Clifton, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The historic village of Clifton, Michigan was founded in support of Cliff Mine—a mine opened in by the 1845 by the Pittsburgh and Boston Mining Company after an abundant amount of copper was discovered here. It is located between Calumet and Eagle River, off of Cliff Drive, alongside US41 in the Keweenaw Peninsula. A historical marker is present at the site.
Clifton, though famous for Cliff Mine’s prosperity, is also known locally because of its many charming historical characteristics--one being, Cliff Cemetery. The cemetery was only used for a short period of time and is the final resting place for only 15 people. Headstones still present at the site consist of stone and wooden markers.
A peek at Clifton’s past can be found in two more recent sources. "The Cliff, America's First Great Copper Mine" written by Donald Chaput and “Copper Country Journal—The Diary of Schoolmaster Henry Hobart, 1863-1864,” edited by Philip P. Mason.
These sources provide a look at the physical and social contexts in which life was lived by miners, their families, and other village members. Images provide a physical picture of how the village was laid out. Social issues in Clifton consisted of financial, religious and cultural problems. Many of these problems were common in mining towns of time. Clifton was special because it was the one of the first towns of its kind.
[edit] Further reading
Chaput, Donald. The Cliff, American’s First Great Copper Mine. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Sequoia Press/Publishers, 1971.
Mason, Phillip P. Copper Country Journal--The Diary of Schoolmaster Henry Hobart, 1863-1864. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press, 1991.
