No Trespassing
After the Calumet Air Force Station closed down and the subsequent Keweenaw Academy closed their doors, the property on Mount Horace Greeley had sat completely abandoned for almost twenty years. In this time, trespassers would frequently visit the base to enjoy the views and explore the old buildings. However, as time went on more and more people would smash windows, spray paint houses, knock holes in walls, steal pipes, wires, and leftover artifacts, and just generally destroy what remained of the base. ATVs and hikers frequented the place in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter. The county did what they could to stop trespassers, but it's not like the Sheriff could constantly patrol the property and those that were caught did little to deter others. We knew this would continue to be a problem once we purchased the property but we weren't quite prepared for how blatant some of it would be.
Trespassing Continues to Pose a Problem
The very first day we were on the property we had a group of dirt bikers and another group of ATV riders drive past us to look around the property. They were very polite once we confronted them and informed them it was private property, but this was the beginning of a pattern that would continue all through the fall and winter. There seems to have been a certain incorrect understanding among people in the area that the base has always been open to the public and the giant "No Trespassing" signs the county put on the gate weren't to be taken literally. Likewise, our own signs and fences were just treated as suggestions, with one group knocking a fence down so they could drive over it and another group stealing one of our informational banners. We had people walk right past our cameras and parked cars to spray graffiti in our buildings, bust locks off of secured doors to get to unsafe areas, and stand directly in front of our cameras and talk about how they know the area and can come up there anytime they want.
Once the snow started falling the property became a popular destination for snowmobile traffic. Most would just pass through with a quick look around, but a few would drive over some unsafe areas where there are hidden hazards under the snow, or poke around our buildings. One group on snowshoes tried to break into one of our secured buildings, and another group actually succeeded. We've replaced the locks on one door three different times now.
No Trespassing - For Now
We want this property to become a site that can be enjoyed by everyone, but in order to do so we need to make sure it is safe for the guests and workers and that no further damage will be caused to the property. As we begin the cleanup and restoration process, we ask that you please do not enter the property without our permission and one of us present. This is for your safety, our safety, and the preservation of the structures.
Come visit the site - legally!
If you would like to visit the former Calumet Air Force Station and see all of the hard work put in by the Open Skies Project, please just reach out to us through our contact page! We will happily arrange a time for you to come tour the property. All we ask is that you do it legally and safely.
