NAMI Keweenaw Area was formed in Houghton, Michigan in the late 1980s at its first meeting in the Griesell building on Sharon Avenue on April 11, 1989. Throughout the 1980s Copper Country Mental Health Services (CCMH) offered educational classes for those supporting mentally ill family members. When the course ended, community members formed a new support group called Ba-Ho-Ke-On, which included members from Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon Counties to assist families with those living with schizophrenia. Ba-Ho-Ke-On established itself as a local chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a national, state, and regional support group that offers online resources and other support services to those impacted by mental illness. The national organization was established in 1979 and NAMI Michigan was incorporated in January 1986.

Throughout the 1990s, the group held regular support group meetings and welcomed guest speakers to talk on various topics associated with mental health. Booths at the Houghton County Fair and held crocus sales to help raise awareness locally. Some members attended the national NAMI conventions and state conferences to gain valuable insight into treatments and information and the organization worked hard to secure grants to support conference travel, buy informational resources for local libraries, events, and the production of pamphlets and brochures as well as a newsletter.

In the early 2000s, NAMI Ba-Ho-Ke-On transitioned to NAMI Keweenaw Area and continued to offer local support, host events, and have a presence at the Houghton County Fair and at table at Community Awareness Day in the Copper Country Mall in Houghton despite dwindling membership. By late 2018 NAMI Keweenaw Area’s membership had declined to such a low number that they no longer met NAMI Michigan’s membership requirements. Unfortunately, this led to NAMI Keweenaw Area’s disbandment in 2018. They, along with other similar local organizations such as Dial Help, have now joined a new local organization under the umbrella of Mental Health Support Group (MHSG) - Keweenaw Area.