Today in 1783, the U.S. Revolutionary War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris by future president John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, among others. Thanks to Franklin's insistence, Isle Royale, despite being closer to Canada, became part of the U.S. due to rumored copper deposits. Britain’s Prime Minister even remarked, "Mr. Franklin, I don’t give a damn if that island is solid copper," highlighting Franklin’s determination. Today, you can hike Mount Franklin in Isle Royale National Park, a nod to his legacy.
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Today marks the official end of the U.S. Revolutionary War with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, including by future president John Adams and by Benjamin Franklin, who both negotiated the treaty. Now, if you look at Lake Superior and the Canadian-American Border, you’ll see that the Lake isn’t cut right down the middle and one large island is very much closer to Canada than Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. And yet, because of Benjamin Franklin, Isle Royale is part of America. Franklin had heard that there were vast copper deposits in Isle Royale and wouldn’t let it go.
It’s even reported that Britain’s Prime Minister “Mr. Franklin, I don’t give a damn if that island is solid copper. If the treaty conference had lasted another week, you Yankees would have insisted on running your infernal boundary line around Ireland.” In his honor, you can climb Mount Franklin today on the Isle Royal National Park.