Clifton was a community in Allouez Township,

Keweenaw County, Michigan 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 ...

, that was founded in support of the

Cliff mine The Cliff mine was the first successful copper mine in the Copper Country of the state of Michigan in the United States. The mine is at the now-abandoned town of Clifton in Keweenaw County. Mining began in 1845, and the Cliff was the most p ...

—a mine opened in 1845 by the Pittsburgh and Boston Mining Company after

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) 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 pinkis ...

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 Miami, ...

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

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, French Canadians, 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 largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

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