Hancock, Michigan

Hancock is a city in Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,501 at the 2020 census.

Located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Hancock is along on the northside of the Keweenaw Waterway opposite of the city of Houghton, and the two are connected by the Portage Lake Lift Bridge. Hancock is the northernmost city in the state of Michigan.

Hancock is considered a "cultural capital" for Finnish Americans. The city is home to the Finnish American Heritage Center and was home to Finlandia University from 1896 to 2023. In 2015, The Weather Channel ranked Hancock as the third-snowiest city in the nation with an average yearly snowfall of .

History

thumb|The [[Hancock Town Hall and Fire Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.]]

Hancock is located within Ojibwa (Chippewa) homelands and ceded-territory established by the Treaty of 1842. The founding of the settlement of Hancock began during the summers of 1847 and 1848, when a small group of prospectors laboring on a rugged hillside (later named Quincy Hill) discovered a sequence of prehistoric Ojibwe copper mining pits, stretching out for 100 feet along the local amygdaloid lode. Upon inspecting one, they realized that the Native Americans were able to take copper in small quantities through these pits. The discovery formed the basis upon which the Quincy Mining Company was created in October 1848, under a special charter granted by the legislature.

The earliest building in what is now the City of Hancock was a log cabin erected in 1846 on the site of the Ruggles Mining Claim, halfway up atop the hillside; it is no longer standing as the site has been taken up by the Houghton County Garage buildings. It was owned by Christopher Columbus (C.C.) Douglass, who came to live there in 1852. The Quincy Mining Company founded Hancock in 1859 after purchasing the land from Douglass and building an office and mine on the site. The city was named after John Hancock, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Hancock's first store was built by the Leopold brothers in 1858; the store also housed the first post office. Samuel W. Hill, an agent for the Quincy Mining Company, platted the Village of Hancock in 1859. On 20 August 1860, Bishop Frederic Baraga and Reverend Edward Jacker selected lots nine and ten of block eight in the village for the purpose of constructing a church. It was on the northeast corner of what is now Quincy and Ravine Streets. The Quincy Mining Company donated this ground, but for some reason the official paperwork didn't go through for it until 2 July 1875.

In Hancock's earliest days, the village had been within the borders of what is now the Portage Charter Township, but on 1 April 1861 the area was set off and organized into a new township called Hancock Township.

Also in 1859 was the debut of the Hancock Mine, later called the Sumner Mine before being renamed the Hancock Mine once more. The mine was on Quincy Hill near both Summit and Franklin Streets in an area that is now part of Finlandia Campus.

On 1 March 1871, in response to the devastating fire of 1869, the Hancock Fire Department was officially organized. In an 1883 publication the fire chief, Archibald J. Scott, stated that the fire department had 2,500 ft of hose on hand and that the water supply was ample.

In 1872, the Hancock and Calumet Railroad (H&C RR) and the Mineral Range Railroad (MRRR) began their operations. The MRRR provided passenger and freight service between Houghton, Hancock, Dollar Bay and Calumet. The Mineral Range's yards were along Portage Lake near Tezcuco Street. Backman later found the situation too unstable and was replaced by Juho Kustaa Nikander, who arrived in January 1885. In 1893 both the H&C RR and the MRRR were administered by the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad (DSA). In fall of 1902 the Kerredge Theatre was completed by William and Ray Kerredge in response to the wildly popular Calumet Theatre. Hancock was officially incorporated as a city on 10 March 1903 and subsequently divided into four wards. The then-incumbent village president Archibald J. Scott was elected the city's first mayor. A year later, the Copper Country Limited line of both the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway, began operations. The line went to Calumet in the north, through Hancock, connecting the Keweenaw to Chicago, Illinois, where it began.

thumb|center|911x911px|Looking East down Water Street around the year 1906|alt=

In 1906, the Scott Hotel, adjacent to the previously erected Kerredge Theater, was built and named after the prominent city businessman and mayor Archibald J. Scott. The Scott Hotel was constructed as a symbol of Hancock's size and importance. In 1906, the Hancock Mine expanded its operations and sank the No. 2 vertical shaft.

Before World War I, around the time of the tempestuous Copper Country Strike of 1913–14, the city population had dropped from its all-time high of 8,981 to 7,527, as many families moved away with the heads of their households to seek a means of living in the factories of Lower Michigan and Wisconsin or in other copper mines in Montana. In 1990, a rundown former Catholic church on Quincy Street was renovated extensively with traditional Finnish architectural styles and officially became the Finnish-American Heritage Center.

In 2023, Finlandia University, which had been in operation since 1896, closed.

Geography

thumb|Hancock is on the north bank of the [[Keweenaw Waterway, opposite Houghton, Michigan. Portage Lake is at right center of this 2010 photo.]]

The City of Hancock is further north than Montreal in Quebec, Canada. Hancock is connected to Houghton by the Portage Lake Lift Bridge, which crosses the dredged Keweenaw Waterway. The Keweenaw Waterway effectively slices the Keweenaw in two. Both Houghton and Hancock are on 500-foot bluffs.|date=September 2015

Attractions

Historic sites

The 1899 historic, NRHP-listed and Michigan State Historic Site Hancock Town Hall and Fire Hall on Quincy Street is certainly a local landmark of sorts. The red block used to construct the building is Jacobsville Sandstone, a locally quarried stone from the town of Jacobsville.
Old Main, the first building of Suomi College (later Finlandia University) serving as dorms, classes, and offices. The building is on the National Register of Historic Landmarks.
The birthplace of Mary Chase Perry Stratton, the founder of the Pewabic Pottery, is now called the Pewabic House and operates as a museum. The building is also known as the Perry-Stratton House.
The Scott Hotel, one of the preeminent hotels of the Upper Peninsula, which served as the setting for much of the Upper Peninsula's and the Keweenaw Peninsula's historic events. Many performers who played at the neighboring former Kerredge Theatre, which burned in 1959, stayed at the Scott Hotel. The Hotel was also witness to the kidnapping of Western Federation of Miners trade union President Charles Moyer and his counterpart-bodyguard Charles Tanner during the close of the Copper Country Strike of 1913–14.
The Detroit & Northern Savings and Loan Association building on Quincy Street, the city's only high-rise building.
The Finlandia Reflection Gallery in the Jutila Center on Michigan Street has a display of various artwork from students of the University's International School of Art & Design program.
The Finnish-American Heritage Centre and Finnish-American National Historical Archive, the most comprehensive collection of Finnish-American history on record, as well as museum, cinema, art gallery, home of the Finnish-American Reporter newspaper, an honorary consulate of the Republic of Finland, and a Keweenaw Heritage Site of the Keweenaw National Historical Park.
Temple Jacob, the only synagogue in the Copper Country, is on Front Street.
The headquarters of Vollwerth's, an Upper Peninsula-based sausage manufacturer, is on Hancock Street. The company was founded in 1915 in the Hancock basement of the German immigrant Richard Vollwerth. Since then, it has regionally been acclaimed as the "King of Meats". Among many sausage and hot dog products, it manufactures a "Michigan Sauce" that is their version of a Coney sauce. Another popular product is Baroni's Spaghetti Sauce with Meat, "A favorite in Copper Country kitchens since 1935."

Recreation

One mile west of Downtown Hancock on M-203 is the Hancock Recreation Area on the shores of Portage Lake. It is over 28 acres in size and is considered one of the best campgrounds in the Upper Peninsula.

People and culture

Finnish-American culture

Hancock has been called "the focal point of Finns in the United States." Since 1983, Hancock has had an active Finnish Theme Committee entrusted with preserving the region's Finnish heritage.

Festivals

thumb|[[Bilingual sign|Bilingual street signs in English and Finnish in downtown Hancock]]

Hancock hosts an annual midwinter festival called Heikinpäivä (Henry's Day) on 19 January, celebrating the feast day of Saint Henrik of Uppsala, the patron saint of Finland, and Heikki Lunta. Heikinpäivä includes a traditional wife-carrying competition. The Keweenaw Trail Running Festival takes place each July.

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thumb|Hancock sign

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Hancock had a population of 4,501. The median age was 35.9 years. 15.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.7 males age 18 and over.

97.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,988 households in Hancock, of which 18.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 30.9% were married-couple households, 28.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 42.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 4,634 people, 1,882 households, and 934 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,111 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.7% White, 1.2% African American, 1.0% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.

There were 1,882 households, of which 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 50.4% were non-families. 37.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.90.

The median age in the city was 34.1 years. 16.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 21.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.8% were from 25 to 44; 21.5% were from 45 to 64; and 19.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census

Snowmobiling

The Keweenaw Trail or Trail 3 is the main snowmobiling route to and from Houghton and Hancock. It connects to other nearby trails, including the North and South Freda Trails, which lead to Lake Superior, and the Stevens Trail, which goes to Calumet.

Several parts of the campus of Michigan Technological University are also in Hancock, including a former MTU "underground classroom" in the Quincy Mine.

Transportation

Highways

courses north on a scenic drive to Calumet and Copper Harbor. To the south and east U S41 routes to Houghton and Marquette. Also on US 41 is the Copper Country Trail National Scenic Byway.
routes north to Hubbell, Lake Linden and Laurium, Michigan. Before reaching its ending in Copper Harbor, M-26 follows a winding, scenic stretch along Lake Superior
serves as a connector to McLain State Park.

Intercity bus

Indian Trails bus lines operates a terminal at the Shottle Bop Party Store, 125 Quincy Street. The service runs between Hancock and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Until January 31, 2007, this was operated by Greyhound Bus Lines.

Public transportation

In the very late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Houghton County Traction Company ran a trolley system with service from Houghton, through Hancock, and on to other destinations, with the other boundaries being Hubbell to the northeast and Mohawk to the far north.

Notable people

Herb Boxer, hockey player
Anders Brännström, general of the Swedish Army
John P. Condon, Major general, USMC
Paul Coppo, Olympic and professional hockey player
Jill Dickman, Republican member of the Nevada Assembly
Ralph Heikkinen, football player
Dwight Helminen, hockey player
Verna Hillie, actress
Matt Huuki, politician
Tanner Kero, hockey player
Ike Klingbeil, hockey player
Michael Lahti, politician
Robbie Laing, college basketball coach
Joseph Linder, hockey player; called the "first great American-born hockey player"
Louis Moilanen, Finnish giant
Eddie Olson, hockey player
Rodney Paavola, hockey player, won gold medal at 1960 Winter Olympics
Bruce Riutta, hockey player
Rent Romus, saxophonist, bandleader, composer, and record producer
John D. Ryan, industrialist and copper mining tycoon
Peter Shaw, actor
Mary Chase Perry Stratton, ceramic artist and co-founder of Pewabic Pottery

Sister cities

Hancock is the sister city of Porvoo, Finland.

References

Sources

Kaunonen, Gary, Challenge Accepted: A Finnish Immigrant Response to Industrial America in Michigan's Copper Country. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 2010.

External links

City of Hancock
Hancock Public Schools
Hunts' Guide to the Upper Peninsula: Houghton
View of Portage Lake Lift Bridge and the (Michigan Tech) campus from the Michigan Tech Fund offices in Hancock