August 15-19, 2012 -- Isle Royale National Park

Our next stop is McCargoe Cove. This long, deep bay is ideal for Monarch’s anchorage for the next three nights, as the wind is predicted to kick up large waves around Isle Royale. McCargoe is so secure a harbor that it was used during the war of 1812 to hide the 90-ton British warship Recovery.

We take advantage of the windy days to hike the island. A nearby trail headed west through the bay’s campgrounds to the Minong Ridge. Here, prehistoric Native Americans mined some of the richest copper deposits on the island, and we saw evidence of mine pits in the area. These 20-feet deep pits, some as much as 4,000 years old, were mined with large 10-pound stone hammers.

In 1874, the commercial Minong Copper Mine was established here. Workers built an ore dock, wagon road, railroad, stamp mill, school, store and homes for enough workers that, at the time, Isle Royale’s population formed a separate Michigan county. The mine’s production included a huge 5,720 pound nugget of almost pure copper, its surface dented by Native American’s mining efforts centuries before. Abandoned after only ten years in operation, the mine’s artifacts are still visible, including the rail tracks used for the mining cars. Visitors are able to walk into one mine, among the ruins of the blacksmith shop, and over the huge mounds of “poor rocks”  – the rock with insufficient copper to process. 

We hiked to the top of the Minong Ridge, and after all that exercise, had our picnic lunch overlooking Todd Harbor and beyond, the shore of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Large whitecaps reinforced our decision to hike instead of cruise today! 

McCargoe Cove’s sunset is reflected on the shoreline’s birches.

Another hike took us to Chickenbone Lake, prettier than its name would imply. Another picnic was in order, as we watched a family of otters frolicking.

Our next port of call is Windigo, on the southwestern end of Isle Royale. We spent two nights at this sturdy dock.

We were treated to an extended moose sighting, right from Monarch. A cow with twin calves walked along the shore. The mother waded into the water until just the top of her back was visible; then, she grazed on tender underwater weeds. She would raise her head with much splashing to breathe and chew. 

Thimbleberries are still in season along the beautiful nature trails.

We hiked the Feldtmann Lake Trail to the Grace Creek Overlook.

The view of the surrounding forests and Lake Superior was stupendous.

Windigo’s ranger station features a large second-order Fresnel lens, originally from the Rock of Ages Lighthouse. We attended evening ranger presentations here, with topics including the major fire of 1936 which burned over half of Isle Royale, and the many types of scientific research conducted in this remote place. 

Speaking of research, the Lake Explorer II joined us at the dock, and we met the captain and crew out of Duluth. This summer, they are conducting invasive species research in the waters surrounding Isle Royale.  

As we prepare to depart Isle Royale, we can’t resist one last souvenir, but just the photo!