Return to the Sea
The Champion Mill was the last. The Atlantic Mill was the first, built along the red cliffs at Redrige in 1895. Soon others followed. As the mines along the south range (south of Houghton) opened in increasing numbers, the need for processing facilities became urgent. And while the mines to the north concentrated their mill operations along the shores of Torch Lake, these southern mines did not have the luxury of such a large and deep body of water nearby. They would have to settle for a more distant shore to build their mills – the Lake Superior Shore.
Thanks to the Atlantic Mill already operating at Redridge, transportation routes had already been established from the south range to the shore and the small town of Redridge was alive and bustling. This opened up large runs of shore nearby, and other companies sooned followed to stake their claim. By 1901 the Atlantic was joined by the Baltic, and within the year three more were built. In total 5 mills lined the shore here including the Atlantic, Baltic, Adventure, Trimountain, and at the end of the line, the Champion. By the 60’s all would be gone – except the Champion.
The Champion’s days are numbered however. Day after day, Lake Superior continues her relentless pounding on the old foundation to the mill. Every week, the foundation is severely undercut and every month large sections of the mill collapse into the lake. From our vantage point below the mill, we could easily see the damage. Large wooded piers, once sunk tens of feet into the ground, now stand exposed above ground. Above our heads large sections of concrete hang over the edge, with no support at all.
As we climbed to the top, the damage was even more obvious. We looked out upon an enormous concrete floor stretching back from the shore to far cliffs beyond us. While relatively intact beyond us, closer to the shore the floor was in horrible shape. In one section, a large part of the floor had collapsed into a hole. At another point, waves and ice had forced the floor up into the air, creating a craggy mountain of concrete. At yet another point a lone concrete piling hangs out into the air, without any support under it all.
Given enough time this entire mill would be gone, swallowed by the lake at its door. For now, however, there was plenty more to explore. We moved on from the lakes’ edge to more stable ground further on, and took in the mill in its entirety.