Torch Lake Legacies: A New MTU Research Exhibit Opens at the Carnegie Museum in Houghton
WLUC TV6 reporter Colin Jackson covered the opening of a new exhibit in downtown Houghton this week. “Torch Lake Legacies” opened with a reception Thursday evening, Nov. 5, at the Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw, 105 Huron St. It’s the product of more than a decade of research by Michigan Tech’s Carol MacLennan, Judith Perlinger and Noel Urban, with funding help from a Keweenaw Heritage Grant through the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission.
The exhibit tells the story of Torch Lake from its formation more than a billion years ago through roughly a century of use as a dumping ground for mining waste. MacLennan, a professor emerita, called the lake “ground zero in terms of pollutants in the Keweenaw.” Part of the reason, she explained, is that the stamp sands there were milled twice, and the regrinding left a fine silt that’s harder on wildlife and people. Cleanup is still underway, including a project that started this June.
Why it’s worth a stop on your visit
If you’ve driven M-26 past Hubbell and Lake Linden, you’ve seen the dark stamp sands along the shore and maybe wondered what you were looking at. This exhibit answers that. It’s the other half of the copper story: the mines and the mansions get the attention, and Torch Lake is where a lot of the leftovers ended up. For guests staying with us, it pairs well with a day at Quincy Mine or the Keweenaw National Historical Park sites.
It’s also a good November and early-winter plan. The fall color crowd has gone home, the snow crowd hasn’t fully arrived yet, and an hour at the Carnegie is a nice way to spend a gray afternoon in downtown Houghton before dinner. MTU parents in town for a visit might enjoy it too, since it’s Michigan Tech research front and center. The exhibit is also designed to travel to schools, the national park and conferences, so keep an eye out for it around the area.
The museum’s website lists the exhibit under current exhibits. Check with the Carnegie for hours before you go.
Read the full story at WLUC TV6: “‘Torch Lake Legacies’ research exhibit introduced in Houghton”. More on the museum: Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw – Exhibits and Events.
Planning a Copper Country trip this winter? Book your Keweenaw vacation direct at vaultventures.co, from Houghton and Hancock to our cabins in Chassell.