Lake Superior Country

What attracted 19th century travelers to the rugged landscape of Michigan's Upper Peninsula? Most travelers had to brave the frigid, gigantic, and the often-perilous Lake Superior to gain entrance to the Upper Peninsula. But although the lake and rugged terrain often made it difficult for travelers to traverse the Upper Peninsula, it also often made travel an adventurous and enjoyable occasion.

Lake Superior Country: 19th Century Travel and Tourism to Michigan's Upper Peninsula will follow these 19th century travelers, from the explorers in search of land titles and valuable mineral deposits in the early part of the century, to "literary travelers" seeking to witness the romantic region made famous by Henry W. Longfellow's poem "The Song of Hiawatha," to the sportsmen and sportswomen who found a bounty of wildlife and fishing grounds. It will also illustrate the various methods of travel undertaken by these people, from birch bark canoes, to steamers, to the railroads, and how these different methods of travel defined the overall tourist experience.