We started our day, the 25th of July already, with a strong cup of coffee and a desire to visit what is just about the most northern mainland tip of Michigan and learn about the copper mining that shaped so much of the Upper Peninsula (Yooper). As we got on US 41 in Houghton, and crossed the drawbridge into Hancock, we began to see signs telling us about copper mines that were in operation in the late 1800's until almost WW2, so our first stop of the day was at the Quincy Mine, on the bluff overlooking the canal that separates Houghton and Hancock.
The Quincy actually began operating on a small scale in 1846, and continued until 1945. Known as "Old Reliable" because it paid dividends to its investors every year between 1868 to 1920, the mine was the country's leading copper producer until 1867. The Quincy Mining Company was an innovator in the industry, investing in housing for its workers. Simple tents in the early days to complete three story houses shortly before the mine shut down. East coast executives wanted to build homes with electricity and running water but onsite managers didn't think it was necessary for workers to have such high-class dwellings. Realizing that better working conditions would attract and keep workers, company housing eventually proved effective in helping the Quicy Mining Company retain its status as one of the premier mining companies of the region.
The No. 2 Shaft Rock House is open to the public (lower levels only). The gears, cables, ladders and trolleys remain in place to give us a glimpse into the past of copper mining.
The No. 2 shaft was the world's longest mine shaft, at 9,260 feet along the "dip" of the deposit on a 55 degree angle. The world's largest steam-driven mine hoist was built in 1918 and housed in the No. 2 Hoist House to raise and lower ore and workers into the shaft. It lifted 10 tons of ore at 36.4 miles per hour! The box on the left was sealed, as a bucket, and was used to extract water from the mine. The trolley on the right seated 30 miners, three abreast, for transport in the mine.
The incredible size of this operation is mind boggling.
The shafts and stopes of the Quincy Mine have slowly filled with groundwater since the closing of the mine. The water has currently filled the mine up to the seventh level, where it is drained by a large adit, or mine entrance shaft. Amazing.
The town of Calumet was the Queen of the mining camps. The Calumet and Hecla Mining Company was headquartered in Calumet, and Calumet was essentially a company town. The C&H provided schools, hospitals, and housing for its workers as well as above average wages. A broom factory was set up for blinded employees, and dormitories housed elderly, single former employees. The Calumet and Hecla's success resulted in increased benefits that trickled down to workers, making the company the preferred employer in the area. Bowling alleys, libraries, and schools won praise for the company, but favoritism in assigning housing contributed to the strike of 1913. The Western Federation of Miners called for a general strike in July, 1913, demanding and 8-hour day, a minimum wage of $3 per day, and that the company recognize it as the employees representative. Under National Guard protection, the mines reopened and many miners went back to work. The company instituted an 8-hour day, but refused the $3 minimum wage and refused to recognize the union. Tensions remained high.
On Christmas Eve, 1913, the Western Federation of Miners organized a party for strikers and their families at the Italian Benevolent Society Hall in Calumet. The hall was packed with over 400 people when someone shouted "fire". There was no fire, but 73 people, 62 of them children, were crushed to death trying to escape. This effectively ended the attempt to unionize the mine until 1943, when the company signed an agreement with a CIO affiliated union.
We visited the Coppertown USA mining museum in Calumet for a look into that past.
Housed in what was the carpenter shop, the museum houses tools and exhibits that detail the brute force necessary to wrest copper from the ground. The C&H was among the first to use pneumatic drills to loosen ore, saving time and labor.
If you read the small sign in front of this iron kettle, you'll see a reference to a "whim".
This is thought to be the origin of the phrase "on a whim"!
Huge old-growth timbers were used to shore up the tunnels and drifts. Sometimes they failed. Note the broken tree trunk and compare to the workers in size.
Calumet, formerly know as Red Jacket, retains much of its historical flavor. Many buildings are from the 1800's and reflect the background of the Finns, Welch, Swedes, Norwegians, and Eastern Europeans who immigrated to the US and became citizens. This structure, still under reconstruction, must have been built by someone from Europe.
Religion was a huge component of these immigrants lives, and they supported their churches wholeheartedly. The Catholic church is the tallest and most impressive of any structure in Calumet.
Continuing our drive north on US 41, we drove through miles of lonely trees, overhanging the highway as if to draw a "hello, I'm here" from passing cars.
Copper Harbor has a neat name, but not much else. The highlight for us was to watch ducks cruise across the main shipping channel....
Not wanting to retrace our route north to Copper Harbor, we took a side road (Michigan 26) and skirted along Lake Superior. In Eagle Harbor we saw the first of the fall colors.
In Eagle Harbor, a wide, sandy beach attracts sunbathers.
And the Eagle Harbor lighthouse is one of hundreds around Lake Superior.
After 110 miles, we think we have had just a taste of the Keweenaw Peninsula and its copper mining history. Very nice. We have been pleasantly surprised at the information we've been given....we had no idea that this area was so interesting!
