The French Canadians of Michigan: Their Contribution to the Development of the Saginaw Valley and the Keweenaw Peninsula, 1840-1914

Chapter 4: French Canadian Migration to the Keweenaw Peninsula, 1840-1914

Chapter 4 French Canadian Migration to the Keweenaw Peninsula, 1840—1914 French Canadians participated in the successive phases of development of the Keweenaw Peninsula, just as they did in the Saginaw Valley, It is remarkable, however, that they should be attracted to the mining operations that were starting up in the region in the nineteenth century, since in Quebec at this time there was very little mining activity. As we shall see, these migrants understood that the peninsula offered numerous opportunities for those who wished to improve their circumstances. In a remarkable echo of the French Canadian experience in the Saginaw Valley, their experience on the peninsula may also be divided into three distinct phases. The first, from 1840 to i860, was marked by the arrival of thefirstmigrants and the beginnings ofcommunity organization. The second phase, from i860 to 1900, saw an acceleration of migratory movement, the establishment of social institutions, and the consolidation of the communities. The last phase, from the last years of the nineteenth century until the start of the First World War, was characterized by the erosion of social consensus, the strike of 1913-14, the departure of many migrants, and the decline ofFrench Canadian communities in the region. 117 118 CHAPTER FOUR THE FRENCH CANADIANS BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR, 1840-60 Before the Civil War, there were few French Canadians on the peninsula.l In 1850, there were 71, representing less that 7 percent of the total population of the region. By i860, their number had risen to 703, still only 5 percent of the total population (see table 4.1).2 These statistics are startling because they show that French Canadians, although in admittedly negligible numbers, were already present in this isolated region at such an early period in the development of mining. We know very little about these first French Canadian arrivals , though we do know where they came from. Among all heads of households living there in 1850, two out of three were born in Quebec, while one in four was born in Michigan and one in eight was from Wisconsin, the neighboring state. But this diversity of place of origin rapidly changed. From the early 1850s until the 1870s, Quebec was the birthplace of nine out of ten heads of households on the peninsula. It was not until the 1880s that TABLE 4.1 French Canadian Population in the Counties of the Keweenaw Peninsula, 1850-1910 Year 1850 1860 1870 1880 1900 1910 Houghton 36 377 1,290 3,061 7,840 6,348 Keweenaw* — 271 351 326 275 Ontonagon 35 326 249 250 638 474 Total 71 13 1,810 3,662 8,804 7,097 Total population of the Region 1,097 802 20,929 29,308 75,477 103,904 French Canadians (%) 65 5.1 8.6 12.5 11.6 6.8 Source: Enumeration schedules, U. S. census for the counties of Houghton, Keweenaw and Ontonagon, 1850-1910. *In 1861, this county was created from a part of Houghton County. Migration to the Keweenaw Peninsula 119 a certain diversity of birthplaces reappeared, becoming more pronounced in the 1890s and the 1900s (see table 4.2), The closer connection between the peninsula and Quebec that becomes evident in the 1850s may be explained by the marked improvement in transportation routes. It should be noted TABLE 4.2A Place of Birth of French Canadians on the Keweenaw Peninsula, 1850-1910 (by percentage) Place of Birth Canada Michigan Wisconsin Maine Minnesota Other 1850 62.5 25.0 12.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 1860 96.7 1.1 1.1 1.1 0.0 0.0 Year 1870 98.5 1.1 0.0 0.4 0.7 0.7 1880 92.8 43 1.4 0.0 0.3 2.4 1900 85.1 10.2 1.7 0.3 0.0 2.2 1910 74.2 22.7 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 TABLE 4.2B Socioeconomic Profile of French Canadians on the Keweenaw Peninsula, 1850-1910 (by percentage) Economic sector Agriculture Mining Lumber Fishing Skilled labor Service Labor Transportation Canal work Home Other occupations Unspecified 1850 0.0 0.0 0.0 37.5 12.5 0.0 31.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 6.2 12.8 1860 6.8 17.0 23.8 0.0 6.8 15.9 20.4 2.2 0.0 0...