… Any tips for fun or for staying out of trouble are appreciated.
Michigan Tech's Winter Carnival is definitely a worthwhile event; the Snow Statues will be completed by the Thursday morning, Feb 4 and judging is scheduled for 9:30 AM.
Since you're new to the area;
particularly if you're traveling with family — if you find yourself in Calumet some time between Wed & Fri from 12:00 noon to 5 pm EST, and you are interested in the cultural history of the area I'd recommend a visit to the
Calumet Theater. It looks pretty innocuous (click →)
from outside, but it's a bit of a hidden gem; step inside, and you'll be transported back to the early 1900s to the (then) Calumet Opera House, during the copper mining boom, when the village had a population of approximately 4000 and more than 30,000 lived within walking distance.
Your first reaction might well be:
"Where are we, Ford's Theater? Which box was Lincoln seated in when he was shot?"
See the (click →)
seating chart.
Check out their web site: (click →)
Calumet Theater.
Tours are generally available Wednesday through Friday during regular box office hours only.
(Call the Box Office at (906) 337-2610 for availability.)
Guided Tours Tours from 12:00 Noon – 4:00 PM (by appointment only) last approximately 45-60 minutes.
Self-Guided Tours from 12:00 Noon – 4:30 PM
(Tours are limited on days of performance and by volunteer availability.)
The history of the Calumet Theater, quoted here in part:
Theatre History
"The Village of Calumet was incorporated in 1875 when it was the center of the copper mining industry in North America. As the community grew, the Town Hall was built in 1886; and in 1898, with a huge surplus in the treasury, it was decided that an opera house was needed to serve the community. At that time the village had a population of approximately 4000 and more than 30,000 lived within walking distance.
"The Theatre opened on March 20, 1900 with a touring Broadway production of Reginald DeKoven’s The Highwaymen. In the ensuing years, the Theatre’s marquee read like a Who’s Who of American Theatre: Madame Helena Modjeska, Lillian Russell, John Phillip Sousa, Sarah Bernhardt, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., Lon Chaney, Sr., Jason Robards, Sr., James O’Neill, William S. Hart, Frank Morgan, Wallace and Noah Beery.
• • •
"The auditorium was renovated for the village’s centennial in 1975, and the exterior was restored in 1988-89. The technical and code improvements and backstage reconstruction have just been completed.
• • •
"The Calumet Theatre is listed as a National Historic Landmark since 1971. It is a Heritage Site of the Keweenaw National Historical Park since 1993 and is the only site that still serves its original function."
For more local copper mining history, if you should find your way back to the area
in the Summer, you might want to check out the
Quincy Mine & Hoist — that iconic shaft house (and related structures) at the top of Quincy Hill just above Hancock, MI.
Quincy Mine (click →)
Guided Tours:
(2016 Tour Season: June 3rd to October 23rd-Open daily from 9:30am to 5:00pm
Tours run continuously throughout the day, approximately every 30 minutes.)
