History of Copper Falls State Park

Copper Falls State Park lies near the west end of the Penokee-Gogebic Mineral Range, a ridge of rock formations that stretches from Ashland County 80 miles through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Copper Culture Indians and later European settlers mined copper in the area. Copper was mined in the area throughout the Civil War, and in the 1880s there were two copper mines in the park. The park was created in 1929 and developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Project Administration in the 30’s. In 2005 the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a site with 10 contributing properties. 

The State of Wisconsin bought 520 acres at the falls in 1929 and additional land in 1935. Starting in 1933, local politicians pushed the Conservation Commission in Madison to assign a Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) camp to develop a park at Copper Falls. In 1935, a master plan for a park was completed by a team of surveyors, landscape architects, architects and engineers from various government agencies. The park was a challenge to design, since the roads and trails had to work around the river gorges and ravines.

CCC Company D-692 moved into Camp Copper Falls in November 1935. They were 164 men - mostly young men from Illinois - including masons, carpenters, furniture makers, and blacksmiths. In the following 23 months they built Copper Falls recreational lodge, its granite fireplaces, its benches and tables. They started building the first park office (now the Naturalist Cabin), built a pump house, built water reservoirs, built the observation tower, laid water lines, and ran telephone and electric lines. They cleared areas for parking, camping and picnicking. They cleared park trails and roads (removing many stumps in the process), built log footbridges, and lots of guardrail. 

In the summer of 1936 northern Wisconsin saw a bad drought, and the CCC focused on fire suppression in the surrounding area. The camp closed in September 1937. After the CCC left, work continued under the Works Project Administration (WPA) – another New Deal program which employed unemployed local men on public projects. One CCC foreman remained to supervise the WPA men as they continued the CCC projects. WPA reports show that they worked on improving the trails, a bathing pond, the custodian's house, a playground, park lights, tree thinning, and completed the first park office, among other things. The WPA work continued until funds ran out in August 1941.

A flood of the Bad River on August 30, 1941 damaged the bathing pond, bath house, dressing cabin, and two bridges over the Bad River. Another flood on June 24, 1946 destroyed the swimming pond and bathhouse, and wrecked the flight of wooden steps across from the combination building.

Today Copper Falls State Park is a 3,068-acre Wisconsin park preserved by the State for its heritage, unique geology, and natural history. The Tyler Forks River cascades before plunging over Brownstone Falls to join with the Bad River cutting through the ancient Penokee Mountains. The Bad River drops over a dozen cascades and waterfalls including the Red Granite and Copper Falls, carves a deep gorge before spilling out into a broad coastal plain offering a panoramic view of Lake Superior and he northern night sky. The neighboring Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Ojibwa borders the park downstream. 

The historic district of the park maintains its CCC ambience with limited lighting that is used only when and where needed, for campfires, and candlelight events. An artificial light management plan supports a safe, high-quality environment for visitors and nocturnal wildlife. 

The original bridge at Devils Gate on the waterfall loop inside Copper Falls State Park was a gigantic structure built of Mellen black granite abutments on both sides of the river, connected by a swinging span. It sustained serious damage in an August 1941 flood that caused water levels to exceed 11 feet over the top of the spillway at the nearby Red Granite hydroelectric dam.

For 40 years park staff made multiple attempts to reconnect the waterfall loop. In November 1981 under the leadership of Park Superintendent Kent Goeckermann, this finally happened. This involved bringing materials more than a mile inward and down 230  feet of steep canyon. This project was one of his most favorite contributions in his more than 30 years of service to the park.

Generations of park goers continue to enjoy what many consider to be the heart of the park, the Doughboy Trail. The Friends of Copper Falls celebrate the efforts of prior park staff and look forward to efforts of future park staff. The next time you hike the Doughboy Trail loop, take a look at the new plaque commemorating this beloved piece of park history