When a canal between 2 U.P. towns froze, something magical happened
Updated Dec 23, 2020;
Posted Dec 23, 2020
Skaters took to the ice on the Portage Canal between Houghton and Hancock on Dec. 19, 2020.
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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.