Eagle River is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Keweenaw County Keweenaw County (, ; , ) is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, the state's northernmost county. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 2,046, making it Michigan's least populous county. It is also the ...

. Its population was 65 at the 2020 census, which makes it by far the least-populated county seat in the state of Michigan. As an unincorporated community, Eagle River has no legal autonomy and is part of

Allouez Township Allouez Township ( ) is a civil township of Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,340 at the 2020 census. Communities * Ahmeek is a village within the township at . It is the only incorporated municipality in Keween ...

and Houghton Township.

History

Eagle River was a boom town of the copper mining era in the Keweenaw. Copper was discovered in 1845 at the Cliff Range nearby, the so-called "Cliff Lode". The land of the Eagle River community had been leased by the Keweenaw Copper Company in 1843. It was later platted by the Phoenix Company and sold as individual lots. The first postmaster was named on October 24, 1845. It was part of Houghton County until Keweenaw County was organized in

1861 Statistically, this year is considered the end of the whale oil industry and (in replacement) the beginning of the petroleum oil industry. Events January–March * January 1 ** Benito Juárez captures Mexico City. ** The first steam-p ...

. The profitability of the area's copper mines had begun to decline sharply by around 1870. The Eagle River Timber Bridge is a wooden

arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ...

that carries highway M-26 over the Eagle River. It opened in 1990 as a replacement for the historic Lake Shore Drive Bridge that runs parallel to it. Eagle River is home to the Holy Transfiguration Skete, a

Byzantine Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually. The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...

monastery and community, which is known for producing jams and other foodstuffs from berries collected in the nearby forests. Holy Transfiguration is one of only a few Byzantine Catholic monasteries in the United States. The community of Eagle River was listed as a newly-organized

for the 2010 census, meaning it now has officially defined boundaries and population statistics for the first time.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, Eagle River has a total area of , of which is land and (0.34%) is water. Eagle River is listed as being part of both

and Houghton Township. Only a very small portion of and no residents are within the Allouez Township portion of the community, while the majority of land and all residents are within Houghton Township. The community is on M-26 on the north side of the

Keweenaw Peninsula The Keweenaw Peninsula ( , sometimes locally ) is the northernmost part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States, leading to its moniker of "Copper Country." As o ...

on the shores of

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

. It is about northeast of

Houghton Houghton may refer to: Places Australia * Houghton, South Australia, a town near Adelaide * Houghton Highway, the longest bridge in Australia, between Redcliffe and Brisbane in Queensland * Houghton Island (Queensland) Canada * Houghton Townshi ...

and is situated on the mouth of the Eagle River. The Mohawk 49950 ZIP Code serves the community. The decommissioned

Eagle River Light The Eagle River Light is a decommissioned lighthouse at the mouth of the Eagle River in the community of Eagle River on the Keweenaw Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. History With the discovery of the "Cliff Lode" in 1845 and the subse ...

is on the west bank of the river on a sand bluff overlooking Lake Superior, although the view is partially obscured by condominiums.

Demographics

Transportation

* *

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Keweenaw County, Michigan County seats in Michigan Houghton micropolitan area, Michigan Populated places established in 1843 Unincorporated communities in Michigan Census-designated places in Michigan Census-designated places in Keweenaw County, Michigan 1843 establishments in Michigan Michigan populated places on Lake Superior