L’Anse is a village that is located on the county seat of Baraga County and the bottom of L’Anse Bay. L’Anse Bay is part of the larger Keweenaw Bay in Lake Superior. Some of the economic base includes mining, lumbering, lumber-related manufacturing, and tourism. As of the 2000 census the population of the village was 2,107. L’Anse translate to “the cove” in French, this is a good name for the village because it is located at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
The community began as a mission to the Indians in 1660 by the French Jesuit priest. Another mission was organized and that was from a Methodist mission. In the year of 1830 the area was well being recognized as a mining area with deposits of iron, quartz, slate, graphite, and peat was discovered.
Peter Crebassa started the first trading post in 1837. He was also known as the towns’ father, and he became the first postmaster in 1866. At that time the railroad was building a line through the area to service the heavy mining and lumbering that was going on. As of the year of 1873, the community was incorporated into a village.
The village was founded in 1871. Jacob Houghton, a chief engineer for the Houghton and Ontonagon Railroad, came to the area to plat a preliminary route from the eastern end of Lake Michigamme to the head of Keweenaw Bay. The village already had a purpose; which was to house numerous stamping mills for the nearby iron ore mines.
Many area residents went back and forth about trying to figure out a name for the village. Some of the names that were thought of are: Fall River and Iron City. The majority of the people decided on L’Anse. Property lots went on sale in August 1871. Many businessmen flocked from the Copper Country and Marquette to open general stores. Some of the stores that were opened are a merchandise store, hardware store, iron warehouse, bakeries, shaving and hair dressing salon, tobacco and cigar store, paint shop and many, many more. The railroad decided to construct a warehouse on the merchandise dock. The warehouse received cargo from numerous vessels that made the trip to the head of the bay.
Located within the Baraga County there are the Huron Mountains. These mountains are in a low region but contain rugged mountains, swamps, lakes and high peaks. Two of the peaks have been named but the rest of them have not. The two prominent peaks are known as Arvon and Hogback. Within the last couple of years mountain climbing has become popular because of the granite cliffs. The Huron Mountains can be divided into three ranges. The first range is the Arvon Range, which includes the highest peaks. There is also Mount Arvon Range and Curwood Range. These Mountains also overlook Lake Superior which gives you a beautiful view.
If you love to walk/hike make sure you visit the complex waterfalls in a piney forest. The falls run from downtown L’Anse to the Burger King off of U.S 41. It is harder to find the falls if you are looking from to get to them from Burger King. The Falls are not over crowed by visitors and they are not that difficult to reach either. The Lower Fall is rated as “easy” access by the local tourism office. The Middle Falls is rated as “easy/moderate” access. The main challenge is getting away from the plant and around the fence at the plant, after that you will have a wonderful experience.
Since the L’Anse waterfront is no longer an active port, it is used as many other things. People use it as a marina, pier, and a park. It is also a pleasant picnic spot. If you are looking to get the best view of the bay, walk out to the end of the barrier-free pier, which is alongside the marina. You can also go fishing right off the pier’s end to catch some salmon, steelhead, perch and more. At the end of the dock you are more likely going to catch Northern. The Front Street Park is also a place for a park, a beach and of course swimming. There is a 1,500 foot lighted walkway, with benches to rest and take a view at the water or other things around. There is also a large pavilion and restrooms. In the summer there are concerts that are held here every Thursday at 7 pm at the bandshell from early July into late August. If you go towards the “big ceiling tile plant” there is a sand volleyball court, a horseshoe court, two covered picnic areas, and a fun little train for the kids to play in. Also there is a nature trail that curves around the Falls River with easy to reach waterfalls.
Be sure to visit L’Anse if you are coming to the Upper Peninsula. There is something fun for every one of all ages. There are things from fishing, hiking, sightseeing, waterfalls, relaxing and much, much more.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,107 people, 894 households, and 540 families residing in the village. The population density was 821.9 per square mile (317.8/km²). There were 981 housing units at an average density of 382.7 per square mile (148.0/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 91.22% White, 0.09% African American, 5.55% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, and 2.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population. 27.9% were of Finnish, 11.6% German, 9.4% French, 7.5% Norwegian, 5.9% French Canadian and 5.1% English ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 894 households out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the village the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $31,406, and the median income for a family was $38,984. Males had a median income of $31,583 versus $20,929 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,857. About 6.6% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.