Michigan somewhat grudgingly accepted the Upper Peninsula—then considered a barren wasteland—as a consolation prize. Hardly a Michigander today would have it any other way. In terms of natural resources alone the raw deal turned out to be a steal. When Michigan became a state in 1837, the Upper Peninsula's fabulous deposits of pure copper were already being uncovered; the deposits were, however, not news to Native Americans, who had mined the metal thousands of years before.
In 1957 the slender strand of the Mackinac Bridge anchored the Upper Peninsula to the Lower, making the U.P.—as locals call it—easily accessible from the south. Recreation and tourism have since helped alleviate some of the region's economic slack.
Known now for its unspoiled beauty rather than its industrial scars, the Upper Peninsula is a popular haven for outdoors enthusiasts. State and national forests cover much of the land; Isle Royale National Park and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore preserve some of the rugged peninsula's most impressive terrain. Aspen, birch, fir, maple and spruce trees shelter such animals as black bears, Eastern timber wolves, white-tailed deer and moose.
The Porcupine Mountains in the west have a large stand of virgin hemlock and one of the largest relatively undisturbed northern hemlock hardwood forests west of New York's Adirondack Mountains. Recreational opportunities range from swimming to skiing, with almost legendary popularity in fishing.
The following places are part of the Upper Peninsula: Copper Harbor, Escanaba, Garden, Grand Marais, Hancock, Hiawatha National Forest, Houghton, Iron Mountain, Ironwood, Ishpeming, Isle Royale National Park, Manistique, Marquette, Munising, Negaunee, Newberry, Ontonagon, Paradise, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Rockland, St. Ignace, Sault Ste. Marie and Wakefield.