About Us
Come join us at North Shore Cottage in the Upper Peninsula's Keweenaw County. - our location is 3.5 miles from downtown historic Calumet - yet still quiet and nestled in the forest lined beach on Lake Superior. We are conveniently located near all area attractions; Copper Harbor, Mt. Bohemia, Swedetown, and the Houghton/Hancock area.
From our Family to Yours
My Great Great Great Grandfather (Philip Roberts) and his brother arrived from Cornwall England to the Keweenaw Peninsula via Ellis Island in the mid 1800’s. They came with prospects of riches that the newly discovered copper mines of the Keweenaw promised. They established residence in Central (now one of several ghost towns located in the Keweenaw) just off of US-41 on your way to Copper Harbor. He and 9 other miners plunged to their death when the skip broke as it descended the number 2 shaft. His widow was left a thousand dollars, a load of wood and a garden plot. In spite of the devastating time, the large sum paid by her insurance company would make the front page of what is still “The Daily Mining Gazette.” She would later move to the bustling metropolis of Calumet to live out her days.
Her son Albert Roberts moved to Montana and later became the Mayor of Helena. My Great Great Uncle George Roberts owned a successful insurance company still in operation today. My Great Great Aunt Maude traveled back to England for a short time. She was one of the few survivors of the Titanic when returning to America. She would later reside in Hancock where they named a street in her honor. My Great Great Grandfather (also Philip Roberts) was a Master Mechanic and was responsible for setting up the mine hoists in several area mines and very influential to the C&H Mining Company. He taught my grandfather a good work ethic, family values and respect for all despite large social gaps of the time caused by low wages and poor working conditions for the miners. Sometimes it is said he secured my grandfather’s job here at the waterworks as he did not want him working in the dangerous conditions of the mines.
In 1926 my Grandfather started working for C&H Mining Company operating the water pump station at Tamarack Waterworks. During his first year he and his family lived in a small apartment above a Candy Store called Bucky’s located in Calumet Waterworks. As they did not plow the road at the time he walked 1 1/4 miles to and from Tamarack Waterworks via a small path through the woods along the shore. There is now a residential street in its place that runs north from Calumet Waterworks and dead ends behind North Shore Cottages. A year later accommodations were arranged for he and his family to move into what is now MacNaughton’s Retreat.
At the time they only rented the house for $10 a month (MacNaughton’s Retreat) as C&H owned every house, bar, church, and library. It was part of the social engineering method of business introduced by James MacNaughton himself, the previous occupant of the family home prior to the Robert’s family. MacNaughton was the president of the C&H Mining Company and used it for a summer house as well as a place where he brought his mistresses from town. Many books on the history of this tumultuous time are available and some with direct reference to this house or specific family members. Be sure to stop in the National Park Visitor Center and see if you can spot some Roberts/Tamarack Waterworks local history too.
My grandfather and grandmother would raise 4 children here at the lake. Winters were harsh and with limited access to town, a store room was used to keep bulk sugar, flour, etc. to last till spring. They also raised chickens, had (beauty) a cow, pigs, turkeys and a huge garden. A one room school house in Sedar Bay called Lake View is where the eldest children went to school. At 5 and 7 years old Grandma would pack them up and send them off on their skis through the woods to school. They were told to clap loudly and wave your arms if you came up to a bear or other forest friend. It’s quite the thought to imagine!
As the years passed and children became adults, one thing was clear. Tamarack Waterworks would become a gathering place for friends and family alike. Hospitality was never lacking and a bed was always made up for guests. Lake Superior campfires, smell of the sweet cool pines, and the crashing waves are just as magical now as they were 93 years ago. While there have been many updates over the years we like to think that time has stood still since those bygone days.
Come find out why this has been our family secret for almost 100 years! With so much to do or nothing at all, you are sure to fall in love with this serene little private paradise. With absolutely no cross traffic and miles of undeveloped beach make for the ultimate destination for relaxation and exploration. Enjoy the most restful sleep, breath the cleanest air, and plunge your body into the healing waters of Lake Superior, the most refreshing and largest body of fresh water in the world.