Eagle Harbor, Michigan

Eagle Harbor is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located on the north side of the Keweenaw Peninsula within Eagle Harbor Township, located on the tip of Michigan's northernmost county, Keweenaw County, in the U.S. State of Michigan.^[3] Its population was 69 as of the 2020 census.^[4] M-26 passes through this community. This hamlet was especially popular with the sailors in days past, as it had a good steamboat landing and is about equally distant from Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, and Duluth, Minnesota. It was the first stop for supplies for the many boats on Lake Superior.^[3][5]

Eagle Harbor, Michigan
Census-designated place (CDP) & unincorporated community
The Eagle Harbor Light within Eagle Harbor
Location within Keweenaw County
Eagle Harbor Location within the state of Michigan
Coordinates: 47°27′30″N 88°09′44″W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Keweenaw
Township	Eagle Harbor
Area [1]
• Total	2.06 sq mi (5.33 km2)
• Land	1.80 sq mi (4.67 km2)
• Water	0.26 sq mi (0.66 km2)
Elevation [2]	620 ft (190 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	69
• Density	38.27/sq mi (14.78/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)	49950 (Mohawk)
Area code	906
GNIS feature ID	625075[2]

History

Lake Breeze Hotel with the Eagle Harbor Light in the background.

Eagle Harbor is known in the Ojibwe language as Ginoozhegoong, meaning "place of the northern pike".^[6]

The earliest known non-indigenous settlement at Eagle Harbor was a log warehouse built in 1844.^[7] In 1845, the Eagle Harbor Mining Company was established there to mine copper.^[7] In 1853, the Eagle Harbor Schoolhouse was established.^[8] A post office operated at Eagle Harbor from 1857 through 1959.^[7]

The Eagle Harbor Light was first constructed in 1851.^[9] A rocky ledge originally obstructed entrance to the harbor for larger ships, but in the late 1870s a 14 foot (4.3 m)-deep channel was dredged at the entrance to the harbor.^[10]

Recent history

In 1958, the sport of guts was invented at a picnic in Eagle Harbor.^[11]

In 1983, the Holy Protection Monastery of the Society of St. John belonging to the Ukrainian Metropoly was formed in Eagle Harbor and is known for its Poorrock Abbey brand of fruit preserves.^{[12][13][14][15]}

Eagle Harbor was listed as a newly organized census-designated place for the 2010 census, giving it officially defined boundaries and population statistics for the first time.^[16]

Climate

Eagle Harbor has a humid continental climate (Dfb). Summers are short but warm with cool nights. Winters are long, cold, and very snowy due to lake effect snow from Lake Superior. Precipitation is relatively uniform year round.

Climate data for Eagle Harbor, Michigan
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	51 (11)	57 (14)	70 (21)	80 (27)	91 (33)	95 (35)	100 (38)	98 (37)	91 (33)	85 (29)	71 (22)	57 (14)	100 (38)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	24.1 (−4.4)	23.8 (−4.6)	33.1 (0.6)	44.8 (7.1)	56.0 (13.3)	65.9 (18.8)	71.8 (22.1)	70.7 (21.5)	63.8 (17.7)	54.2 (12.3)	40.2 (4.6)	29.0 (−1.7)	48.1 (8.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	11.8 (−11.2)	10.2 (−12.1)	18.3 (−7.6)	29.9 (−1.2)	37.4 (3.0)	45.3 (7.4)	53.0 (11.7)	54.2 (12.3)	48.7 (9.3)	40.4 (4.7)	29.0 (−1.7)	18.3 (−7.6)	33.0 (0.6)
Record low °F (°C)	−26 (−32)	−20 (−29)	−20 (−29)	1 (−17)	13 (−11)	25 (−4)	36 (2)	36 (2)	30 (−1)	19 (−7)	2 (−17)	−13 (−25)	−26 (−32)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	1.78 (45)	1.63 (41)	1.66 (42)	1.89 (48)	2.63 (67)	2.87 (73)	2.41 (61)	2.80 (71)	3.04 (77)	2.17 (55)	2.22 (56)	1.84 (47)	26.95 (685)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	19.5 (50)	19.1 (49)	11.8 (30)	4.4 (11)	0.4 (1.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.4 (1.0)	8.7 (22)	19.5 (50)	84.0 (213)
Source: [17]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2010	76		—
2020	69		−9.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[18]

As of 2020, the population of Eagle Harbor was 69 and its median household income was $76,406.^[4]