There isn’t much there to give any indication of what lies at its end – the narrow dirt road that turns off the main road just outside of Allouez Location. Heavily overgrown and obviously seldom used – its narrow confines are made even narrower by the heavily encroaching trees and brush along its path. So close that as you drive down it you can hear the branches and brush scrape up against your car’s sides and most likely scratching its paint job as well. But its worth it to discover what lies at the end of this old road.
Quickly those encroaching tree’s depart and the view opens up to a large open field dotted with old overhead lights. Turns out the road was a driveway, leading right to what was once a large parking lot – now heavily overgrown and absent of any cars but your own. Ahead of you lies a large concrete pedestal half covered in red-tinted mine rock. On either wide sits a pair of steel-framed buildings – their openings sealed shut and the weeds growing high up along their rusted walls.
These are the remains of the last mine to be opened in the Copper Country – a last ditch effort to pull profit from an industry that was in its final days. Known as the Kingston Mine, it opened in 1964 with much hope and anticipation. After the end of the Korean War in 1953, the government contracts and price guarantees that had artificially kept the copper industry alive had ended and the great C&H (one of only two great copper superpowers still in operation at the time) was desperate to find the new “mother-load” that would keep the industry operating. While promising the Kingston would fail to live up to the hype, and in just five years would become abandoned.
archive image courtesy the Michigan Tech Archives | this post is an update to one that first appeared on this site in November of 2006. Some of the comments seen below are original to that earlier version.
i think you sould not tel about the past but predict the futuer of this mine
The estimated production for the Kingston mine was to be 3000 tons per day in 1966.
Back in the 1980s I was with an international geological field trip that was studying the Keweenaw copper and PETROLEUM potential and mineralogy. That was the first time I saw the Kingston, and it was all intact then. A group of Chinese “students” were there and they found a nice piece of conglomerate(?) full of copper. I was jealous. That was right after Tianimum (sic) Square protests and massacre and they were afraid to talk openly to some nosy American. That was a fun trip. We also got to go underground in the White Pine Mine. I was THRILLED about that!
My Grandfather used to work at the Kingston mine. We found some old time keeping books and other misc. info in my grandparents basement after they had passed away.
eric–who was your grampa–i worked kingstom for over yr after iroquios –18 months and around 8 yrs in senica no.2 — then transferd to 3-6 centenial–ended up sinking shaft oseola 13 till strike and mine closings aug 1968–oh then put another 30 yrs mather B mine negaunee–and 20 more in tilden –empire pits
thats 10 yrs mater B and 20 tilden empire
Tony…
That type of background in mining is incredible. The stories and knowledge you must have I’m sure is incredible. You ever thought of writing a memoir? I’m sure it would be great reading, especially the first hand experience you have of the end of the copper empire here in the keweenaw. Must of been quite a time to live through…
I was one of the mine geologists at the Kingston mine in 1966-1967 and your photos bring back many pleasant memories
Bill Waara
Is there any way to find out the actual extent of the underground work done in the short time of the Kingston’s existence, maps of the underground, etc? Is it interconnected with any other C&H mines adjoining it? Who actually owns the mine today and could it be bought and reopened?
this is older most recent post on does anyone know about how much ore was taken out of kingstom—George isolas life long friend od mine–he ives in rambltown yet–he worked at mine office making up to date maps I think mabe monthly of ground taken our of all mines–and levels–don’t know if he has saved anything tho—tony
The Kinston mine was raised not sunk—from crosscut across US 41 allouez mine–porky Laurence and fruzo klobuchar–my brother in law were 2 of trammers there–all rock was taken up at allouez shaft–later the sunk Kinston a little ways to make room for a dump pocket–they brought in side dump tram cars to Kingston—in order to get new equipment down the new kingstom mine –they needed higher clearance on back—ceiling to fit it down to bottom–they sent me from senica and had Dwight sutinen as my helper to dill holes in back to make room–I drilled of bottom of the mancar from 3rd level to ement collar on sefice—vic gacoletto had us put long cedars posts at 3rd level plat–in case any rocks came down shaft–vic said only put 1 stick of dynamite in every hole—told hiom be better to put more and break rock into smaller pieces–he said itold yo 1 stick–anyway we had fuses and igniter cord to time blasts—ran from sufce to just above 3rd level plat—that’s 300 ft of igniter cord—we lit from top by surface–me Dwight were on 3rd lvel plat—after first few holes went off –big rocks smashed through the cedar timbers splintering them into pieices—shft timbers were boke latter road destroyed—bell system wireing was riped abart all way dow shaft—luckly only less than hole went off—when big rocks came down they bouced off top of shaft ripped the igniter cord so rest of holes never fired—when smoke cleared I told Dwight im getting hell out of here so I left and went back to senica minewhere I worked–first thing next morn vic called me in office of senica—says I told you only 1 stick of dynamite—_isaid vic I did as you ordered–if you look at holes that went off youll see the powder burns and gagged where powder went off–and you can pull powder out ogf holes that never went off and youll see only 1 stick in them–heard vic got silp from that deal–later one was they wanted air vent from 3rd level to suface on 3rd sought–I worked there that night next stope to where they were raising it—he said I couldn’t drill because it was all crushed ground–so he jut put bombs iton broken ground—we fired our holes and left to gho we always blasted at ends of shifts–when I woke up—night shift—heard on radio that copper city roads cAVED IN–SCHOOL BUSS JUST GOT PASSED BY—THE RAISE MINER ASKED VIC—WHERE THIS RAISE SUPPOSED TO BREAK THROUGH–VIC TOLD HIM WE DONT CARE WE NEED AIR—LOL—THERE WAS BLACKTOP—GRASS–STRAWBERRIE PLANTS FLOODING 3RD LEVEL—WHEN GROWN CAVED IT BROKE COPPER CITYS BIG WATER MAIN AND REALY EXPANDED THE CAVE IN WASHING ALL GROUND DOWN–THERES STILL SOME OF US GUYS LIVING THAT CAN PROVE THIS STORY–SLIM TURNQUISTS ONE–VIC WAS KEPT ON HIS JOB WORKING—LOL–THINK RAISE MINERS NAME WAS PARKENS??—TONY
Tony certainly has by far the better details from the mining perspective of what happened when the vent shaft was raised through the Copper City road. On the surface, the story was a fellow stopped at Hap & Lou’s bar to call the Township to tell them the road felt “spongy”. By time the folks went back up to the spongy section, the hole was opening and the whole day was ruined for a lot of people. For years the vent fan was visible along side the road – I don’t know if it is still there.
The source of the Kingston name is not known to me, but it seems to be part of C&H’s corporate propaganda. When the mine opened, it was touted publicly as if it was a “new” discovery. Actually the lode was known as the Kearsarge Conglomerate for many years. It seems highly unlikely, given its location, they didn’t “discover” it until the 1960s! It was probably more like they “discovered” it could be worked at a profit with newer technology. C&H did the same with the “Hill’s Creek” project. The public pronouncements about the proposed project made it sound like a “new” discovery. It was/is in fact the fabled 5-40s that had long been known as the last big reserve of the Calumet Conglomerate. They had been planning to open that territory as far back as the 19-teens if not earlier.
I ALSO WORKED FOR SHORT TIME IN HILLS CREEK DRIFT–GORDY BARRIL WAS MY PARTNER–THEY HAD US ON THE REGULAR DRIFT CONTRAC BUT THE DRIFT WAS COUPLE FT WIDER AND LITTLE HIGHER–THE LOADER COULDNT REACH TO SIDES OF DRIFT ARMS ON EMKO WERE TO SHORT–WE HAD LOT MORE DIRT—ROCK—TO CLEAN UP –NEVER MADE ANY BONUS IN IT–I WENT BACK INTO STOPE MINING–TOLD BILL LANGDON ID TRY IT—CANT REMEMBER IUF THEY CHANGED THE BONUS CONTRACT OR NOT LATTER?WE DID GO THROUGH A THIN VAIN THEY NAMED THE CYNTHIA–CANT REMEMBER HOW FAR THAT DRIFT GOT IN–c@h STOCK HIT NEW HIGH WHEN THEY CALLED HILLS CREEK THE MOTHER LOAD–NEW ONE SHIFT BOSS MADE BUNDLE-HE BOUGHT CONDO IN HAWAI–LATER WHEN HE RETIRED–j w—TONY
FEW MONTHS AGO WHEN I WAS IN CALUMET AT OUR HOUSE IN TAMARACK DEAN WOODWARD CAME OVER–LIFE LONG FRIEND—TOLD ME WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT COPPER THAT THEY HAD DRILLED WELL BY FLOWER FARM ON TAMARACK WATERWORKS ROAD AND HIT MASS COPPER ABOUT 30 FT DOWN????ANY OF YOU OLD C@H GEOLIGISTS KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT AREA???–THAT WOULD BE WEST OF HILLS CREEK–TONY
like to make correction on hills creek drift—thinking back now of almost 50 yrs while watching mon night football on now—I knew drift minors wernt making anything in that druft–on weekend I got phonecall from bill Langdon he asked me if id work in hills creek drift–I told hiom I knew you couldn’t make money in it–so told him id work in it if he would give me my last weeks average pay–he agreed–so happened that bill went oin vacation and to Duluth min for operations on his ears for bad hearing–vic gacoletto took over his captains job while he was gone—when I got my pay–they held back 1 week bfore we got checks on Fridays—anyway I never got my average pay–I went into capt office told vic about the phone call and what Langdon agreed to–bill wasn’t back to work yet–he said if bill told you that he can pay you out of his pocket—anyway when bill came back they called me to office—vic said to bill—did you tell shuty youd give him average pay for going into hills creek drift—bill said no–I didn’t tell him that–I said id never go in there for cut in pay if he never told me id get average–anyway I said im not working in it anymore—never did get any average pay–typical of C@H ripping guys off–no wonder we striked–highest minors pay was sinking shaft–think it was $2.43 cents hr–but bonus was ok–they measured how far down you went every week–hardest job–drilling down hill–pu[[ing rods back out with powder headaches from missed holes carrying all machines pumps–hoses ect up away from blasts evey time we blasted—now days they use hydrolic machines that do the drilling in and pulling back rods–we did all drilling with jack legs—took the leg off machine and pushed drill rods in with our legs while sitting in dirt—the shaft had steady stream of water coming down along foot—bottom–we had to charge the bottom holes with dynamite as soon as we pulled rods out because theyed fill with dirt washing into them–we road down the shaft from last plat at bottom–tugger boy lowered us and dirt from every blast on 4 inch beam we put in with anchor bolts in back–ceiling—they had a trolley with tugger rope–cable–hook on it—at bottom where we wanted it to stop we had bolt–when trolley hit bold it would lower the shaft buket we road in down to ground–for removing dirt from blasts we had a scrapper and ramp with container that had lift air pistons on both sides that lifted dirt uphill and dumped into bucket—once in oseola shaft sinking that was just before strike in 68—smitaburge-was tugger boy and he had just brought the bucket full onto plat and rope broke–sending down the trolley like 100 miles hr with sparkes flying all over—lukily it never broke before reached the plat–that bucket full of rock and bucket would have killed all 4 of us–rudy pelto—paull kunari—clothiure were other 3 with me down there—another good one for C@H history—paulls still alive live in florida loc I think–he knows—tony