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Township Communities

Below you will find the communities located within L’Anse Township with a brief description of each location.

AURA
Located 12 miles northeast of L’Anse is the small community of Aura which was founded in 1914 by Finnish immigrants.  The early settlers emigrated from provinces in Finland to work in the mines in the Copper Country.  A controversial strike involving the copper mines in 1913-1914 and the opportunity to buy cut-over property from the Hebard Lumber Company of Pequaming led to the settlement of Aura.  Aura means “plow” in Finnish.  Complete information about Aura may be found in the publication FROM KEWEENAW TO ABBAYE, 1975, by Elsie M. Collins.  A copy of this publication may be available in the public library of the L’Anse Area Schools.

ALBERTA
Alberta was built from scratch by Henry Ford and became one of his village industries.  Construction started in 1935, when heavy machinery was moved in to clear land for the village and to build a dam on the Plumbago Creek.  The resulting 20 acre reservoir provided a water supply for the sawmill, the log pond, and fire protection for the village.  The Alberta sawmill was a small mill, designed for a production rate of 15,000 board feet per day.  However, this sawmill soon became a showplace.  The attractive building in its scenic setting quickly drew visitors and tourists.  This “Historic Model Sawmill Town” is located 9 miles south of L’Anse. For more information, click on the following link…ALBERTA VILLAGE MUSEUM

BOVINE
Bovine is a small community located 4 miles south of L’Anse on US-41.  Historically, this location was once a small sawmill site. Today, it is home to the L’Anse Golf Club and Little Mountain.

HERMAN
The community of Herman was established in 1901 and is named after one of its first settlers, Herman Keranen.  Early Finnish settlers obtained land from the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad Company which led to the settlment of Herman.  Information about Herman may be found in the book, MEMORIES AND MORE, by Nancy Mannikko and illustrated by Joyce Koskenmaki.  A copy of this publication may be available in the public library of the L’Anse Area Schools.

L’ANSE
The Village of L’Anse is the Baraga County government seat and business center for most of the surrounding area with fine shopping facilities, churches of many faiths, a modern hospital and a variety of other services.  For more information on L’Anse, please refer to the L’ANSE TOWNSHIP HISTORY on our website.

PEQUAMING
The community of Pequaming dates back to 1878 with the formation of the Hebard and Thurber Lumber Company.  This historic township site was once a Chippewa Indian settlement dating back at least 500 years.  It was here in 1660 that the first white person on record, French Jesuit Priest, Father Rene Menard, arrived in the area and stayed through the winter only to leave the following spring.  In 1923, Ford Motor Company purchased the entire town and sawmill from Charles Hebard & Sons.  Years later, Ford shutdown the sawmill and sold Pequaming.  People moved out and the community became a ghost town.  Today, new homes dot the shoreline of this historic place.  The word Pequaming means, “A narrow neck of land almost surrounded by water”.  Information about Pequaming may be found in the book, THE HISTORY OF PEQUAMING, 1998, by Earl L. Doyle and Ruth B. MacFarlane.  A copy of this publication may be available in the public library of the L’Anse Area Schools.

ZEBA
Zeba is a Native American community located 5 miles north of L’Anse.  The community dates back to 1835 when it became the first mission settlement in the Keweenaw Bay area.  The Zeba Indian United Methodist Church, built in 1888, still stands tall in the community and is a Michigan State Historic Site.  The word Zeba means “river”.  Information about Zeba may be found in THE HISTORY OF L’ANSE TOWNSHIP, 1922, by the American History Class of L’Anse High School.  A copy of this publication may be available in the public library of the L’Anse Area Schools.