Clifton was a community in Allouez Township

Allouez Township, Michigan

Allouez Township is a civil township of Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 1,584.-Communities:The village of Ahmeek is the only incorporated municipality in the township...

, Keweenaw County, Michigan

Keweenaw County, Michigan

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,301 people, 998 households, and 604 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile . There were 2,327 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...

, that was founded in support of the Cliff mine

Cliff mine

The Cliff mine was the first successful copper mine in the Copper Country of the state of Michigan in the United States. The mine is at the now-abandoned town of Clifton in Keweenaw County. Mining began in 1845, and the Cliff was the most productive copper mine in the United States from 1845...

—a mine opened in 1845 by the Pittsburgh and Boston Mining Company after copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

 was discovered there. It is located between Calumet

Calumet, Michigan

Calumet is a village in Calumet Township, Houghton County, in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, that was once at the center of the mining industry of the Upper Peninsula. Also known as Red Jacket, the village includes the Calumet Downtown Historic District, listed on the National...

 and Eagle Harbor, off of Cliff Drive, alongside US 41

U.S. Route 41

U.S. Route 41 is a north–south United States Highway that runs from Miami, Florida to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, was U.S...

 in the Keweenaw Peninsula

Keweenaw Peninsula

The Keweenaw Peninsula is the northern-most part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was roughly 43,200...

. A historical marker is present at the site.

Mining was the main source of employment, drawing men of different nationalities, including Irish, German, French Canadians, and Cornish men. Clifton had only a few churches, including Catholic and Episcopal. Their masses were spoken in many different languages, including English, French and German. Along with religious groups, there were also organizational groups including: The Independent Order of Good Templars, the Band of Hope, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

At one point, the town supported an independent brewery, called the Clifton Bottling Works.

After the Cliff mine exhausted the copper deposit, the town became deserted.

Cliff Cemetery in Clifton was only used for a short period of time and is the final resting place for only 15 people. Headstones still present at the site consist of stone and wooden markers.