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Photo: Pavel Trebukov, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
It was established by the United States in 1843-44, purportedly, to protect the local Copper Miners from the local Indians. Abandoned around the time of the Mexican War, the post was regarrisoned following the Civil War, though, it was permanently abandoned in about 1870. Much of the fort is intact (with some reconstruction) and forms the centerpiece of the eponymous state park.
Fort Wilkins Historic State Park is a historic preservation and public recreation area operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at Copper Harbor, Michigan. The park preserves the restored 1844 army military outpost, Fort Wilkins, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. The state park's 987 acres (399 ha) include camping and day-use facilities as well as the Copper Harbor Lighthouse, built in 1866. The park is a "Cooperating Site" of the Keweenaw National Historical Park.
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