Clifton was a community in Allouez Township,

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

, that was founded in support of the Cliff mine—a mine opened in 1845 by the Pittsburgh and Boston Mining Company after

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

was discovered there. The remnants of the community are located between Calumet and Eagle Harbor, off of Cliff Drive, alongside

U.S. Route 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miam ...

in the

Keweenaw Peninsula The Keweenaw Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Part of the greater landmass of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula, the Keweenaw Peninsula projects about northeasterly into Lake Superior, forming Keweena ...

. A historical marker is present at the site. Mining was the main source of employment, drawing men of different nationalities, including Irish,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

French Canadians French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the provi ...

, and Cornish men. The community of Clifton had only a few churches, including

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and Episcopal. At one point, the town supported an independent brewery called the Clifton Bottling Works. After the Cliff mine exhausted the copper deposit, the town became deserted.

References

Former populated places in Keweenaw County, Michigan Ghost towns in Michigan Mining communities in Michigan Company towns in Michigan {{US-ghost-town-stub

Further reading

References