1913 Wellge / Cox Bird's-Eye View of the Keweenaw Peninsula, Upper Peninsula, Michigan

One of only 3 surviving examples of the rare Henry Wellge 1913 bird's-eye view of the Keweenaw Peninsula, Upper Peninsula, Michigan, at the height of the early 20th century copper mining boom. The view looks northeast along the peninsula from a fictive highpoint above Houghton and Portage Lake. Towns are labeled and important buildings noted, including the industrial smelting operations along Torch Lake and Bay. This view was issued by Albert Kennedy Houghton, a bookshop owner in Houghton, shortly before he left town for Minneapolis.

Wellge's Last View?

It is of note that this is most likely Henry Wellge's last work. It postdates his last work noted in Reps by 3 years and is not itself noted in American Views and Viewmakers.

Copper in Keweenaw

The Keweenaw Peninsula is the northernmost part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Today, Keweenaw is known as a vacation destination admired for its rugged beauty. From the mid-19th century to about 1913 it was the center of a vibrant copper mining industry - leading to nearly 50 years of boomtime. Copper was known in Keweenaw from the 17th century but the extent of copper deposits was unknown until 1841, when state geologist Douglass Houghton made a detailed study of the region. When the rich copper deposits were discovered, Congress moved quickly to purchase the peninsula from the indigenous Chippewa. A speculation craze followed, with mining leases reaching top dollar as investors from Chicago, Boston, and New York drove prices skyward. Mining operations ensued, leading to a population boom and international immigration from across Europe. Mining companies consolidated, transforming into huge conglomerates. Copper production began to decline around the time this map was made, in 1913, when the Michigan Copper Strike (1913 - 1914) ground operations to a halt. While things briefly recovered, mining was hit hard by the devaluation of copper during the Great Depression and ceased entirely by 1968.

Publication History and Census

This view was drawn by Henry Wellge and published by Albert Kennedy Houghton in 1913. We note only 2 other surviving examples, one at the Library of Congress and a second at Central Michigan University. All bear the Cox imprint, and all are photomechanical prints - as was common with views issued after 1909 or so. This is the only known example of this view to have entered the private market.