Coughlin and Gray Family Papers

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: MS-935

Staff Only

Scope and Contents Note

Papers, 1890-1966, documenting the Coughlin and Gray Family history in Isle Royale and the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan. The collection includes newspaper clippings, black and white photographs, and the personal account of May Gray nee Coughlin during her childhood years spent on Isle Royale, Michigan from 1890-1892.

May Coughlin’s diary entries cover a wide-range of topics regarding life on Isle Royale, especially during the harsh winter months. She writes of the family’s living accommodations, grocery supplies and cooking, transportation, education for the children, recreational activities, and life events involving the Coughlin family as well as the few other families on the island. Descriptions of natural landscapes and duties and activities of miners are also included.

Dates

1890-1966
Majority of material found within 1890 - 1892

Language of Material

English

Conditions Governing Access

Available for use in the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections.

Conditions Governing Use

Various copying restrictions apply. Guidelines are available from Michigan Technological University Archives & Copper Country Historical Collections.

Biography

The materials in this collection were accumulated by the Coughlin and Gray Families. The Coughlin family’s history living in Washington Harbor, Isle Royale from 1890-1892 is documented through the personal accounts of one of the family’s six children, May Coughlin. The family patriarch, John Coughlin, was employed by the Wendigo Copper Company, and worked various jobs for the company, including timber cruiser, time keeper, general utility man, and supply clerk. The Coughlin family were among the first to winter over in Washington Harbor in order for the Wendigo Copper Company to continue the mining operation year-round.