The tiny town of Hope’s End sits at the tippity top of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula—otherwise known as Keweenaw Peninsula. However, Hope’s End is a fictional town. BUT it is inspired by the very real town of Calumet. Or rather Red Jacket (named in honor of Chief Red Jacket), which was what Calumet was called back in its copper mining days.
Native Americans were the first to mine Michigan’s copper some 7,000 years ago, transforming the copper into knives, arrowheads, and axes. Michigan copper has found its way to archaeological sites across both North and South America. The original Native miners disappeared, and the Ojibwe moved into the area. In 1842, the Ojibwe signed the Treaty of La Pointe, ceding their land to the United States.
The Calumet Company and Helca Company (which would merge to become the Calumet & Helca Mining Company) began mining in the Keweenaw Peninsula and the town of Red Jacket sprung up around it. The company would became the leading copper producer in the US in 1868 and the leading copper producer in the world in 1869.
During the copper boom, Red Jacket built the Calumet Theatre, which attracted several famous actors, musicians, and opera singers of the time; a library, which not only provided books to the townspeople but also foreign newspapers and public bathing facilities; and St. Paul Apostle, a towering sandstone church. The theater with its clock tower, the stone library, and the twin-spired church are all featured in Down the Wishing Well.
In 1913, Red Jacket was affected by Copper Country Strike, organized by the Western Federation of Miners. Workers demanded shorter work days, higher pay, and recognition of their unions. The strike went on for nine months and was the beginning of the end for Red Jacket. The population began to decline as the strike dragged on. To make matters worse, tragedy struck on Christmas Eve 1913. The Ladies Auxiliary of the Western Federation of Miners threw a large party at the Italian Hall for the miners and their families. During the festivities someone cried out “Fire!” causing a stampede that would take the lives of seventy-three people, fifty-nine of them children. However, there was no fire. Some historians believe an anti-union associate purposely caused the stampede. The strike turned out to be unsuccessful, but it was a turning point in Michigan’s copper history.
The end of World War I saw a huge decrease in the demand for copper, forcing thousands of residents to leave Red Jacket to seek work in the thriving auto industry of Detroit. It is during this time period that Down the Wishing Well takes place. With the mines closed, Hope’s End is dying. Work is scarce and the population is dwindling. Many of the shops have been boarded up and the theater abandoned. Kitsy and Teddy’s father, a junior engineer in the mines, has died in the war and their family was forced to move into a dingy basement flat beneath a tavern. Their mom is deathly ill. When the siblings stumble upon the wishing well, they not only have an opportunity to save their mom, but their town as well.
Get a sneak peek at the first chapter of Down the Wishing Well here.
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