Fort Wilkins (Copper Harbor, Michigan)
Copper Harbor · Michigan · Indian Wars
History & Significance
In 1843, six years before the California gold rush, Michigan's copper boom began with Copper Harbor becoming the focal point for hundreds of copper seekers. Fearful of problems arising from miners in an area recently purchased from the Ojibwa, the federal government sent the Army in 1844; under Captain Robert Clary, Infantry Companies A and B served as a buffer between copper hunters and the Ojibwa, to ensure civil order, and to enforce federal authority in land claims.
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 two full-strength infantry companies. When war was declared with Mexico, Companies A and B were sent to Texas and replaced by Company K; when Company K was also sent to the Mexican front in 1846, the fort was left in the hands of a single caretaker, Sergeant William Wright.
After the Civil War, the U.S. Army reoccupied Fort Wilkins from 1867–1870, with Company E of the Forty-third Infantry stationed there until May 1869, when replaced by Company K of the First Infantry. Nineteen of the original 27 structures survive, representing the most complete remaining example of an 1840s-era military post in the United States. In 1923, the fort and adjacent lighthouse became a Michigan state park.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Restored barracks, officer quarters, and support buildings from 1844
- Costumed interpreters demonstrating 19th-century military life
- Historic context of Michigan copper rush and shipping protection
- 27-structure fort complex in remote Keweenaw Peninsula setting
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Wilkins_Historic_State_Park
- https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/parksandtrails/details.aspx?id=419&type=SPRK
- https://www.michigan.gov/mhc/museums/fwchl
- https://michigan.gov/mhc/0,9075,7-361-85147_87261_87264-473091--,00.html
- https://www.nps.gov/places/fort-wilkins-historic-state-park.htm
- https://northernmichiganhistory.com/fort-wilkins/