Where Did the Houghton County / Michigan Town of Red Jacket Go?

Trying to get to the old mining town of Red Jacket is bound to be confusing to many...but if you know how to get to Calumet, it shouldn't be difficult.

Up in Houghton County in the UP's Keweenaw Peninsula, a man by the name of E.J. Hurlbut arrived here in 1856 and immediately set up a boarding house. In the 1860s he dug a shaft for a mining company which he proceeded to call the “Red Jacket” company, named after a native American chief of the Seneca tribe. A village specifically for miners was set up, with many houses quickly being built to accommodate.

This miners' village was also called 'Red Jacket'...but now the confusion begins, so I'll try to present it in a less-confusing nutshell:

1864: Red Jacket is settled
1895: The nearby village of 'Calumet' had its name changed to 'Laurium'
1929: Red Jacket changes its name to 'Calumet'

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The confusing name changes all came about when residents needed their own post office, as well as all the close-by mining companies. . Since Red Jacket already had a post office named 'Calumet', it was decided to just change the village name as well.

Even so, upon visiting present-day Calumet, you can still see what the old Red Jacket was like, although it is now swallowed up as part of Calumet. There's a Red Jacket Street, Red Jacket Brewing Company, Red Jacket general store, Red Jacket beer, Red Jacket mine, and several other nods to the old moniker.

In the gallery below are photos of what the town looked like when it was called Red Jacket. When you visit Calumet, take these pictures with you...you'll be able to still find some of the old structures that were part of the original Red Jacket.