This history of Isle Royale traces almost 5,000 years of human efforts to harvest its natural resources. From the Paleo-Indians who extracted native copper to the 19th-century miners, fishermen, farmers, and sportsmen, this isle apart has been visited, mined, and plundered for centuries. Under the protection of the National Park Service since 1940, the island is returning to the natural regime
that preceded the arrival of the first humans. Moose, wolves, and bald eagles now share the island with low-impact campers and boaters. The reader will visit the lighthouses, steamships, fish camps, and resorts and the people of the last two centuries who left their footprints on this jewel of Lake Superior.