A vintage undated photograph shows the old bridge spanning Fanny Hooe Creek and the original Fort Wilkins guardhouse, before the road was widened and paved.

Notice the horse-drawn freight wagon beneath the portico of the guardhouse. When constructed in 1844, the guardhouse stood at the main entrance to the fort. Anyone having business at the post would first check in at this structure, which also had holding cells. For a brief period, the guardhouse was used as a county jail.

The state’s northernmost bridge, the current Fanny Hooe Creek Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 as part of the Historic Highway Bridges of Michigan, 1875-1948 listing.

The bridge itself was completed in the summer of 1928 by the Keweenaw County Road Commission at a cost of $8,132.02.

Michigan State Highway Department Engineer George Tramp stated at the time: “After one sees the masonry work on this bridge they will agree that the art work of the stone mason has not been entirely lost.”

Reader responses:

My guess is the Lake Fanny Hooe bridge at Fort Wilkins. I’ve visited many times and was friends with Frank Beatty. Their family lived there as the first Park Ranger and family. Frank wrote his story which was really quite amazing. When his father, in charge died in the winter, young Frank was put in charge. It was a very hard life back then.

— Julie Beck

Fort Wilkins. Copper Harbor. That was one of the bridges going over Fanny Hoe Creek which was close to Fanny Hoe Lake. That may have been one of the storage buildings in the fort.

— Chuck Robinson

Fort Wilkins, great place to go see!

— Joyce Kinnunen

Fort Wilkins, Copper Harbor

— Mark Pasich