Copper Country Trail
Central Mine, MI

A village that was once the site of one Keweenaw's most successful mines, Central, or Central Mine is one of the most important historical cites in Keweenaw County. Opened in 1854, the mine produced close to 52 million pounds of copper before closing for good in 1898. Keweenaw County Historical Society administers the site and has worked to restore many old miners' homes still standing on the old site. A visitors center soon provide interpretive exhibits not only about the mine but also about the miners' families, homes, schools and churches.

Another noteworthy feature of Central Village is the old Methodist Episcopal Church where descendants of the town's original inhabitants have gathered each year since 1907 on the last Sunday in July to pay tribute to all the pioneers that worked in the early copper mines that dotted Keweenaw County. Built in 1868 and closed in 1903, the church reflects the Cornish ancestry of many area residents in its distinctive battlemented tower.