CALUMET - In addition to the magnificent natural attractions and numerous fairs and fests that entice vactioners to the Copper County each summer, the region's rich history provides visitors and locals alike with plenty to see and do.

This is the home of Keweenaw National Historical Park, so even those with no intention of seeking out history will, no doubt, bump into it.

All along the highways and byways, remnants of a bygone era are visible. In the almost-hidden foundations, towering mine shafthouses and the architecture of the buildings, remnants of yesterday can be found. Scattered about the countryside are the red sandstone walls of mining buildings now long abandoned, as well as other crumpled old buildings and barns that have entered the picturesque stage of life, their walls and roofs leaning on each other as if to offer other support in their old age.

The area's history is embedded in the rugged natural, unspoiled beauty of Keweenaw Peninsula. It is as rich and colorful as the copper which once filled its ridges and as varied as the people who have visited its shores over the centuries.

Today, visitors to the area can explore Keweenaw heritage in a wide variety of ways. Much can be enjoyed at little or no cost. And inclement weather doesn't have to put a damper on the fun or the learning because many discoveries can be made indoors.

It doesn't take much imagination to travel back to the turn-of-the-century when exploring downtown streets and community neighborhoods.

Many historic buildings are still in use. The identical row houses of the mining locations are still homes for the working families today. School buildings, in some cases nearly a century old, continue to be used to educate. Courthouses, city halls, post offices and fire halls are still in public service, while many churches still actively care for the spiritual well-being of their congregations, just as they have for more than a century.

Other buildings have been adapted to new tenants and modern uses. But their stately demeanor remains a silent testimony to an age when the line between architecture and art was thoroughly smudged.

Hancock, Houghton, Laurium and Calumet all have designed walking tours which allow visitors to stroll historic districts at their leisure. Printed guides, available at Keweenaw Tourism Council information sites, as well as other park cooperating sites, provide information on locations, descriptions and histories of the buildings.

The rich or powerful no longer are sole owners of the stately manors which once were the pride of the area's most prominent citizens. Some serve as family homes, others as fraternity or sorority houses and still others have been converted into businesses. Some have become bed and breakfast inns, welcoming guests to spend a night ensconced in opulence.

The magnificent Laurium Manor Inn was built by Capt. Thomas Hoatson, founder of the Calumet & Arizona Mining Co. in 1908. It features a third-floor ballroom, elephant-hide wall covering in the dining room and a turntable in the carriage house that rotated vehicles to face outward when needed. Even if you don't choose to spend the night, tours are offered from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.,

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allowing a peek at this splendid home.

Since 1988, the Hamar House in Chassell has been lodging guests in turn-of-the-century style. Originally the home of the Ed Hamar family, prominent in the local lumbering industry, it was built in 1903. The hand-carved oak woodwork and original sunroom add to its special charm.

Keweenaw Mountain Lodge was built from 1933 to 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. This WPA project fashioned a beautiful nine-hole golf course out of 167 acres of wilderness just south of Copper Harbor. The giant lodge, built with logs cleared to make the golf course, offers excellent dining and there are nearly two dozen large log cabins complete with living rooms and fireplaces - truly unique accommodations.

For more information, go to atthelodge.com.

Sand Hills Lighthouse at Five Mile Point is the largest and last lighthouse built on the Keweenaw Peninsula has opened its doors as a B&B. Painstakingly restored to the Victorian splendor its keepers enjoyed in 1909, while providing the comforts and privacy expected in the 21st century, the inn is unparalleled in scenery and solitude. A popular wedding/honeymoon spot, the hosts offer tours to visitors as well.

The Keweenaw was the site of the first major U.S. mining boom. As such, museums that preserve this heritage abound. To get a real feel of what the working life of a copper miner was like, a mine tour is in order. If wandering around dusty tunnels isn't one's cup of tea, plenty can be learned at area museums.

One of the most famous Copper Country landmarks, the No. 2 Shafthouse of the Quincy Mine rises 150 feet above Quincy Hill just outside the City of Hancock. It offers the most complete copper mining experience in the area. In addition to viewing the shafthouse, visitors receive a guided tour of the original hoisthouse, built in 1920, which houses the world's largest steam hoist, as well as the museum.

Check out the many mining and railroad artifacts on display on the grounds. Then it's 2,000 feet into the side of Quincy Hill along the East Adit and Experimental Mine to the original Civil War-era workings of the mine itself. The tram car ride down the steep slope of Quincy Hill along a route similar to the one the ore cars traveled on their way to the stamp mills along the Portage is spectacular.

High above the ghost town of Delaware, the Delaware Mine offers guests a chance to experience a mine by lanternlight. After exploring the electrically lit No. 1 and No. 2 shafts, the rustic lantern tour enters the No. 3 shaft.

Less adventurous souls can choose to take self-guided or guided tours of the 110-foot deep No. 1 shaft. Each tour gives visitors a chance to find a piece of Keweenaw copper to take home. Guided tours include an above-ground tram ride through mine site ruins. Guests may also walk the well-maintained path to view the buildings and the collection of antique engines at their leisure.

Enjoy a different type of mine tour as you join a ranger in Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park for a hike to and interpretive tour of the Nonesuch Mine and townsite. This mining venture started in 1867 with two small shafts and a handful of log buildings.

Coppertown USA is a mining museum and building complex located in the heart of the one-time Calumet & Hecla mining district in Calumet. Trolley tours of Calumet can be boarded here.

The fascination and lure of lighthouses is universal and the Keweenaw has its fair share of these romantic watchtowers. While most are now privately owned, a few have been preserved for the public.

The Ontonagon Lighthouse in Ontonagon dates back to 1866. The one-and-a-half story brick building includes a three-story light tower.

The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. In 2003, it became the property of the Ontonagon County Historical Society, which runs tours of the lighthouse.

Another of the areas's nautical highlights is the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse. The current lighthouse structure was built of red brick in 1871, and also housed the lightkeepers until it became automated 109 years later.

It has been restored by the Keweenaw County Historical Society to its 19th-century condition. Tours of the lighthouse are available throughout the summer. In addition to the lighthouse, the complex houses a maritime museum in the former fog signal building; an

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exhibit on the 1926 shipwreck of The City of Bangor, a ship that wrecked near Copper Harbor with a cargo of 248 brand-new Chryslers; and museums on minings and commercial fishing.

Just off M-26 further south is the Eagle River Lighthouse, which was built in 1857. After many years in which the board unsuccessfully sought repair money from Congress, the lighthouse was decommissioned in 1908.

The lighthouse has been in the hands of private owners since later that year, and has been maintained since.

Established in 1992, the Keweenaw National Historical Park is dedicated to preserving the unique heritage of the area.

Some of the sites mentioned above, such as the Quincy Mine Hoist and Delaware Copper Mine, are among the park's 19 Heritage Sites.

The park offers a series of historical events on the fourth Thursday of each month, offering insight into different aspects of the Copper Country's history. Coming up on June 25 is "Michigan's Columbus: The Life of Douglass Houghton," which will take place at the Keweenaw County Courthouse in Eagle River. The next month on July 23 will see a presentation on "Italians in the Keweenaw" at the Keweenaw Heritage Center at St. Anne's in Calumet.

For more information, go to nps.gov/kewe.