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Iron Mountain is located on US-2 in Dickinson County. It was named for early discoverers’s claim of a mountain of irom which marked the discovery of the Menominee Iron Range in Upper Michigan. After the Civil War, the Chapin brothers went north from Lower Michigan and bought forty-acres which included the site of the present city which was founded by Dr. Nelson P. Hulst and laid out in 1879 with the opening of the nearby Chapin Mine. Except for 1932-33, this mine produced iron ore continuously form 1880 until its closing in 1934. The settlement was in Menominee County until it was transferred to Dickinson County on October 1, 1i891. Incorporated as a village in 1887, with Dr. A. E. Anderson as its first mayor. Incorporated as a city in 1889. Informational excerpts from Michigan Place Names, by Walter Romig, L.H.D.
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Attractions
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Cornish Pump Mining Museum
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House of Yesteryear Museum, W7764 South US-2, PO Box 58, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-0789
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Immaculate Conception Church, 500 East Blaine Street, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-0511
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Menominee Range Historical Museum, 300 East Ludington Street, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-4276.
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Millie Mine Bat Cave, Park Ave, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-8530. From the intersection of US-141 and US-2, drive west on US-2 for 1.8 miles. Turn right (north) and proceed about one mile to the parking area, which is just over the hill on the left (west) side of the street. The entrance to the cave is a short walk up the hill from the parking area. All bats have a sophisticated sonar system that allows them to capture flying insects in total darkness. Bats are very beneficial to humans, consuming thousands of insects, many of them considered pests, every night. The visible portion of this site is small and inconspicuous - just the mouth of an abandoned iron ore mine that is covered with a special steel grate. But what lies beneath the surface is another story. A steep mine shaft drops 360 feet into the earth, providing a roosting and hibernation chamber for bats. The mine entrance is just a short walk from the site parking area. This abandoned mine is just one of thousands that were created in the upper peninsula throughout its rich mining history. Mine shafts opened in search of iron, gold, copper, and uranium. Many mine shafts have been closed with rock, earth, even old car bodies, to reduce their hazard to humans, but unfortunately, also destroying their value to over-wintering bats. The special grate on the Millie Mine prevents people from falling into its vertical shaft, yet allows bats to come and go as they please. This is one of about 30 sites that have been protected with similar bat entrance grates in the Upper Peninsula. It is the first one to be developed as a bat interpretive site. The Millie Mine is a critical hibernating and breeding location for up to 50,000 bats -one of the largest known concentrations of bats in the Midwest. Big brown and little brown bats from all over the region come here to hibernate during the cold winter months. They are believed to migrate in from throughout the Great Lakes region - Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ontario, perhaps even Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Bats start arriving at the mine in late August and early September. They remain in the mine shaft throughout the winter and begin emerging in late April and May. Some use the mine as their permanent home. Most, however, will fly back to their forested home areas to spend the summer where they roost during the day under the bark of dead trees or in other small crevices. The females will typically use large hollow trees, abandoned buildings, or other human structures as maternity roost sites where they raise their young with other females during the summer. Males live a separate and more solitary life during this time. The best time to view bats is in September and early October, right at dusk, as the bats begin to emerge from the mine. They feed throughout the night and return an hour to half hour before daylight. Local businesses cooperated with the Department of Natural Resources and its Nongame Wildlife Fund to erect the steel cage over the top of this mine and to develop it as a bat interpretive site. It has become an area attraction, adding economic benefits to the Iron Mountain area. The site has been host to a national bat festival that is held annually throughout the country by Bat Conservation International. The festival attracted thousands of participants when held at this wildlife viewing site.
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Dining Out
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China Gardens, 607 S. Stephenson Avenue, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-2462
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Famers, N3332 Pine Mountain Road, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-2747
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Fontana's, 115 Stephenson, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-0044
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Moose Jackson Cafe, 221 East A Street, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 776-2233
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Pine Grove Country Club, 1520 West Hughitt Street, PO Box 648, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-3493
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Pine Mountain Resort, N3332 Pine Mountain Road, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-2747
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Romagnoli's Restaurant, North US 2, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-7300
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Lodging
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Americas Best Inn, 1609 S Stephenson Avenue, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906)776-8000
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Budget Host Inn - Iron Mountain, 1663 North Stephenson, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-6797
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Comfort Inn - Iron Mountain, 1555 North Stephenson Avenue, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906)774-5505
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Days Inn - Iron Mountain, W. 8176 S. US 2, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-2181
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Duval's Lakeside Resort, N4849 Harding Park Road, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-1689
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Edgewater Resort Country Log Cabins, N4128 NORTH US 2, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-6244
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Michigan Bed & Breakfast Guide, 3980 Curtisville Road, South Branch, Michigan 48761, Phone: (989) 785-0600
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Mountain Host Motor Inn, 1450 S Stephenson Avenue, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 776-0700
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Northern Michigan Cabin & Cottage Rentals, 3980 Curtisville Road, South Branch, Michigan 48761, Phone: (989) 785-0600
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Northwoods Wilderness Outfitters, N-4088 Pine Mountain Rd, Iron Mountain, Michigan 49801, Phone: (800) 530-8859
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Pine Mountain Resort, N3332 Pine Mountain Road, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-2747
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Sportsman's Paradise Resort, N9655 Norway Lake Road, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 246-3430
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Super 8 - Iron Mountain, 2702 No. Stephenson Avenue, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-3400
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Timbers Motor Lodge, 200 South Stephensen, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-7600
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Woodlands Motel, N3957 US-2, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-6106
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Organizations
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American Legion, 916 River Ave, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-5797
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Outdoors
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Carney Lake State Forest Campground, M-95 & Merriman Truck Trail, Copper Country State Forest, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 875-6622
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City Sales, 105 N. Lake Antoine Road, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-3555
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Fumee Lake Natural Area, Breitung Township, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-2945
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Golfing Michigan, 3980 Curtisville Road, South Branch, Michigan 48761, Phone: (989) 785-0600
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Iron Mountain City Park, PO Box 672, Iron Moutain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-2002
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Lake Antoine Park, N3393 Lake Antoine, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-8875
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Meriman East Pathway, 13 miles NE of Iron Mountain, Copper Country State Forest, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 875-6622
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Michigan Paddlesports Directory, 3980 Curtisville Road, South Branch, Michigan 48761, Phone: (989) 785-0600
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Mountain View Ice Arena, 400 E. Hughitt Street, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-1480
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Northwoods Wilderness Outfitters, N-4088 Pine Mountain Rd, Iron Mountain, Michigan 49801, Phone: (800) 530-8859
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Pine Grove Country Club, 1520 West Hughitt Street, PO Box 648, Iron Mountain, MI 49801,
Phone: (906) 774-3493
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Pine Mountain Resort, N3332 Pine Mountain Road, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-2747
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Pine Mountain Ski Jump
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Rivers Bend Campground, N 3905 Pine Mountain Rd., Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 779-1171
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Summer Breeze Campground, W 8576 Twin Falls Road, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 774-7701
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TimberStone Golf Club, One Timberstone Drive, N3332 Pine Mountain Road, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 776-0111
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Services
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Shopping
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Midtown Mall - Iron Mountain, 1-62 Stephenson Drive, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Phone: (906) 779-1200
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Advertisements
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