Only Two Structures Remain in the Michigan Ghost Town of Delaware
The towns in Michigan that carry the same names as other states are among the rarely known by Michigan residents.
The ghost town of Delaware in the Keweenaw Peninsula is one of those that you just might be glad you became aware of. Located in the Grant Township of Keweenaw County, Delaware began in 1846 as a mining town with around 100 residents and grew to 1,200 at its copper-mining peak.
Businesses began to thrive, and homes all sprouted to house the miners and their families, of which more and more kept coming. With this influx of new residents, the mining companies built more homes for the miners and constructed a church, grocery store, mining buildings and schools.
So where are all these buildings in the 2020s? GONE except for two old miner houses, sitting alone on Highway 41. Just north of these two buildings is the old Delaware mine, where tours are available on Delaware Road.
When the ore and timber were mostly depleted, the town was vacated. All attempts by those who remained – and some who had already left - to keep the town going were ignored by all others and no funding was available.
If you plan on roadtripping in the Upper Peninsula sometime, do it before some enterprising genius decides to tear down these historic, run-down structures.
Delaware has the distinction of being named "The Snow Capital of the Midwest", thanks to its average snowfall of 240 inches per year, the record being 390 in 1978-1979.
In closing, the answer to the question "which came first: Delaware the state or Delaware the town?" ANSWER: the state, which was America's FIRST state, back in 1787.