The island we know today as Isle Royale has not always looked the way it
currently looks. Isle Royale was formed and shaped over a long period of time,
beginning several thousand years ago. Geological research indicates that the body
of Isle Royale was formed by molten lava as it seeped up through cracks in the
floor of Lake Superior. After the lava hardened and formed the island, the land
mass received its unique washboard appearance from years of exposure to
glaciers. The massive sheets of ice moved across the surface of the island and
carved large grooves into the surface, which today are visible as the many
ridgelines, cliffs and valleys. When the glaciers melted away they left deposits
of mud, silt and water. The mud and silt provided a rich qrowing environment for
plants and trees, while the water filled in the many depressions on the island and
formed the lakes and swamps. The presence of trees and plants lured birds and
insects to the island and they were eventually followed by small animals which
made the 15 mile crossing from Canada when the lake froze over during the
winter months.
Animals, however, were not the only ones to discover Isle Royale. It is believed
that the earliest presence of human beings on the island can be traced back to
approximately 2000 B.C. when Indians made the trip to the island to mine
copper. The French also heard about Isle Royale and documented its presence on
some of their maps when they were exploring this region. In 1837 Michigan was
given control of the island and it became the first Lake Superior territory to be
admitted to the Union.
In the early 1800's fisherman took notice of Isle Royale because the area
around the island supported many popular types of fish. In 1837 the American
Fur Company built several fishing camps on the island, but they were forced to
stop operations in 1841 due to an economic depression. Several fishing companies
returned to the island years later, but were not able to turn a large enough
profit to make it a permanent way of life on the island.
Another major effort aimed at profiting from Isle Royale's resources came in
the form of mining for copper. Miners arrived on the island as early as 1843.

This first attempt at extracting copper did not meet with
much success due to inefficient mining methods and low
profits, and the miners ceased operations by 1855. While
the miners have long since left the island, a couple mine pits
from that period can still be seen by visitors today. A
couple mine pits at the Siskowit mine location are visible
only a couple yards off the Rock Harbor Trail between
Three Mile and Daisy Farm. The other location is on the
Stoll Trail near the Rock Harbor lodge, which was the site

of the Smithwick mine.
Mining companies again became interested in
Isle Royale around the time of the American
Civil War. By this time, mining techniques were
more advanced and ore transportation from
the island was more efficient, overall this
helped companies see increased profits over
the earlier mining attempts. The mining business brought many people and
families to Isle Royale. The two major mining areas on the island at this time
were at McCargo Cove on the north side of the island, and near the Siskowit Bay
on the south side of the island. By 1875 the two sites had almost become small
cities, which included houses, stores, docks, roads, and schools. The size of the
settlements necessitated the need for some type of government, and Isle Royale
County was formed in this year. Over the years various mining companies made
attempts to locate and mine copper, however, there was never enough metal found
to make the businesses profitable, and the last mining company closed operations
on Isle Royale in the early 1890's.
After the miners left the island it was re-discovered by entrepreneurs who
attempted to make a living by catering to passengers of passing steamships. The
tourism era lasted from the late 1890's until the 1920's and resulted in the
building of a couple resorts on the island. Some time in the 1920's, Albert Stoll,
a writer for the Detroit News newspaper, made a couple trips to the island and
wrote several articles about the island in the paper. It is Albert Stoll who has
been given credit as being the driving force behind the movement to make Isle
Royale a national park. Today, the Stoll Trail near the Rock Harbor lodge bears
his name. It was in 1931 that Congress passed legislation to make Isle Royale a
national park and the island saw yet another change in it's use. Isle Royale has
now become a haven for backpackers, kayakers, divers and scientists and is
visited by roughly 15,000 people annually making it one of the least visited of
America's national parks.
Source: DuFresne, Jim. Isle Royale National Park Foot Trails And Water Routes 2nd edition. The Mountaineers, 1991.
This page last updated on 02-25-2016 @ 11:29 AM