For over 7,000 years, people have been extracting copper from the Keweenaw Peninsula. Profitable mining companies formed in the 1840s and the area was the nation's leading producer of copper for about 40 years. The artifact above, on display in Calumet, is 9,392 pounds of native copper that was buried under three feet of soil and discovered in 1970.
We visited the Quincy Mine complex located in Hancock, Michigan on our July 2016 visit to the Lake Superior region. The Number 2 mine operated from 1846 until 1945 and on the later date operated the longest and deepest shaft in the world at 9,260 feet long and 6,225 feet deep. Some operations at the complex continued into the 1970s. The Quincy Mining Company Historic District is a US National Historic Landmark District and is a Keweenaw Heritage Site associated with Keweenaw National Historical Park.
Tour tickets are sold at the gift shop and the tours start at the 1894 hoist house. The mining equipment in the hoist house has been removed and replaced with informational displays in the front portion and racks of hard hats and jackets for those going on the mine tour and 1918 hoist house tour in the rear portion. Restrooms are also located in the building.
As it was late in the day, we chose not to tour the mine. We did ride the cog railway that opened in 1977 for the purpose of transporting visitors to the horizontal mine entrance. The Quincy and Torch Lake Cog Railway operates a single diesel-powered car capable of hauling 28 passengers down the maximum 35% grade to the adit entrance of the mine.
Returning to the top of the hill, the tour continued with a walk-through of the 1918 Hoist House. In operation for only 11 years, the building housed the largest steam driven hoist in the world.
The tour ended at the hoist house, but we were encouraged to tour the rest of the grounds on our own. This included a couple of steam locomotives, a typical miner's house, and the Shaft House.
Gift Shop
Exhibit in the gift shop showing the Shaft House, Hoist Houses and cog railway
1918 Hoist House (left), 1894 Hoist House (center), and Boiler House (right)
Model of Quincy Stamp Mill
Rafters of 1894 Hoist House
Derelict rail cars
End of Boiler House
Tram control stand
Houghton-Hancock Bridge (aka Portage Lake Lift Bridge) from the cog railway
First view of 1918 Hoist House on tour
Hoist drum
High pressure steam cylinder
Models used to demonstrate mining process
Another view of the hoist and low pressure cylinder
The braking system is painted orange
Wooden brake shoe
Spokes attach the hollow drum to its axle
Spiral stairs lead to operator's station
Concrete arches support the roof
The two hoist houses were built at an angle to each other
Cog railway car
Uphill end of the car
2-6-0 steam locomotive
2-8-0 steam locomotive
Miner's house
Interpretive display
Kitchen and dining room
Singer sewing machine
Children's room
Side view of 1918 hoist house
Shaft house from the 1918 hoist house
1882 Hoist House
Shaft House from the gift shop
Overhead chutes loaded poor-rock railroad cars
8-ton skips brought rock to the surface
Another view of the shaft house
Entry to the Keweenaw National Historical Park Calumet Visitor Center is free. However, many organizations partnering with the park have admission fees for their sites. This includes the Quincy Mine Hoist Association with a range of prices depending on the tour and age of the participant. A full tour of the surface, tram and mine is $25 for an adult. Tours are discounted for children age 6 to 12 and adults age 55 and above. Discounts for AAA, military, etc. may also be available.
We continued our July 2016 trip to Lake Superior with a visit to the Keweenaw National Historical Park. The park currently consists of twenty-one heritage sites on the Keweenaw Peninsula. Instead of being run by the park service, most of the heritage sites are operated by cooperating organizations that have varying admission fees.
Our first objective was to find the Calumet Visitor Center. Is is located in the historic downtown district and not on the highway. This wouldn't normally be a problem, but the park service signs directed us to a road that was closed for reconstruction. After wandering around the beautiful town for a bit, we found the visitor center and lots of free parking next door.
The visitor center is located in the historical Union Building in Calumet. Besides the usual information desk, bookstore, and restrooms, the visitor center houses a three story museum that does a fantastic job of explaining the history of the copper industry on the peninsula. An elevator is available for visitors that need it. An excellent 14-minute video entitled Risk and Resilience plays in a small theater on the second floor. The video explores the rise and fall of the copper industry and the resilience of the people then and now to make a living on the Upper Peninsula in general and on the Keweenaw Peninsula specifically. In my opinion, this is one of the best visitor centers in the entire park system.
Visitor Center from 5th and Scott Streets
Visitor Center from 5th Street
Bookstore
First floor exhibits
Second floor exhibits
Third floor exhibits and meeting room
Exhibit Hall
1908 YMCA building is now a parking lot
Auditorium on the third floor
Stairs retrofitted into the building
Entry to the Calumet visitor center is free. However, many organizations partnering with Keweenaw National Historical Park have admission fees for their sites.
