr_both/language/www/US/MI/Houghton.gif" border=0 alt="Click for Houghton, Michigan Forecast" height=94 width=185></a> <br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=20 height=3 alt="---"><br>  <center> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=5 width="100%" height=9> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=790 height=9 alt="---"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="17%">  <table width="100%" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td width="100%" valign="top">  <table width="100%" cellpadding=10 cellspacing=0 border=0 bgcolor="#306799"> <tr> <td valign="top" bgcolor="#306799"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <b> <a class="sidebar" href="/" target="_top">Home</a><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="85" height="5"><br> <a class="sidebar" href="keweenaw_peninsula.html" target="_top">Back to Keweenaw Peninsula</a> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="85" height="20"><br> </b> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="100%"> <table width="100%" border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=10 bgcolor="#FFE09B"> <tr> <td align="left"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=100 height=10 alt="-"><br> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-1"> <center><font color="#C82F2C"><b>HOUGHTON<br>POINTS<BR>OF INTEREST</b></font><br> </center> <font color="#263692" size="-2"> <p> <a name="e1135"><b>A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum.</b></a> One of the country's finest collections of U.P., Michigan, and world-wide minerals, artfully displayed and interpreted by professional geologists. ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/houghton_a_e__seaman_mineral_museum.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e1249"><b>Michigan Tech.</b></a> One of the country's major technological universities provides a dramatic entryway to Hougton and lots of exceptional winter activities. Ice sculptures for the MTU Winter Carnival are worth a trip! ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/houghton_michigan_tech.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e1136"><b>MTU Archives/Copper Country Historical Collection.</b></a> Lots of interesting old photos and loads of historical documents from a fascinating region ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/houghton_mtu_archives_copper_country_historical_collection.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e1134"><b>Downtown Houghton.</b></a> Shops, eateries, historic saloons, and a brewpub line Shelden Ave., with its handsome sandstone buildings and a dramatic location a block uphill from the Portage Waterway path and Bridgeview Park. ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/houghton_downtown_houghton.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e1137"><b>Keweenaw Gem & Gift.</b></a> Gemologist and geologist owners provide expert perspective on Copper Country rockhounding, agates, copper, greenstones, datolite, and more. ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/houghton_keweenaw_gem___gift.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <p>   </font> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td>   </td> </tr>  <tr> <td align="center"> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> <td valign=top width="1%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="9" height=500 alt="|"> </td> <td valign=top width="63%">  <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0> <tr> <td valign=top align=center bgcolor="#018650" colspan=2> <center> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="30" height=8 alt="-"><br> <b><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-1"><a class="whitelink" href="keweenaw_peninsula.html" target="_top">Region: Keweenaw Peninsula</a></font></b><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="100%" height=3 alt="-"><br> <h1>HOUGHTON</h1> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="30" height=8 alt="-"></center></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="63%">  <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=8 border=0> <tr> <td align="left">  <font face="Georgia"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=6 alt="-"><br> <center> <table cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=0 width=410> <tr> <td> <img src="http://hunts-upguide.com/photos/81.gif" width=410 height=206 alt="Downtown Houghton" border=0> </td> </tr> </table> </center><p> Built on a steep slope, Houghton has <B>some of the most interesting and dramatic views</B> in the Midwest. It's a visual treat to look across the wide Portage Waterway at the <B>Portage Lift Bridge</B>, its twin city, Hancock, and the Mont Ripley ski hill. Along the waterway at Ripley are the evocative brick ruins of the Quincy Mining Company's old copper smelter. Plans call for developing the historically significant smelter as a visitor center to the <B>Keweenaw National Historic Park </B>devoted to telling the story of Keweenaw copper mining.<br><br> <table align="right" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=0 width=250> <tr> <td> <a href="houghton_hancock.html" target="_top"><img src="http://hunts-upguide.com/photos/574.gif" width=250 height=218 alt="Houghton-Hancock minimap" border=0></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <a href="houghton_hancock.html" target="_top"><b>Click to enlarge</b></a> </font> </td> </tr> </table> On the far skyline across the waterway, the silhouette of the <B>Quincy Mine's No. 2 shaft house</B> pops up from many vantage points from downtown to Sharon Avenue and the commercial strip. It's the <B>quintessential landmark </B>symbolizing <B>copper's central role</B> in the twin cities' history. The Quincy Mine tour's tram offers a fine opportunity to take in the extraordinary panorama of Houghton and the Portage Waterway. The Quincy Hill scenic overlook on U.S. 41 has the same remarkable view.<br><br>Before this area became a mining region, giant hemlocks covered it. The <B>first bridge</B> connecting Houghton with Hancock was completed in <B>1876.</B> This was three years after a two-mile-long canal was dug, creating a western outlet from the <B>Portage Waterway</B> to <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/munising_lake_superior.html" target="_top">Lake Superior</a> and making an island of the Keweenaw Peninsula's copper-rich northern section, from Hancock north to Copper Harbor. The canal allowed ships to avoid the lengthy and at times treacherous trip around Keweenaw Point, 50 miles to the north. <br><br>The unusual <B>lift bridge </B>at Houghton is the only crossing point between Houghton and everything north of the Portage Waterway, making for occasional traffic jams in summer, an oddity in this lightly populated part of the state. Sometimes when the lift bridge raises near rush hour, traffic backs up all the way to the <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/houghton_michigan_tech.html" target="_top">Michigan Tech</a> campus. Unlike a drawbridge, the bridge's midsection rises vertically to allow freighters and tall sailboats to pass. For <B>an illustrated history of the Portage Lift Bridge</B>, see <a target="_top" href="http://www.cityofhancock.com">www.cityofhancock.com</a> . Scroll way down to "history," then select "lift bridge."<br><br>Central to Houghton's identity and economy today is not copper but education Michigan Tech is one of <center> <table cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=0 width=450> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-1"><b>...continued below...</b></font> <br clear="all"> <hr> <center> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </center> <hr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://hunts-upguide.com/photos/960.gif" width=450 height=337 alt="Houghton in fall" border=0> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right"> <font face="Gill Sans Light,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-3"> Mary Hunt </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <b>Houghton in fall, 2006, seen from the Quincy Hill ridge above Hancock.</b> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </center><p> the country's major state technoligical universities. Its campus is the first part of Houghton you see as you arrive from the south on U.S. 41. Tech started out as the Michigan School of Mines, but few buildings remain from its early decades. Recently the mining department was completely closed - a real identity shock. Mining professor Ted Bornhorst is around as the director of the <B>Seaman Mineralogical Museum</B>, one of the nation's best and certainly Tech's crown jewel as an attraction. (He also buys for its cool museum shop.) Now that mining is again possible in the Upper Peninsula, his expertise has been useful to the state of Michigan in providing scientific perspective on environmental impacts and developing standards and taxes for mining operations. <br><br>The heart of campus, long and narrow, is up a bluff from the Portage Waterway, between the waterway and U.S. 41. The instructional and research buildings are dominated by tall buildings, which form an interesting skyline when seen from the Hancock/Ripley side. Motorists get the worst view of campus - one dorm, a quarter of a mile long, would seem right at home in the Communist-built suburbs of cities in Eastern Europe. Actually the <B>pedestrian-oriented campus interior</B> is <B>quite pleasant</B>, with winding walkways and lots of landscaping to soften the architecture. <B>Metered parking </B>is available by the red brick <B>MUB</B> (Memorial Union Building) just past the splashy new library addition. The food court and bookstore are in the MUB - a good place to catch the multicultural, international flavor of campus life, noteworthy for how hard students work. <B>Tech athletics facilities</B> and the Forestry School are south of U.S. 41 and up the hill from the stoplight, on MacInness Drive (named for a beloved and successful hockey coach), which turns into Sharon Avenue and ends up on <B>Houghton's commercial strip</B> along M-26. <br><br>With 410 faculty and 1,063 staff (2004 figures), <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/houghton_michigan_tech.html" target="_top">Michigan Tech</a> is by far the region's largest employer. Well over half of Tech's mostly undergraduate student body of 6,536 is male, and 57% of those are in the school of engineering. Now at least 20% of the engineers are women. Graduate students comprise 12% of the student body. 68% are Michigan residents; 81% receive some form of financial aid. The school now brags that 95% of its undergraduate classes are taught by faculty, that the grade point average of student athletes, 3.2, is higher than the campus average, and that its program for scientific and technical communication is rated #1 in the United States. Geology and engineering, not surprisingly, are the fields for which Tech is well known nationally, but there's increased emphasis on a broader range of subjects in the sciences: communication, business, technology, and forestry.<br><br>Tech has also played a big role in developing Michigan <B>high school talent in science</B>, technology, the environment, and the arts, through its popular <B>Summer Youth Program</B> (906-487-2354). Tech's new <B>Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts</B> is a shining addition to cultural life in the western Upper Peninsula, one area in which Houghton-Hancock is clearly better than Marquette. An impressive percentage of MTU students involved in the performing arts are studying engineering. Engineering and music are not two separate worlds here. Interest in music and the caliber of serious amateur musicians who give concerts is quite high in Houghton-Hancock. <br><br>U.S. 41 is known as College Avenue as it passes through the university campus. Turn at the Wells Fargo bank, and you'll see <B>Jim's Food Mart</B>, a well-run general grocery, priced for student budgets, that reflects Tech's diverse community. The international food section is well chosen. The spirits, beers, and wines have been tucked to one side, with helpful comments on shelf-talkers. West of the university it is lined with <B>impressive mansions</B>, now often used as fraternities. A few blocks farther you enter the city's splendid downtown.<br><br>Houghton's downtown is handsome and at times lively. Good views pop up in many places. The city has developed a <B>paved waterfront pathway</B> for four miles <B>through downtown</B>, popular with strollers and roller skaters. It begins with the <B>Nara Nature Trail</B> at Houghton's east entrance on U.S. 41 and goes all the way to the beach west of M-26. At the east end of downtown is the dock for the National Park Service's impressive 165-foot passenger and supply ship, <B><I>Ranger III</I>, </B>which makes regular trips to Isle Royale National Park, 60 miles away to the northwest.<br><br>Just west of the Isle Royale dock and the national park's office/nature bookstore is the city-owned <B>Dee Stadium</B>, named for James Dee, a Houghton business leader of 1900. The almost trompe l'oeil mural on its west-facing entrance shows a crowd of 1910 or so, waiting to get into the Amphidrome, the earlier stadium on this site. Inside for the whole summer of 2005 is an extensive <B>display of 3,000 historic photos</B> collected and copied by <B>Houghton Police Chief Ralph Raffaelli</B> over the past three years. It all started when he copied some photos for the Suomi Kitchen a block away. Everybody liked to see and discuss the old photos on the wall. More and more historic photos were given to the chief. Displays appeared all over town all the way out to OfficeMax. The last great flurry was getting them all copied, enlarged, and mounted, and hung on display boards for 2004's Copper Country Homecoming. Now they're back by popular request. <br><br>West along the waterfront, a new building for the overcrowded Portage Lake District Library will be erected at the foot of Huron, near the Suomi Kitchen. A fire destroyed the warehouse previously on that site. Farther west on the waterfront path, past the parking deck, the beautiful new <B>Bridgeview Park</B> has benches, a large grill, an interpretive display about the historic waterfront, and fine <B>view of the lift bridge</B> from water level. <br><br>The best views of all can be had by <B>walking across the lift bridge itself</B>, especially when the light is low. There's lots of pedestrians going across the bridge day and night. The only thing dangerous about it is crossing lanes of traffic.<br><br><B>Boaters can tie up for free</B> at many docks along the entire downtown waterfront from the Super 8 Motel west past the Lift Bridge to the RV park, swimming beach, and chutes-and-ladders playground. Call (906) 482-8745 for marina info. <br><br>Houghton historians and civic leaders claim that Houghton is the <B>birthplace of organized professional hockey</B> on the site of Dee Stadium. In 1902 the all-pro Portage Lake hockey team was formed here, considered to be the first all-professional team anywhere. Two years later the world's first inter-city professional hockey league was organized here as well. 2004 saw a gala celebration of that centennial. Get the whole story at <a target="_top" href="http://www.cityofhoughton.com">www.cityofhoughton.com</a> and look under "history."<br><br>Test Jump Page <p align="right"><a href="keweenaw_peninsula.html" target="_top">Back to Keweenaw Peninsula</a></p> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="37%" valign="top"> <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=8 border=0> <tr> <td height="4" width="37%">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=1 alt="-"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="center" bgcolor="#C7302D" width="37%">  <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" color="#FFFFFF"> <b> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> <font size="-1"> HOUGHTON<br> RESTAURANTS,<br> LODGINGS<br> & CAMPGROUNDS </font> <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=6 alt="-"><br> <font size="-2">These are our choices, not ads.</font><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> </b> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top bgcolor="#FFE09B" width="37%">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>HOUGHTON<br>RESTAURANTS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> We describe over a dozen local favorites: a place with inexpensive Italian dishes with a beautiful 1889 barrom, a tearoom, a brewpub, a Middle Eastern-inspired eatery, places with great views of the picturesque scene across the waterway, good spots for vegetarians, a bakery sandwich shop, a popular steakhouse, a Chinese place with a good buffet . . . <p> For full write-ups of our recommended restaurants, click <a href="houghton_restaurants.html">here</a>. </font> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#CDCCAD" valign="top"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>HOUGHTON<br>LODGINGS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> Lots of good places to choose from around Houghton, including motels near <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/houghton_michigan_tech.html" target="_top">Michigan Tech</a>, a downtown motel with a great view of the waterway and a big breakfast room, a waterfront bed & breakfast, resort cabins on Portage Lake . . . <p> For full write-ups of our recommended lodgings, click <a href="houghton_lodgings.html">here</a>. </font> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#B6DBA4" valign="top"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>HOUGHTON<br>CAMPGROUNDS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> <a name="e1160"><b>CITY of HOUGHTON RV PARK</b></a><br> (906) 482-8745; cityofhoughton.com/rec-rv.php; rvpark@chartermi.net. No reservations. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> 24 super-modern RV sites, 30' by 60', have <B>covered patios</B> and boxwood privacy screening. Trees are too young to provide much shade. Sites are right on the Portage Waterway half a mile west of downtown, next to the city <B>swimming beach</B>, <B>fishing pier</B>, and a fabulous chutes-and-ladders playground. A 5-mile paved, wheelchair accessible <B>bike/jogging/walking path</B> goes downtown and beyond. Each site (at least $22/night) has full 50 amp hookups, TV, and a picnic table, park bench, BBQ pit, and fire ring. Internet available. No showers; for self-contained RVs only. It has <B>complimentary dockage</B>, a boat launch. Internet available. <br> The park fills in July and August. No reservations, but campers come and go daily. Those awaiting a spot can use a holding area without hookups (no charge). <i> Jan., 2008</i> <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>1100 W. Lakeshore Dr. just west of town off M-26 and U.S. 41. Look for the turn to the waterway at the hill's base. Open: early May into early Oct. Wheelchair-accessible. Very child-friendly. Sorry, no dogs.</i> <p> </font> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=5 align="center">  <br> <center> <font size="+1" color="#454545" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica">Copyright © 1997-2007 Midwestern Guides</font> </center> </td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>