With the Copper Empire's slow by assured collapse over the middle part of the 20th Century, many Keweenaw communities found themselves with a surplus of vacant and abandoned properties once used by the failing mine companies. Entire stretches of busy waterfronts, wharfs, railroad yards, and city centers suddenly became still and overgrown. With its lifeline now gone, the Keweenaw turned towards tourism to solve its growing ills and converted many of these old properties to beautiful parks and recreation areas. Areas once overgrown with industrial blight became shining examples of civic pride and community spirit.

To the north, the transformation had already taken place decades previously, during the long and deep Depression that had rocked the peninsula. Thanks to generous WPA projects, out of work miners found new work creating an impressive collection of roadside parks, scenic turnouts, and recreational areas. Today these parks still remain - including Esrey and Hebard parks near Copper Harbor, Copper Falls Park near Eagle Harbor, and of course the sprawling resort known today as the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge.