The Commercial Fishing Museum

One of the first ships to arrive in Copper Harbor in the 1840’s arrived with two purposes. It was to drop off some of the early explorers looking for copper. But it also was to sail to neighboring Isle Royale to see if explorers who had been dropped there earlier had found a good site for commercial fishing. Thus began the related histories of copper mining and commercial fishing in the Keweenaw.

(Photo: In addition to photos of commercial fishing in the Keweenaw the museum has many related objects used locally including scales, net, ice cutting tools, etc.)

The Keweenaw County Historical Society Commercial Fishing Museum is located on the grounds of the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse complex in Eagle Harbor, Michigan next to the Rental cottage and near the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse, the Maritime Museum, the Keweenaw History Museum and our Lake Superior observation deck. In it one can see many displays of commercial fishing activities in the Keweenaw and also displays of the many families that fished from one generation to the next. The many photographs in the museum put a human face on the rough and risky business of commercial fishing on Lake Superior.

(Photo: The Commercial Fishing Museum also has many photos and a continuously running DVD with movies of actual fishing in Lake Superior.)

Visiting The Commercial Fishing Museum at Eagle Harbor

Season-
CLOSED FOR THE SEASON. 2024 schedule TBD.

Hours & Admission-
Hours for June, September and October are 12-5 PM.  July and August hours are 10 AM-5 PM, Monday - Saturday and 12-5 PM on Sunday.  Admission $8.00. Children under 16 and KCHS members free. 

Location- The Commercial Fishing Museum is located in the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse Complex, located at 670 Lighthouse Road not far from the swimming beach along M26 in Eagle Harbor.  GPS: N 47 27.579 W 88 09.562, Decimal Degrees: 47.459650, -88.159370

Related Links-

• Finnish Fishermen of Lake Superior

All sites are closed for the season

100 years ago-
The Samuel Mather was driven onto Gull Rock near Keweenaw Point during a snow storm and gale winds. The crew was safely removed from the badly exposed steamer by the Eagle Harbor Life Saving crew.

The ship was repaired and served a long life on The Great Lakes. When it was finally scrapped, its mast was acquired by Captain Richard Metz and donated to  KCHS where it is now displayed.

You can find a bounty of stories about Keweenaw shipwrecks in our triannual newsletter The Superior Signal  by becoming a member.

LEARN MORE

SEE ALL EVENTS