Delta County is located within what most locals call the “Banana Belt” because of its temperate climate, which is much milder than the rest of the Upper Peninsula. If you’re still looking for a winter wonderland come in the colder months, Escanaba still receives a humble 50 inches of snowfall in comparison to 200+ inches along the shores of Lake Superior.

The story of Escanaba is as old as the ancient limestone bluffs that tower above the Bays de Noc. It is as enduring as our first Ojibway families who named their village Escanaba. Immerse yourselves in our story at the three history museums listed below, as well as several historic sites you can learn more about here. We welcome you to take part in our ongoing story.

One of the nation’s premier historic company townsites is on the Garden Peninsula in Fayette Historic State Park.

Plan to spend a minimum of two hours (you can easily fill a day) exploring the townsite’s visitor center and 20 buildings to learn how this little iron smelting town helped transform America between 1867 and 1891. If history isn’t your motivation to stop, then the recreational fun will be in this 711-acre park that wraps around Snail Shell Harbor off Lake Michigan’s Big Bay de Noc. Be sure to check out our Fayette blog, too!

Fayette Historic State Park

Fayette’s success was short-lived. The blast furnaces devoured the area’s hardwoods and new methods for processing iron and making steel took the business to distant cities. Jackson Iron closed its Fayette operations in 1891. Most workers and their families moved to jobs in other towns. A few residents stayed in the area and the site, a ghost of its former self, became a tourist attraction. 

In 1959, the State of Michigan acquired the townsite and surrounding acreage and made it a state park. Over the decades, they have stabilized the structures, created exhibits and installed interpretive signs that tell what life was like during these 24 years of America’s story. 

When you arrive at the park, make your first stop at the visitor center. A large diorama of the townsite gives you a quick overview and exhibits about the ancient trees and the iron smelting process will familiarize you before you explore the townsite. Take a few minutes to visit the gift shop if it is open. Then, in the summer, join a free guided tour or take a self-guided tour from mid-May to mid-October.