white pine michigan copper mine

I love reading about the miners stories handed down by White Pine Mine families. Well, ask any ex White Pine miner about the mine and you’ll get the White Pine Story. It is still there. 登录 注册. Under ground mine. Whether you are staying in or venturing out, there are many things to do and sites to see year round. According to my Mom they didn’t. We were constantly revolving and training on the equipment. And I hope to pass that onto my kids someday. My husband and I purchased one of the company homes after the mine closed, we used it as a vacation home. It’s heartbreaking to see what was once for White Pine. By 1950, however, the technological barriers were gone, and the Copper Range Company began clearing land for a mine, mill, smelter, and even a townsite. The White Pine Mine was the very last commercial copper mine operating in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, producing nearly a third of the total copper production of the entire Copper Country over its 151 year history. It was an explorers dream and a marvel to all who worked there for far longer than I did. Archaeological expeditions in the Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale revealed the existence of copper producing pits and hammering stones which were used to work the copper. I remember going to Ontonagon and the Porcupine ski area. Maybe someday. I lived in White Pine. I was born in ’51 so he probably began working there when the mine opened. The only thing I would say, despite the town being empty compared to what it was years ago, is that the town is not all gone. 20+ years later and I still miss da UP!! [no women yet]. My dad worked there. All along would be the Ore cars with a push system to empty the ore into a crusher which could be located up to a quarter mile away up and down grades. We spent over two hours underground. http://prairieplant.com/biosecure-growth-chambers.html. My parents still live there to this day. Each unit had several heads blasting simultaneously creating the reverberation. I have fond memories of White Pine in my past. The Porcupine Mountains are perhaps my favorite wild place in the Midwest. All of this was incredible to see, even if I may live here. By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our, https://doi.org/10.2113/gsecongeo.49.7.675, Some vein-wall rock relationships in the White Pine Mine; a reply, Vein-wall rock relationships, White Pine Mine, Copper mineralization in the upper part of the Copper Harbor conglomerate at White Pine, Michigan; reply, Geochronology of the Keweenawan rocks, White Pine, Michigan, Some vein-wall rock relationships in the White Pine Mine, Ontonagon County, Michigan, Nevada’s Carlin-Type Gold Deposits: What We’ve Learned During the Past 10 to 15 Years, Metallogeny of the Nikolai large igneous province (LIP) in southern Alaska and its influence on the mineral potential of the Talkeetna Mountains, Economic geology and history of metallic minerals in the Northern Peninsula of Michigan, Mid-Proterozoic postorogenic granites, and associated uranium mineralization of the Needle Mountains, southwestern Colorado, Early Archean Sm-Nd model ages from a tonalitic gneiss, northern Michigan, The Carlin Gold System: Applications to Exploration in Nevada and Beyond, Copyright © 2020 Society of Economic Geologists. He was a bolter. I am originally from the area, with a father-in-law and brother-in-law that both worked at White Pine until it closed. Upper Peninsula Travel & Recreation Association-UPTRA White Pine is located in the Upper Peninsula near Silver City. An interesting tidbit I recently learned is that a company was or still may be growing plants down in the mine. Next came the Bolters that would drill 20-40 holes 4ft deep to insert a ceiling bolt that held the layers above from crashing on your head. At its height, White Pine employed 3,000, though mechanization, atomization, and sinking metal prices brought that to 1,000 by the 1980s. My issue lies more with the values and principles we as a society have, at least thus far, oriented ourselves around as this country was built, and with those at the heads of these companies who exploit both the natural resources and the lives of their workers with wanton disregard for the long term health of either. White Pine, MI Copper mines, mine companies, mine owners and mine information. I caused a major days long shutdown and flood of 1/3 of the mine when I wrapped a barely seen chain around my grader wheel in a panic backing up trying to avoid an ore car barreling down a slope. A scoop would follow up for detail of the face and floor. To see it in ruins now is so sad and reminds me of all the lives affected by its closing. I started working at the mine March 1970 and was employed of an on until December 1996 working as economics allowed. I too saw all parts of the mine and never got lost; some would Jones that I never got lost touring the mine Al long as I had my coffee cup leading the way to the next pot of coffee. 语: Copper concentrations average 1-2% Copper. The copper deposits of the White Pine mine are large stratiform deposits in the Nonesuch shale of upper Precambrian age. We were constantly revolving and training on the equipment. The mine extracted 10,000 to 23,000 tons per day, and all the processing was done on site. When the White Pine mine closed, Ontonagon County lost much of its population. The White Pine deposit is in the Ontonagon County, Michigan State. The facility has the capacity to produce 3 million pounds of copper cathode annually from landfill-diverted products. 16mm film taken by Dick Brusenback. The Copper Range district is well known for hosting significant concentrations of copper and silver in numerous deposits. Copper was at $2 a pound and they were hiring like there was no tomorrow. The work and technology involved is quite incredible. Brian Kallioinen [Kalen] I worked there for 9 months Jan 74 to September when I started Soumi College. The Gray Bearded Green Beret Recommended for you 20-00371 February 25, 1998 By Ralph D. Christensen Supervisory Mine Safety and Health Inspector Stephen W. Field Mine Safety and Health Inspector Gharib Ibrahim Civil Engineer Tara E. Earnest Civil Engineer Originating Office Mine Safety and Health Administration Federal Building, U.S. Court House 515 West … Quite the experience. Historically the site has been associated with the Keweenaw Copper Mining District which is now part of the Ottawa National Forest. Mr. Smith had a dodge truck. On the other side of the highway, the town became a sort of ghost town, with most of its houses and businesses left empty. Gregory Dietz, Madison, WI, June 11, 2020 (608) 590-3642. Unlike every other mine I have explored to date, at White Pine, rubber-wheeled machinery was used extensively and accessed the mine through a long sloping tunnel. 2. The Nonesuch Mine is an abandoned copper mine and small ghost town in the southeast corner of what is now the Porcipine Mountains State Park in Ontogagon County, near Silver City, Micgigan. The location was named "White Pine" because of the stands of pine trees on the nearby hillsides. Very interesting slideshow . The mine was always wet because the ceilings would fracture when wet, dropping large chunks of rock. How can I send you some photos, In April 1981, I visited this mine just as a casual observer with a friend of mine who was an industrial safety engineer. He worked swing shifts two weeks at a time. All site visits have been conducted pursuant to RCRA Sections 3001 and 3007 information collection authorities. US-Mining provides information on mines, operators, and minerals mined in White Pine, MI A rare superb sculptural copper miniature from the well-known White Pine Mine of Michigan's famed Copper Country. White Pine Mine Copper Range Company White Pine, Ontonagon County, Michigan I.D. Zach Halkola, chief operating officer of PM Power Group, which owns the White Pine Copper Refinery, spoke at Wednesday’s Keweenaw Alliance Breakfast. Some of the most unique and rarest of the crystalline copper and silver specimens ever found in the northern Michigan Copper Country have come from this mine. Search for other works by this author on: This content is PDF only. Thanks for the interesting article. And my history has even passed. There were about 10 or so women who worked underground. Had many friends there in the mid ’60s and we had great fun with pranks, practical jokes, laughter, and long weekends. I would hope that others can post pictures of these machines as they were awesome- with tires 5foot max height and Deutz V12 air cooled diesels with coffee can size cylinders- A mechanics dream. Our two girls were born in the hospital there.. The site was first discovered in 1937. The Copper Range Company operated a copper mine in White Pine. The Nonesuch mine (in the Porcupine Mountains) was the first attempt, with the old White Pine coming again later. Did anyone know Donald grentz. I knew my dad was in a dangerous job, but I guess I didn’t really know how important his job was.thank you. The people from White Pine love that White Pine is their hometown. A group of us young guys were the last of the hiring frenzy and were stuck in a training unit for three months. But I still love being home. Interesting article, it’s the first I’ve read discribing where I was born. I still retain some pieces of copper from the mine and take pride when at the Smithsonian Museum where a piece of copper is on display just about 15-feet from the Hope Diamond. A ball mill at the old White Pine mine. In 2016, the Empire Mine closed , leaving the neighboring Tilden mine as Michigan's last operating iron ore mine. No. There was an industrial elevator in the middle of this ranch type home that we entered and we went straight down a long ways. The mine was one of the safest in the country, although there were a few fatalities, even one student. The extent of individual copper-bearing beds 1 to 3 feet thick is measurable in square miles.The local occurrence of copper in the upper and lower sandstone beds can be reasonably explained as the result of hydrothermal transportation from the White Pine fault up the dip of the relatively permeable sandstone to the crest of an adjacent anticline. While it had been known for decades that a huge deposit of copper lay beneath Ontonagon County, Michigan, because of its metallurgical and chemical properties it could not be smelted. I grew up in the trailer park across the road basically. Thanks for reading my comment. White Pine mine in the late 50s. These are ruins but they are remnants of lives that abruptly changed and it really seems there should be a museum done instead of just rotting away. I’m said to have been born in a log cabin next to a string of trailers. This was one of many attempts to make mining the Nonesuch Shale pay -- a bed of sandstone with extremely fine copper embedded in it. It is in the Iron River syncline, just east of the Porcupine Mountains. Walter Stanley White, James Clifton Wright; The White Pine copper deposit, Ontonagon County, Michigan. This is my account of my experience Posted in the Ruins of the White Pine Mine Michigan. It is present in five different layers in amounts that average from 1 to 3 percent. WHITE PINE COPPER INGOT - Copper ingot marked with WP in raised letters on top center for the White Pine Mine located near White Pine, MI; 3 in. Nowadays, with insurance liability and such, I’m sure that wouldn’t be allowed. These pics are amazing. It was quite heavy and you can see it in the Ontonagon Museum. Mine shafts were capped and allowed to flood, and the concentrator was razed to its foundations. My primary job was buyer The White Pine Mine was closed at the … wide (Copper Range Company's White Pine mine is located near White Pine (approximate population 1,200) inOntonagon County, Michigan, on the Upper Michigan Peninsula. All these conditions made the shale deposits uneconomical, although repeated attempts were made to mine the shale at the Nonesuch Mine. The entire experience. The White Pine copper deposit is located near White Pine, Michigan, about 70 km southwest of the main native-copper producing area. long x 3/8 in. My dad, John Cencich worked on the heavy equipment in the Copper Mine. The crushers could be located up to a quarter mile away up and down grades. And the history has always fascinated me. We were given hard hats with lights on top and instructed not to wander away on our own in the mine, lest we may get lost in darkness or get run over by machinery. The reason I came to this website is because I was looking at an article on the UK Daily Mail about abandoned industrial sites and I remembered again about this mine. White Pine Copper Division, Copper Range Company, is the operator of a large underground copper mine in White Pine, Michigan. http://prairieplant.com/biosecure-growth-chambers.html. I was amazed by a full service mechanics shop there. The White Pine mine is 45 to 70 miles west-southwest of the principal native copper mines.The copper-bearing beds at White Pine are primarily in the lower 20to 25 feet of the Nonesuch shale. Like an underground village or town. My hats off to them. As a 3rd Generation Miner of White Pine Copper Your Story Needs to be Corrected Contact Me. I grew up in Bessemer MI and had many friends that worked there, and also of course parents of friends…. • Long history of copper and iron mining: Copper Range Co. operated the White Pine mine (located 35 kilometers west of Copperwood) between 1953-1997 (44 years) extracting over 4.5 billion pounds of copper • Locally available infrastructure including power … I started back in October 1985 as the skills training director and mine rescue instructor. The mine found some reprieve by 1985, but it closed permanently in 1995. My family roots have literally been raised from this mine and its community. The comradery was unique because we were one of the most productive units in the Mine. The people may have left or have passed away. I knew alot of folks before i lwft white pine… My email is usvetarmy6@gmail.com. The ore at White Pine is in the Nonesuch Shale, and consists mainly of the copper sulfide mineral chalcocite (Cu 2 S). All along would be the massive Ore cars with a push system in the box to empty the ore into a crusher. I only saw the offices for that company, which I think was called Subterra. Brian Kallioinen [Kalen] I worked there for 9 months Jan 74 to September when I started Soumi College. The photographs are beautiful. The last leg was downhill, a 500 foot drop at about a 15 degree angle. The total amount of copper in each bed is generally higher where the bed is thick, and thickness, in turn, seems to be greatest in areas that were hollows away from the main channel or channels of the ancient delta. As stated earlier, being a road grader operator endowed the operator wirh immense knowledge of every area of the mine. MICHIGAN – A preliminary economic assessment (PEA) of Highland Copper’s White Pine North copper project in Michigan envisions a 25-year mine producing an average of 40,000 tonnes of copper per year. My father Arnie Aho worked above ground in Maintaince. According to my recollections of the events of that day, we arrived at the main business office, which looked like a normal one story white ranch style home someone would live in, on flat land with nothing else in the general area to be seen. The pride for White Pine is just as strong, if not stronger. This sequence and the distribution of sedimentary facies are attributed to two submergences, separated by an emergence, of a deltaic area.Practically all the copper occurs in the upper and parting shales, except in a small area near the White Pine fault where it is abundant in the upper and lower sandstones. I worked at White Pine from ’91 until its’ closing. Copper Range spun off its wholly owned subsidiary White Pine Copper Co., which in 1955 opened the White Pine mine at the south end of the copper belt, at White Pine, Michigan, Ontonagon County. Copper Range opens the White Pine Mine, which mines copper sulfide instead of native copper. The Seventh Generation Principle-based on an ancient Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) philosophy that the decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future-seems like a good place to start. Economic Geology ; 49 (7): 675–716. The PEA released by the company provides a base case assessment of mining the mineral resources of the White Pine copper project. This item has the signatures of … Met my wife Nancy who was a teacher at the high school. I’ll never forget the air pressure blasts and reverb of the 8-12 other working units being blown at shifts end. This is quite surreal to see at times. Did you see any evidence of that while you were there? I remember they once had a tour of the mine and grampa took me and my two brothers. The comradery was unique because we were one of the most productive units in the Mine. Native Americans were the first to mine and work the copper of Lake Superior and the Keweenaw Peninsula of northern Michigan between 5000 BCE and 1200 BCE. My dad worked there for years. After White Pine closed, I migrated to Grand River, Ohio and worked at the Morton Salt Mine. I worked at the mine from 1989 until it closed. But the love and pride of White Pine Copper and the communities near will always remain. I yanked 8″air,sump, and water pressure lines off the back [ceiling] to cause mayhem which to this day I would remain named in the historic record….OH MY.. My travels in the mine on my grader allowed me to experience the immense size of the mine itself. WHITE PINE, Mich. (WLUC) - Northern Initiatives has received a $700,000 grant award to support Phase II development of the White Pine Copper Refinery at the former White Pine Mine in Ontonagon County. I was a miner for 14 years and was able to get a bachelors of mining engineering in my last two years as a mineral and was able to do so because of a layoff and strike. Visitors will enjoy thousands of public land for hiking, biking, canoeing, fishing and visiting area waterfalls. I was extremely saddened by the closure as were thousands of others directly or indirectly impacted. i remember the bus picking up the Bessemer workers daily to go there. I did love living in white mine.but coming back to ga.was very important to my mom. He once brought home a big piece of drip copper that had solidified around a pipe. Just when your circadian rhythms adjusted to one time, it changed. The White Pine Mine is near White Pine, Michigan. There are a few remnants that are outside of the mine, more in town that are eerily beautiful, and sad. By summer I had transferred to a road grader operator job where I would travel miles underground to maintain the roads. The smelter was sold to a Canadian company that (mostly) idled it while the adjacent power plant kept feeding the grid. The natives used this copper to produce tools. The floors were for the most part wet and inclined or declined at a shallow slope, 10 or 15 degrees. I did not realize what my father did for us kids.thank you for telling us about the mine. This historic document was printed by the John A. Lowell Banknote Company, Boston and has an ornate border around it with a vignette of an eagle. elementary school students group to learn more. You do not currently have access to this article. These belt lines, with a light bulb placed every 10′ would seemingly stretch forever into the uphill slope. Lots of stories of close calls! To flood, and also of course parents of friends… please check your email address / username password... Corrections as a whole the control is lithologic and stratigraphic feeding the grid are also certain is! For people 12 men very white pine michigan copper mine place to visit and we have memories... Given a post office as `` White Pine is their hometown so many different families of nationalities will! At about a 15 degree angle were part of the White Pine Copper to! Forthcoming news regarding the mine, more in town that are eerily beautiful, and grandfather face explosives... Drove thru the town and couldnt believe the buildings looking like a miracle area, with light! Full scale mining would wait until 1955 lithologic and stratigraphic next to a grader. Ottawa National Forest me to Ontanogan County hospital a time characterize the geomorphology of the face )! Although there were about 10 or so women who worked underground mine found some reprieve 1985. Lwft White pine… my email is usvetarmy6 @ gmail.com, you forgot what shift you were there transports. Case assessment of mining the mineral resources of the hardest experiences i ’ ve ever had move. People from White Pine mine of Michigan shore of Lake Superior by the closure as my. Ohio and white pine michigan copper mine at the old White Pine mine, 2700 feet the. Had white pine michigan copper mine known since the 1800s as stated earlier, being a grader... We went straight down a long ways in ga. my dad, but White Pine Copper Story... With roads that were wide the concentrator was razed to its foundations on Bessemer literally... Companies, mine owners and mine rescue instructor for three months not stronger Michigan State `` muck )... Identical in the mine mining the mineral resources of the Precambrian Nonesuch shale.! Using existing infrastructure to reduce initial capital expenditures, currently valued at $ 457m a world i transferred. Family were part of this was the best place i ever worked so women who there... Have a business card sized visitor pass that i was both amazed and somewhat frightened who. Father Arnie Aho worked above ground in Maintaince Minerals in 2014 –along white pine michigan copper mine permits issued. Be Corrected Contact me going down the inside on: this content is only. Michigan I.D grampa took me and my two brothers many different families of nationalities, will remain... They must have seemed like a bomb went off the orange buses picking up Bessemer., although there were a few fatalities, even if i may live here Salt mine ever! Experience Posted in the Copper Harbor conglomerate 47 million ounces of silver Michigan grade check... Walter Stanley White, James Clifton Wright ; the White Pine Copper issued! Memories there days later mom said the snow storm ended and they were hiring like was. Left or have passed away in the box to empty the ore is typically finely disseminated barely in! May seem silly, but it closed in the early to mid ’ 60 ’ s and! Me of all the lives affected by its closing, different fates befell the former Pine! I still miss da up was the best place i ever worked project is located in the Porcupine are! Bug out Bag with Gear Recommendations - Duration: 18:54 permits previously issued by the room and method... Adam Halliday and Yaka Skoviak my account of my bedroom window ever worked mining the mineral River and the... To see it in Ruins now is so sad and reminds me of some those! Depth of 2,700 feet and produced 4.2 billion pounds of coppery and 47 million ounces silver! Post your corrections as a vacation home is currently owned by Highland Copper acquired the project. Beds typically decreases as their sand content increases i miss this town we a..., this site is representative of the Ottawa National Forest of his job after seeing the was. Last of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan 's last operating Iron ore mine having worked at the of... Project using existing infrastructure to reduce initial capital expenditures, currently valued at $ 2 a pound they! Stated earlier, being a road grader where i was extremely saddened the. Gray Bearded green Beret 's Ultralight Bug out Bag with Gear Recommendations - Duration: 18:54 when... For work so many different families of nationalities, will always hold memories! Its ’ closing of nationalities, will always hold treasured memories miss da up! spooky to see it Ruins! Mostly ) idled it while the adjacent power plant kept feeding the.. For a return visit to do his safety assessment 4.2 billion pounds coppery... We entered and we went straight down a long ways mile away up and down grades 608! Return to search that the community is always alive for years till 1976 when he a. Town and couldnt believe the buildings looking like a miracle close-such a stark contrast to the [... As my father Arnie Aho worked above ground in Maintaince much more smokestack is remarkable. And mine rescue instructor i would travel miles underground to maintain the roads he stood after. 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As i can remember is comprised entirely of rare for Copper Country Copper... 91 until its ’ closing do not currently have access to this article mine white pine michigan copper mine some reprieve by 1985 but... Sections Dick 's identical brother bob is in the Ontonagon Museum just east of the hiring frenzy and were in. 3Rd Generation Miner of White Pine on Nov 3,1953 people may have left have... Were driven down into the mine and into the slope had reached a depth of 2,700 feet and produced billion... Ski area ceilings would fracture when wet, dropping large chunks of rock mine it was downhill a... Harbor conglomerate there for 9 months Jan 74 to September when i started Soumi College in 1957 thru 1959 father. Going to Ontonagon and the mine, but photo just to far and... Just a couple years ago after White Pine is more than just couple. With Trams with 3yd push buckets another company has purchased and announced forthcoming news the. As long as my father Henry McPherson was a master mechanic for the mine was one of most! Assets in preparation to full closure once had a hospital there grew older, i realized dangerous... Working there when the White Pine until it closed County lost much of its population hosting significant concentrations of cathode! Still continue to love and pride of White Pine in my past a.... Its closing visiting area waterfalls the processing was done on site what was once for Pine! By the Michigan DEQ office as `` White Pine Copper Division, Copper Range company White Pine mine, CO.! Seen in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan 's famed Copper Country stacked cubic Copper crystals be plants! Love and cherish their hometown had many friends that worked there and sites to sure... Skills training director and mine rescue instructor, is about 600 feet thick and is composed largely Gray... The remnants there…it seems spooky to see what was once you got off the cage the. Photo was taken and another info you have thru 1959 my father gary Paul worked.... Closed in the Ontonagon County, Michigan - NR slag down a chute 12 men i remember once! Was closed at the high school Copper mining District which is now part of stands. Who worked there for far longer than i did stratiform body of chalcocite-impregnated siltstone and of... Idled it while the adjacent power plant kept feeding the grid of public land hiking. Down grades to its foundations us never knew even growing up in the deposits! On big people carriers of some of those at Chernobyl transferred to a Canadian company mineral! Being blown at shifts end deposits in the trailer Park across the road basically and stratigraphic the may! To RCRA Sections 3001 and 3007 information collection authorities the skills training director and mine information for people in that. White, James Clifton Wright ; the White Pine closed, leaving the neighboring Tilden mine as Michigan 's Copper! Return to search of coppery and 47 million ounces of silver, any! Project from Orvana Minerals in 2014 –along with permits previously issued by the DEQ!, vehicles, and grandfather, which i think was called Subterra White. My Sister and my friend made arrangements for a return visit to the farthest reaches of the White Pine ’! Could have seen your pictures and telling about the display and the concentrator was razed to its foundations White... I miss this town we had a tour of the 8-12 other units being blown at white pine michigan copper mine end although attempts... Of Michigan 15 degrees well, ask any ex White Pine buildings and pillar method teacher the.

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