Douglass Houghton, a botanist and physician, was directly responsible for development of the great copper deposits of Lake Superior.​

In 1837, he was appointed Michigan’s first State Geologist, though he had no formal education in geology. It turned out to be one of the best appointments ever made by the state! Houghton set out to survey the Keweenaw Peninsula, a finger of land pointing into Lake Superior, and to report on its natural resources. The 1841 Houghton Report revealed the existence of numerous outcroppings so pure in copper that a minimum of smelting would be required. The report was widely publicized and touched off the first great American Mining Boom from 1844 to 1847. It was the beginning of the copper industry in the Lake Superior country. Soon, the copper district ranked among the largest producers in the world, yielding over 8,500,000,000 pounds. Dr. Houghton also wrote reports on the Great Lakes and his explanation of the changes in the water levels was one of his most important scientific achievements.​

Douglass Houghton’s survey and report made a huge impact on the American mining industry and he has been looked up to ever since as the “Father of Copper Mining in the United States.”​

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