Copper Range Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Copper Range Railroad was a small railroad company that operated from 1899 to 1972 in the western Upper Peninsula of the state of Michigan
, United States
.
The railroad was formed in 1899 in Houghton, Michigan
, owned by the Copper Range Company
, a copper-mining concern with extensive holdings south of Portage Lake in the Keweenaw Peninsula
of Michigan
. It ran on roughly 60 miles (100 km) of trackage from Calumet, Michigan
to McKeever, Michigan. The Copper Range Railroad was dissolved in 1972, although the Copper Range Company continued to operate the White Pine copper mine at White Pine, Michigan
until 1995. The railroad served several copper mines in the Keweenaw Peninsula, known collectively as the Copper Range. The railroad enjoyed connections with the DSS&A
(later Soo Line
) in Houghton, and with the Milwaukee Road
in McKeever, providing both passenger and freight service, as well as school train service. During its life span, the Copper Range Railroad rostered 24 steam and 3 diesel locomotive
s.
Copper Range #29 is currently under restoration at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum
, in North Freedom, Wisconsin
, which also owns former Copper Range Railroad Coach No. 60.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The railroad was formed in 1899 in Houghton, Michigan
Houghton, Michigan
Houghton is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and largest city in the Copper Country on the Keweenaw Peninsula. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,708. It is the county seat of Houghton County...
, owned by the Copper Range Company
Copper Range Company
The Copper Range Company was a major copper-mining company in the Copper Country of Michigan, United States. It began as the Copper Range Company in the late 19th century as a holding company specializing in shares in the copper mines south of Houghton, Michigan...
, a copper-mining concern with extensive holdings south of Portage Lake in the Keweenaw Peninsula
Keweenaw Peninsula
The Keweenaw Peninsula is the northern-most part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was roughly 43,200...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It ran on roughly 60 miles (100 km) of trackage from Calumet, Michigan
Calumet, Michigan
Calumet is a village in Calumet Township, Houghton County, in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, that was once at the center of the mining industry of the Upper Peninsula. Also known as Red Jacket, the village includes the Calumet Downtown Historic District, listed on the National...
to McKeever, Michigan. The Copper Range Railroad was dissolved in 1972, although the Copper Range Company continued to operate the White Pine copper mine at White Pine, Michigan
White Pine, Michigan
White Pine is an unincorporated census-designated place in Ontonagon County the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, its population was 474....
until 1995. The railroad served several copper mines in the Keweenaw Peninsula, known collectively as the Copper Range. The railroad enjoyed connections with the DSS&A
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, westward through Marquette, Michigan to Superior, Wisconsin,...
(later Soo Line
Soo Line Railroad
The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S. Class I railroads. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste...
) in Houghton, and with the Milwaukee Road
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986. The company went through several official names...
in McKeever, providing both passenger and freight service, as well as school train service. During its life span, the Copper Range Railroad rostered 24 steam and 3 diesel locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s.
Copper Range #29 is currently under restoration at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum
Mid-Continent Railway Museum
The Mid-Continent Railway Museum is a railroad museum in North Freedom, Wisconsin.-Collection:Three steam locomotives are currently under restoration to federal guidelines. The museum has 14 steam and 6 diesel locomotives including Chicago & North Western # 1385 and over 100 other pieces of...
, in North Freedom, Wisconsin
North Freedom, Wisconsin
North Freedom is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Baraboo River. The population was 649 at the 2000 census.-Geography:North Freedom is located at ....
, which also owns former Copper Range Railroad Coach No. 60.
External links
- CopperRange.org Website covering the History of the Copper Range RR & Copper Mining in the Keweenaw.
- Copper Country Explorer