Copper is a key element in Lake Superior’s fascinating history.  In fact, for 7,000 years people have been mining it in the "Copper Country" of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  Telling that story is the mission of Keweenaw National Historical Park,  headed up by Wyndeth Davis. Her park encompasses 22 sites in 4 counties--ranging from deep underground in Quincy Mine to the high bluff overlooking Lake of the Clouds in Porcupine Mountains. She shares how her life path brought her to the U.P., and the challenges of operating and documenting an historical park that brought the country from lanterns to lightbulbs. 

Meet Anna Deschampe, Chief of Interpretation at Grand Portage National Monument, at the tip of the arrowhead in northern Minnesota. With degrees in both Sociology and Anthropology, Anna’s education has well prepared her for her job, but she also shares her backstory as a member of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa growing up on the reservation. Grand Portage National Monument is one of the country’s few national parks located entirely on native land and a place where America’s fur trade story lives on. 

While Gates of the Arctic in Alaska ranks the country’s least visited national park, Isle Royale in Lake Superior ranks 3rd with just over 16,000 visitors per year. It’s a tough place to get to, accessed only by boat or sea plane, but when you do arrive, there’s a whole new wild world to explore. Denice Swanke came from Denali in Alaska to become Superintendent at Isle Royale, and she shares how her time in Alaska prepared her for this remote archipelago in Superior. 

Hosted by Walt Lindala and Frida Waara