Hancock is a city located in Houghton County. According to the 2000 census the population was 4,323. The average age in Hancock is 37 years old. The city was named after John Hancock, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
In 1846, the first building was built. It was a log cabin and it was to hold the Ruggles Mineral Claim. The man who owned the land is Christopher C. Douglas. Douglas came to live on his land in 1852. Later on, Douglas sold the land to the Quincy Mining Company. This company Douglas worked for as well. When the Company purchased the land, they built and office and mine on site. In the year on 1859, another agent of the Quincy Mining Company platted the town. The gentleman platted was Samuel Hill. Officers were elected and everything was organized in 1863. Even though everything was done, the village was not incorporated until 1875 under a charted amended in 1877. The city was incorporated in 1903.
The first store was built in 1858 by the Leopold brothers. The store also stored as the first post office. In 1860 the first postmaster was Lewis F. Leopold. In 1873 the Mineral Range Railroad began providing passengers and freight service between Hancock and Calumet. A trolley system service was started in the early 20th century in Houghton County and goes to nearby towns. If you are wanting to travel from Hancock to Houghton or Ripley, you can take the bus instead of using your own car.
Hancock has had some major projects rebuilding and cleaning up the city. In 1869 there was a fire that burnt down about 75% of the village. Another fire happened in the 1940′s where much of the downtown of Hancock was destroyed.
The city is home to the Finlandia University. The University was formally known was Suomi College, a Finnish school founded in 1896. This is the only Finnish American College or University in the United States.
The city has been called the focal point for the Finns. Since there have been a large number of Finnish immigrants in the city many street signs in Hancock are printed in both English and the Finnish names. This has been started in 2007.
If you love the winter and love to go snowmobiling, Hancock is the place to start your trip through the Keweenaw Peninsula. There are many groomed trails that traverse the area. You can go to your favorite motels and restaurants, and even cross the aerial lift bridge on the lower level going in to Houghton. Downhill skiers are able to enjoy Mount Ripley. You can do day and night skiing and have the chair and bar tow if you would like. Downhill runs of 2000 to 2500 feet with a 423 foot vertical drop that will offer a challenge for even the advanced skiers. There are rentals, food and areas for tobogganing and snowboarding as well. Not into downhill skiing, and like to cross country ski? Well don’t worry; there is a place for you to. Cross country skiers should try out the Maasto Hinnto Cross Country Ski Trails. There are 17 miles of groomed and marked trails.
An annual winter festival that takes place in Hancock is the Heikinpaiva. With this festival, there is a series of events that take place in celebrating the halfway mark of winter. During the festival there is distinctive Finnish fashion that the people wear. A parade will start off the day. After the parade there are many things to do and check out. Some things are the authentic Finnish smorgasbord dinner and dances, a concert, a Tori Market, culture demonstrations live reindeer and a “Polar Bear Plung”. There are many steps to take before the plunge happens. It starts off by picking an area and shoveling it multiple times, after the cut the ice with a chainsaw and the large pieces of ice are moved out of the way. An exit ladder is placed out as well. Divers jump in so when the plungers jump in, someone is there for the safety if help is needed. When the plungers are done having their fun in the water, which is warmer than the air, the divers put the ice chunks back to place. They say it’s like putting a jig saw puzzle together. The area is marked off for everyone safety so no one falls in the hole. Once the ice is thick enough, the ropes are removed.
A summer festival that takes place every year is the Bridgefest. This festival is to commemorate the building of the Portage Lake Lift Bridge, also known as the “birthday” of the Portage Lake Lift Bridge. This lift provides a vital link between the communities of Houghton and Hancock, as well as all the rest of the cities in Keweenaw Peninsula. Some things that happen during the festival is the annual Bridgefest parade, concerts, shows, contests, boat tours, a fire work display and many more fun things for the family to enjoy. In conjunction with the Bridgefest is the Houghton Rotary Seafood Fest. There are many things to do there as well so your weekend will be full of fun.
Geography
Hancock is on the north bank of the Keweenaw Waterway, opposite Houghton, Michigan. Portage Lake is at right center of this 2010 Doc Searles photo.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2), of which 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) (12.28%) is water. Hancock is connected to Houghton, Michigan by the Portage Lake Lift Bridge, which crosses the dredged Keweenaw Waterway.
The city is bounded on the south by the Portage Canal, parts of Quincy and Franklin Townships; on the east by West Ripley; and on the north by Quincy and Hancock Townships.
Climate
Hancock has a humid continental climate, with typically long and snowy winters and much lake effect snow.
People and culture
Hancock has been called “the focal point of Finns in the United States”. Hancock hosts an annual midwinter festival called Heikinpäivä, celebrating the feast day of Saint Henrik, patron saint of Finland and Heikki Lunta, the Finnish god of snow.
Every summer, the cities of Hancock and neighboring Houghton host a festival known as “Bridgefest,” to commemorate the building of the Portage Lake Lift Bridge.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,323 people, 1,769 households, and 902 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,727.5 inhabitants per square mile (667.0 /km2). There were 1,983 housing units at an average density of 792.4 per square mile (305.9 /km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.95% White, 0.76% Black or African American, 0.93% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. 0.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.2% were of Finnish, 14.4% German, 8.2% English, 5.3% Italian, and 5.2% French ancestry according to Census 2000. 94.4% spoke English and 4.4% Finnish as their first language.
There were 1,769 households out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.0% were non-families. 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.0% under the age of 18, 18.0% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,118, and the median income for a family was $36,625. Males had a median income of $27,090 versus $22,150 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,669. About 6.9% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
Neighborhoods
The East Hancock neighborhood is part of the city and consists of many old Victorian-style houses which were once owned by mining company officials.
Doctors’ Park, located in West Hancock near the former Portage View Hospital Building (now the Portage Campus of Finlandia University). It lies north of West Quincy Street.
The Quincy Street Historic District encompasses the center of Hancock’s downtown, covering the 100, 200, and 300 blocks of Quncy Street.
Museums and galleries
The birthplace of Mary Chase Perry Stratton, founder of Pewabic Pottery, “escaped the 1869 fire”; it is now called Pewabic House and run as a museum.
The Kerredge Gallery and the Republic Bank Gallery are both located inside the Copper Country Community Arts Center.
Turquoise Art Gallery is also located in Hancock.