Creating Keweenaw: Parkmaking as response to post-mining economic decline

Communities respond to the loss of mining in a multitude of ways. Oftentimes, grassroots organizations embrace the heritage of former industry for economic development and for reassurance of their place's significance. Between 1986 and 1992, national politicians joined grassroots efforts in order to establish Keweenaw National Historical Park. The mostly-privatized park encompasses decentralized spaces of copper extraction, processing, and worker housing. This paper examines efforts to create Keweenaw National Historical Park and the resulting challenges inherent in this mostly privatized park format. In so doing, Keweenaw National Historical Park's story contributes to the ongoing debate over the ideal formats for commemorating dormant mining industries.