F.J. McLain State Park is a public recreation area on the
Keweenaw Peninsula in
Houghton County, Michigan
Houghton County is a county in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 37,361. The county seat and largest city is Houghton. Both the county and the city were named for Michigan State geolo ...
. The
state park is located on
M-203 halfway between
Hancock Hancock may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Hancock, Iowa
* Hancock, Maine
* Hancock, Maryland
* Hancock, Massachusetts
* Hancock, Michigan
* Hancock, Minnesota
* Hancock, Missouri
* Hancock, New Hampshire
** Hancock (CDP), New Hampshir ...
and
Calumet.
[ It is about from each city.][ The park's offshore sights include sunsets over ]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 ...
and the art deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
–style Keweenaw Waterway Upper Entrance Light.[
]
History
The park is named after Houghton County Commissioner Frederick J. McLain, an instrumental figure in securing land for the site in the 1930s. Laborers working through the Work Projects Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, in ...
(WPA) performed most of the park's construction. A new entrance and contact station were built in 1965, following the relocation of M-203.[
]
Activities and amenities
While the majority of the shoreline is rocky, a stretch known as "the Breakwaters" near the Keweenaw Waterway at the park's southern end provides a sandy beach for swimming.[ The park also offers fishing, picnicking, hiking and cross-country skiing trails, camping, and cabins.][
During the first week of the fall semester, Michigan Technological University cancels afternoon classes to allow students and faculty to hold "K-Day" (or "Keweenaw Day") a registered student organization fair. From 1976 to 2017 this fair was held at Mclain State Park. This halted after severe weather damage in June 2018. "K-Day" has been held at Chassell Centennial Park in Chassell, MI since with the exception of 2020 because of COVID precautions.][
The spelling of the park's name is inconsistent on roadsigns and in local publications, varying between "McLain", "MacLain", and "McClain", and is often referred to by locals as "McLain's."
]
References
External links
McLain State Park
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
McLain State Park Map
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
{{authority control
State parks of Michigan
Protected areas of Houghton County, Michigan
Beaches of Michigan
Landforms of Houghton County, Michigan
Protected areas established in 1930
1930 establishments in Michigan
IUCN Category III
Works Progress Administration in Michigan