Fort Wilkins Historic State Park
| Fort Wilkins Historic State Park | |
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Flagpole in front of Lake Fanny Hooe at Fort Wilkins
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 Location within the state of Michigan
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| Location |
Grant Township Keweenaw County, Michigan |
| Nearest city | Copper Harbor, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 47°28′02″N 87°51′59″W / 47.46722°N 87.86639°WCoordinates: 47°28′02″N 87°51′59″W / 47.46722°N 87.86639°W |
| Area | 1.09 mi² (2.83 km²) |
| Governing body |
 Michigan Department of Natural Resources
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| Website | |
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Fort Wilkins
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| Location | Fort Wilkins State Park |
| Built | 1844 |
| NRHP Reference # | 70000279 |
| Added to NRHP | July 8, 1970 |
Fort Wilkins Historic State Park is a historical park operated by the U.S. state of Michigan at Copper Harbor, Michigan. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and is a "Cooperating Site" of the Keweenaw National Historical Park.
Copper Harbor is located at the northern tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, bordering Lake Superior. It is one of the best natural harbors in Keweenaw County and was a quick focus of attention after copper was discovered on the peninsula in the 1830s.
In the early 1840s, a copper rush took place, with fortune-seekers moving from all directions to the peninsula. The U.S. government was concerned about possible disorder and violence, and lake shipping interests asked the government to build an aid to navigation so that essential supplies could be shipped in and the copper moved out.
The U.S. Army occupied Fort Wilkins, located east of Copper Harbor, Michigan on the strait of land between Copper Harbor and northern shore of Lake Fanny Hooe, in 1844. The troops stationed there were intended to help with local law enforcement and to keep the peace between miners and the local Ojibwas; some Chippewa opposed the Treaty of La Pointe that had ceded the area to the United States in 1842-1843.
However, the fort proved to be unnecessary. The Chippewa largely accepted the influx, and the miners were law-abiding. The Army built 27 structures,including a guardhouse, powder magazine, 7 officer's quarters, two barracks, two mess halls, hospital, storehouse, sutler's store, quartermaster's store, bakery, blacksmith's shop, carpenter's shop, icehouse, four quarters for married enlisted men, stables, and a slaughter house, to house the operations of two full-strength infantry companies. Several of these structures still survive. Others have been rebuilt following archaeological excavations.
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Wikipedia