Thanks for finding those maps Bruce. It is really nice to see such old topog maps showing so much detail of the railroads, mines, and towns. This copper country region in the vicinity of Houghton, Hancock, Calumet, and Laurium probably had more railroads per square mile than any other area of the country besides inside of big cities.
All of the railroads are gone now. All of the mines are shut down and mostly sealed up except for the ones that have been equipped with special bat doors so the bats can go in and out. Most of this is wild, rugged, forestland with lots of lakes, and rivers. The railroads may be gone, but their roadbeds still snake their way through the trees. Many of the 150-year-old mines can still be located by the stone masonry ruins of their shaft houses and stamp mills hiding in the deep forests.
I have seen old maps of this region that show many dozen small towns that have disappeared without a trace.