Here at Copper Country Explorer we tell the story - a legend really. Its the tale of a long lost civilization, a forsaken empire that once reigned over the scenic shores of the Keweenaw Peninsula. Its an empire ruled by the red metal king - copper. In no other place in the world does it occur in such purity and abundance. Its discovery led to one of the great colonizations of the modern age, transforming a remote and rugged wilderness to an industrial metropolis of over 100,000 people.

It was an oasis in the wilderness. Opulent buildings of sandstone and marble lined streets paved with bricks where streetcars mingled with both horses and motorcars. Excursion trains took patrons to manicured parks on high bluffs, or amusement parks along white sand beaches. Three story department stores offered the latest in Paris fashion, and grand Opera houses showcased the theater’s best and brightest. Nearby the industrial machine employed thousands while providing staffed schools, stocked libraries, and modern hospitals.

It was not to last however. After over a century of rule, the empire had gasped it’s last breath. The mines closed, the people left, and the metropolis returned to the wilderness from which it had come. In its place are only ruins, the crumbling remains of dreams and hope. The Copper Country had become yet another victim to the demise of industrialized America.

It is these shadows of a lost empire - the ruins and remains scattered across the Keweenaw - that captures our camera here at Explorer. As progress lumbers on these ruins move closer to extinction. With them die the stories of the men, women, and children that served the red metal king with their sweat and blood. Because our history is their story, we travel the Keweenaw in search of these clues to the past. We then document what we find with photos, videos, and diagrams and share those here with you. Its about bringing history a little closer to home. Its about preserving history - one post at a time.