The Hiawatha Haus - Ironwood, Michigan
- Kati Cooke
- Aug 30
- 5 min read
I'm thrilled to finally share my new project, the Hiawatha Haus in Ironwood, Michigan. I've spent the past 8 months working on this - a home in the Upper Peninsula that I can share with YOU!
How to Book
Hiawatha Haus is now live on AirBnB! You can book here, and read my guides to the area on the AirBnB listing, and here. We currently have capacity for two guests (but hope to have the upstairs ready for more soon!)
Amenities include:
fully stocked kitchen with a dishwasher, microwave, fridge, freezer, oven, stove, coffee bar, waffle maker, toaster, and basic pots/pans/utensils/dishes
almost a half-acre yard with a deck, patio, play structure, and swing set
a massive garage for snowmobiles, ATVs, and outdoor equipment
an in-unit washer and dryer
small yoga space in finished basement
television with Roku streaming services
The Story Behind Hiawatha Haus
When people ask me, "Why Ironwood?" I have two versions of the story I give. The first is a generic, "I was working remotely during 2021 and a friend lived up here, so I visited that summer and fell in love with the area."
The second story is more personal, but captures the depth of what this means to me. This is more vulnerable than I'd usually share on an outdoorsy blog, but I wish more women talked more openly about this, because sadly these experiences are all too common. I felt so alone and helpless, and wish I had known others who went through similar situations.
From 2020 to 2021, I was in an emotionally abusive relationship with a man I met while summitting Mount St. Helens. First red flag - he saw my name in the permit log and used my personal info to find me online. But I was young and stupid, and thought this was romance-novel-worthy. I moved 2,000+ miles to Pennsylvania with him only four months after meeting him. Two months later, he got a job with the Forest Service in Ironwood, Michigan, and I tagged along.
You might think this was a reckless and naive decision, and it was. But it was also one of the best decision I've ever made, and fully changed the trajectory of my life.
When I first saw the address in Ironwood I'd be moving to, I searched it on Google Maps. To my horror, Google didn't even know my street existed. As I drove from Pennsylvania to Ironwood, my apprehension grew... where was this town? Why am I not seeing a city? Where is the Starbucks?
My anxiety turned into excitement after a few days spent living in the woods. I wandered the forest freely, swam in lakes, ran and biked through the woods every afternoon, got a million mosquito bites, saw wildlife I'd never seen before, and felt a greater sense of home and belonging that I've ever felt in my life.
Unfortunately I mistook my love of a place with love for a person. I put up with horribly abusive treatment: I was told I should quit my job because it was "too hard" for me. He controlled my social media, friendships, and my appearance. I was forced to sleep in my car outside. I was told that none of his friends/family actually likes me, that I'm just tolerated, that I'm an embarrassment to him, etc. Even the color of my lipstick was scrutinized and I periodically got hand-delivered itemized lists of everything I did wrong in the past few months. He used his twisted version of Christianity to control everything I did. I'll spare you rest of the sob story details (for now - I have some non-travel-related writings in the works...).
The North Woods were my only comfort, and I fell more in love with the place, more in love with myself, and less in love with him. Confidence in myself grew as I got stronger and fitter and more independent, despite his constant efforts to drag me down to his level.
Eventually, with help of family, I escaped him and moved back to Portland, Oregon. I longed for my old home in Ironwood, where I left a piece of my heart. For three years, I searched Zillow listings to find my dream retreat in the UP. In fall 2024, a golden opportunity fell into my lap to make a huge career shift. I took this in-between-careers phase to drive 1600 miles (by myself!) out to the Upper Peninsula and look for my house. I found the 130-year-old Hiawatha Haus and knew she was mine.
I felt immense pride in this accomplishment - to buy a second home with no financial help from anyone, to travel alone across the country, and to prove to myself that I can do capable, that all the doubts he put in my heart were his own insecurities projected on me. The Hiawatha Haus represents female empowerment, independence, and following your dream, no matter who tells you that you're worthless.
I'm now married to an extremely successful man who supports my dreams, isn't threatened by my accomplishments, and loves the outdoors as much as I do. I know now that real men aren't afraid of successful, strong women! I wish I could go back to the little girl I was in 2021 and tell her that it gets better, that you are good enough, and no insecure man baby can ever take away your fighting spirit.
My husband and I road tripped from Portland to the Upper Peninsula for our honeymoon. We spent a week biking, hiking, fishing, sightseeing, and visiting Mackinac Island.
After our small vacation within a vacation, we got to work with the much-needed repairs on the Hiawatha Haus.
A few weeks later, my parents joined and we all poured our hearts and souls into fixing up our charming, quirky century home. And now I get to share the deep, profound joy I found in the Upper Peninsula with you.
We spent a month preparing our home for guests - including cleaning up the most dog hair I've ever seen (somehow it was even in the oven??!!), chasing out a live chipmunk, painting and weather-proofing the exterior, and illegally transporting a couch in my Crosstrek down the highway while a police officer drove past and apparently had pity on us, because he turned a blind eye.
It was quite the journey, and I learned a lot about home improvement (and how high I can jump when there's a rodent chasing me)! You can say I'm in my Joanna Gaines era... So far we've received only 5-star reviews from our lovely guests, and it's brought me so much joy to share my favorite place with other adventurers.
Some highlights from our reviews:
felt like home right away!
Kati provided excellent recommendations for the area
the house had a cozy charm with thoughtful recent improvements
check-in was seamless
the location was perfect - quiet and peaceful... with a park just a couple of minutes' walk away
Thank you for reading, if you've made it this far. This journey means so much to me, and it feels so cathartic and freeing to finally share the happy news. Sometimes a house means a lot more than just a house.
If you saw yourself or a friend in this story, there is a way out. Emotional Abuse 24/7 help: Text CONNECT to 741741
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