Before railroads connected the Keweenaw to the rest of the country, the peninsula was isolated by hundreds of miles of wilderness. Those supplies that could be delivered by ship were limited by the scant number of months the lake was free from ice. For the most part the Copper Country had to rely on itself for the goods and services required by its populace. This was especially true in the case of beer.
Joseph Bosch learned the art of brewing from both his dad – who worked as a brewer in Germany – and his many years of work at major breweries in Milwaukee and Cleveland. In 1874, he took all he had learned in those years and established the Torch Lake Brewery in Lake Linden. By the end of the century Bosch had managed to turn his fledging business into the premier brewery in the region – the Bosch Brewing Company.
Bosch’s success was owed greatly to the brewery’s practice of building its own saloons in towns all across the Keweenaw to showcase its product. In Calumet Bosch upped the ante with the construction of the 3-story Michigan Hotel right in the heart of downtown. The hotel catered to a more “elite” clientele, featuring spacious suites with sitting rooms and fireplaces. Carriage service brought patrons directly from the nearby Mineral Range train station. Guests took their meals in a first floor dining room before retiring into the saloon to experience some Bosch brews.
Outside, the three-story brick building features a pair of large oriels on its front façade topped by a run of bulls-eye windows. Brick pilasters break up the façade into several bays filled with large windows. As a showcase for Bosch products, the saloon’s interior is complimented with a grand oak bar, high-backed booths, intricately patterned tile floors, and an ornate stone fireplace. Topping it all off is a rich mural set above the bar depicting a lush picnic accented with Bosch brew.
NOTES: Since the Bosh brewing company’s demise in the 70’s, the building has served as a restaurant and bar on and off over the years that followed. Currently it is home to the Michigan House Brew Pub.
DIRECTIONS: The old hotel sits on the corner of 6th and Oak, right in the heart of downtown Calumet. Upon entering Calumet along US41, turn north onto 6th Street Extension (the street with the stop light). Continue down this road up to the blinking stop light. The building sits across the road on the right.
Be sure to stop by the Copper Country Forum to discuss anything related to the Keweenaw!
