History Commons^™

Vanishing Ghosts Of Michigan’S Upper Peninsula Charcoal Iron Industry, Thomas Straka, Lawrence A. Gueller

Upper Country: A Journal of the Lake Superior Region

One of Michigan's Upper Peninsula's earliest industries was iron production, powered by dozens of charcoal iron furnaces. Charcoal was the fuel for the furnaces and the Upper Peninsula's forests were devastated to produce it. Most of the charcoal was produced in huge brick or stone charcoal kilns, usually located at or near the furnaces, or along the railroad lines for easy transport to the furnaces. These kilns were the chief industry for many early settlements and were local landmarks. Tourists found the igloo-shaped kilns to be fascinating and called them "Paul Bunyan's beehives." Gradually, the charcoal kilns have deteriorated. Two …