Quincy’s Creek
Sitting on the shores of Torch Lake, just north of the town of Mason, sits the expansive facilities of the Quincy Stamp Mill. It operated for over 60 years, and was one of the last mine facilities closed in the Copper Country. Because of this, most of the facility still stands, providing one of the most expansive ruins in the Keweenaw. Exploring the mill alone would take a good day, let alone the rest of the numerous buildings at the site. But there is another treasure on the property that most people rarely visit, and most likely don’t know even exists. This is the Quincy Creek.
The Canyon (p1)
The sloped sides of the gorge were becoming increasingly steep as we progressed; the rims high above us slowly blocking any sunlight that tried to reach us. Because of this, the amount of vegetation we encountered diminished and the riverbed opened up ahead of us. Ahead of us a short cliff created a small waterfall that sprinkled into a shallow pool. The sounds of rushing water echoed around us, and every tinkle or drip was thunderous.
The Canyon (p2)
Its hard for a camera to capture the scope of the Quincy Creek canyon. Standing there in the stream bed, with the rising walls all around you, is much more awe inspiring then photos can capture. In an attempt to capture it, I took an experimental panoramic image. This image is a little rougher then most I have featured on this site, and tries something a little different
A Small Dam
This dam was built in order to supply water to the boilers at the mill. Scattered around the side of the canyon was a collection of broken pipes. A similar pipe extended out from the front of the dam, connected to a broken valve. While this must be how the water was delivered down to the mill, it seemed odd that the pipe exited the dam from the top. In the face of the dam was a large square opening about four feet deep and was backed by a metal grate. This might have been a spillway or overflow valve of some sort.