The northernmost slice of Michigan. The center of Lake Superior. The site of America's first mining boom. Those who call the Copper Country home live on a foundation of independence, innovation, and tenacity.
When newspaper magnate Horace Greeley encouraged young entrepreneurs to "go west," this was the place he had in mind. Rich in copper and white pine, the western Upper Peninsula of the 19th century attracted workers from across Europe—particularly those from Finland and the English county of Cornwall. As the copper and logging booms moved west, the Cornish and Finnish communities chose to stay, and the Keweenaw remains infused with their culture.
Ask a local about Copper Country culture, and you're likely to hear details of Cornish pasties and Finnish saunas. But more importantly, they'll tell you about a thing called sisu (see-soo)—a Finnish term that can't be fully translated. It's grit. Determination. Resilience. Perseverance. It's a form of courage that doesn't come and go.
The miners and loggers of the 19th century built their community on sisu, and up in the Copper Country, it's a way of life still today.
