Copper Country Trail
Fort Wilkins State Park and Historic Complex, MI

Fort Wilkins was once an active U.S. Army base built to keep peace in Michigan's Copper Country. Begun in 1844 and abandoned just two years later, the fort was briefly re-garrisoned in the late 1860s. Today, Fort Wilkins is a well preserved example of mid-19th-century army life on the northern frontier. Nineteen buildings survive, twelve of them original structures from the 1840s. The park also includes the Copper Harbor Lighthouse Complex, accessible by boat.

Through Fort Wilkins' exhibits, audio/visual programs, and living history interpretation, visitors may explore the daily routine military service. Visitors can learn to experience with the soldiers' families the hardships of frontier isolation and discover the lifeways of another era.