Painting of a river with fallen trees and a boat in the water

The Duchy of Houghton Article DRAFT PUBLIC Along the rugged shoreline of Lake Superior lies the remote and mountainous Duchy of Houghton. Lightly settled but with a wild natural abundance of timber, metals, fish, and formidable icy terrain. Houghton emerged from the upper Huron territories and is overseen by Sir Breckinridge, warden of Fort Raber constructed over ancient indigenous copper mines. The heavily wooded boreal forests, wild inland lakes, and rocky ridges hold nearly mythical qualities for those who manage to endure Houghton’s long and brutal winters. Timber crews harvest the backcountry, feeding scattered sawmills supplying mining ventures. Rivers and streams teem with brook trout while Lake Superior offers seasonal bounties of whitefish and lake salmon. But Houghton’s true value lies beneath the bedrock in metals like copper, iron and silver yet unearthed. Mine shafts dug then abandoned by indigenous peoples promise untold riches for later generations with means and will to extract it. For now, fortunes come sporadically with small finds, usually fading once mined. So Houghton remains largely a land of loosely affiliated trappers, loggers, and determined pioneers—carving out what living they can season to season from the wilderness and waters under the long shadows of the ancient Huron Mountains.