Houghton County was created in 1845, and then encompassed the present-day Houghton County as well as Keweenaw County and Ontonagon County.
The history of Houghton County in inextricably linked with copper mining, and, indeed, nearly all of the NRHP-listed properties in the county are directly or indirectly linked to the mines. The two most successful copper mines in the county were the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company and the Quincy Mine, both of which are now National Historic Landmarks.
The NHL Calumet Historic District includes a substantial proportion of the town of Calumet, Michigan, and the separately listed Calumet and Hecla Industrial District and Calumet Downtown Historic District. The former covers many of the industrial mining buildings of the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company, while the latter covers the commercial portion of Calumet—the city was built substantially as a company town, and many of the buildings were constructed by, or with support from, Calumet and Hecla. This was true also of the Calumet Fire Station and the Calumet Theatre. The Keweenaw National Historical Park is also located primarily in Calumet.
In addition, the nearby town of Laurium, now a historic district, was populated substantially by executives and white-collar workers from the Calumet and Hecla. Of particular note is the Thomas H. Hoatson House, built by mining executive Thomas H. Hoatson.