The Cliff Churches
Today we take a leisurely cruise down a stream of consciousness, more specifically mine. So try to follow along if you can. It all started as I was browsing through some Phoenix photos at the Keweenaw Digital Archives in preparation for a post I was going to write today. It was then that I stumbled across the photo you see above, and noticed a peculiar building marked with the arrow. This building looked like a church, especially the steeple-looking protrusion off its front. This got me thinking…
A Mill at Delaware
The Delaware Mine is the mine of a thousand faces, having a long and sordid history under the guise of several different names and owners. Over the years the mine has been under the corporate umbrella of several companies including the Pennsylvania, Conglomerate, Northwest, and Lac La Belle. With each new ownership change came a renewed investment in the mine’s surface plant, including the construction of no less then five separate stamp mills. Three of those mills were constructed along the shore of Lac La Belle, with two others having been built near the mine itself. One of those mills was believed to be the first steam-powered mills in the district, built along the banks of the Montreal River just south of the mine site. This is the mill we take a look at today.
Sturgeon River Trestle
The Copper Country’s rail connections to the outside world was controlled by two railroads: the Copper Range and the DSS&A (Duluth South Shore and Atlantic). The Copper Range’s route took it south through Twin Lakes on its way towards Greenland. The DSS&A route followed the Portage lakeshore, down through Chassell and out towards Baraga. As mines closed and demand for rail service diminished, these two companies began closing up shop. Through the late ’60s Copper Range began to systematically abandon their lines working their way southward. By 1973 the line was closed for good, leaving only the Soo Line (which had bought out the DSS&A) providing rail service to the Copper Country.
Powderhouse in the Woods
Man’s pursuit of the Earth’s mineral riches is yet another violent expression of his dominion over the natural world - practiced with the destructive force of explosives. With these powerful weapons we’re able to extend our influence into the Earth itself, thousands of feet below the surface we were meant to inhabit. But with this great power comes an inherent danger, demonstrating in the end that our dominion over the Earth may be nothing more than an illusion. For the Copper Empire this meant that the same explosives that provided them with their riches, could just as easily take those riches away.
Downtown South Range
Rising high above the southern range is one of the tallest peaks along the peninsula - 1500 foot Wheal Kate mountain. Its ominous presence just south of the Portage Valley prompted many to ponder if it was made from solid copper - copper which resisted the great glaciers that had carved out the valley and the lake basin beyond. On this hunch alone, optimistic prospectors bought up the mountain and began sinking shafts into it to find it’s juicy copper center. In the process the mine company platted out the nearby town of South Range. The mine quickly failed but the town somehow managed to survive.