HOUGHTON, MI - When the Portage Canal flowing between the two Upper Peninsula college towns of Houghton and Hancock froze last week, it wasn’t unusual. The water that runs under the Portage Lift Bridge in this part of the Keweenaw Peninsula regularly freezes during the long winters. But that ice is also typically covered by a deep snow in this northernmost section of Michigan’s mainland.
Here’s where the magic starts. There was no snow on the canal’s surface when icy temperatures froze it last week, creating a glassy surface just begging for skates. People in both towns were surprised - and delighted to oblige.
In an area where nearly everyone lives and breathes hockey, there was no shortage of people clamoring to get out on the ice. The frozen canal was an even bigger draw because the area’s indoor ice rinks have been closed lately due to the coronavirus pandemic. So this spot quickly became a gathering place for two communities that had been craving their ice time, local residents said.
Skaters took to the ice on the Portage Canal between Houghton and Hancock on Dec. 19, 2020.
Hockey dads set up goals on the ice. High schoolers brought out their sticks. Other people skated in slow circles, twirling with friends across the canal’s expanse. Spectators unfolded lawn chairs on the ice and brought their coolers. Some parents even pushed baby strollers across the space.
By last Saturday, there were up to 100 people on the ice at a time.
“It was a lot of people. It was really cool to see that,” said Adam Johnson, owner of the local Brockit photography studio. He’s allowing MLive to share some of his photos of the canal skating.
“This is a big hockey town. You have a lot of people who have not been able to get out on the ice at all.”
More than 100 people took to the ice on the Portage Canal between Houghton and Hancock on Dec. 19, 2020.
The Portage Canal is part of the Keweenaw Waterway, which bisects the peninsula and connects to Lake Superior on both sides. The canal runs beneath the Portage Lift Bridge, which connects the two towns.
The canal-turned-rink ice started reaching maximum thickness last Wednesday, he said. “People were on the edges of it a bit.”
By last Thursday, the hockey goals were being marked off. On Saturday, Johnson was doing a photo shoot east of the Portage Lift Bridge and decided to head down to the canal area afterward to check out the scene. Pictures were being shared on social media about the growing crowds and people’s excitement. He saw maybe a dozen people at that time.
Later that day, Johnson went back to the canal with his daughter, Kora Melia, 17. She grabbed her skates. Johnson grabbed his “go bag,” which always has a couple cameras and assorted lenses ready for the next adventure.
A light dusting of snow had covered the canal’s surface by then. “It had been a clear glaze, so that made it even more unique. You could still skate on it just fine.”
“It was an unusual phenomenon, but I think people are so used to skating here” that they gravitated toward it, he said.
Kora Melia enjoying the ice on the Portage Canal.
But the canal’s magic was fleeting. By last Sunday morning, spots of open water were visible on the surface.
“There was not a soul out there,” he said.
To see more of Brockit photography’s work, check the company’s website and Facebook page.
The Portage Canal is part of the Keweenaw Waterway and runs between the cities of Houghton and Hancock.
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