Michigan Smelter
Encyclopedia
The Michigan Smelter was a copper smelter located at Cole's Creek on the Keweenaw Waterway
north-west of Houghton, Michigan
near the old Atlantic mill
. The smelter was created in 1903-4 as a joint effort between the Copper Range Company
and Stanton group of mines. An Atlantic dam on the site was reused by the smelter as a water source. In 1905, the smelter broke a world record by casting 292,000 pounds of fine copper in seven hours with a single furnace and only ten men. The smelter operated through World War II and stopped all operations in 1948.
The smelter was designed by Frank Klepetko and was the most modern plant in the district. The nearby hillside was used improve its efficiency of its operation. The smelter had a capacity of 90 million pounds annually and was the largest and most efficient on Lake Superior.
Several mills sent material to the Michigan Smelter including the Champion, Trimountain and Baltic
mills via the Copper Range Railroad
. Product originated from the Atlantic
, Baltic, Champion, Trimountain, Michigan, Mohawk, and Wolverine mines. They delivered the mineral in 40-ton bottom-dumping cars and the product from each mine was kept separate from the others.
s. The site had two melting furnaces and two refining furnaces about seven feet below. Water-tube boilers were heated by the furnace's waste gas which were drawn up through a 150 foot smokestack. Slag
was skimmed off into steel molds on cars of an electric locomotive and the copper was then drained into the refining furnaces. The slag accounted for approximately 35 percent of the material they received.
Other buildings on the site included an office and laboratory heated by exhaust steam, a warehouse, two 150 ton railroad track scales.
Keweenaw Waterway
The Keweenaw Waterway is a partly natural, partly artificial waterway which cuts across the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan; it separates Copper Island from the mainland. Parts of the waterway are variously known as the Keweenaw Waterway, Portage Canal, Portage Lake Canal, Portage River, Lily Pond,...
north-west of 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...
near the old Atlantic mill
Atlantic Mill
The Atlantic Mill was located on the east side of Redridge, Michigan near the Redridge Steel Dam. It was constructed in 1892 and closed in 1912. It was connected to the Atlantic mine via a 9 mile long Atlantic and Lake Superior Railroard. The previous path of the railroad is now a scenic...
. The smelter was created in 1903-4 as a joint effort between 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...
and Stanton group of mines. An Atlantic dam on the site was reused by the smelter as a water source. In 1905, the smelter broke a world record by casting 292,000 pounds of fine copper in seven hours with a single furnace and only ten men. The smelter operated through World War II and stopped all operations in 1948.
The smelter was designed by Frank Klepetko and was the most modern plant in the district. The nearby hillside was used improve its efficiency of its operation. The smelter had a capacity of 90 million pounds annually and was the largest and most efficient on Lake Superior.
Several mills sent material to the Michigan Smelter including the Champion, Trimountain and Baltic
Baltic mill
The Baltic Mill was a copper stamping mill near Redridge, Michigan. The Atlantic mill was located at a nearby location....
mills via the Copper Range Railroad
Copper Range Railroad
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....
. Product originated from the Atlantic
Atlantic Mine
The Atlantic Mine was a copper mine near the Finnish community of Atlantic Mine, Michigan. The mine was operated by Atlantic Mining Company and prospered until 1906.-External links:*...
, Baltic, Champion, Trimountain, Michigan, Mohawk, and Wolverine mines. They delivered the mineral in 40-ton bottom-dumping cars and the product from each mine was kept separate from the others.
Smelting process
The incoming product was sorted, dried and stored in hoppers above the reverberatory furnaceReverberatory furnace
A reverberatory furnace is a metallurgical or process furnace that isolates the material being processed from contact with the fuel, but not from contact with combustion gases...
s. The site had two melting furnaces and two refining furnaces about seven feet below. Water-tube boilers were heated by the furnace's waste gas which were drawn up through a 150 foot smokestack. Slag
Slag
Slag is a partially vitreous by-product of smelting ore to separate the metal fraction from the unwanted fraction. It can usually be considered to be a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. However, slags can contain metal sulfides and metal atoms in the elemental form...
was skimmed off into steel molds on cars of an electric locomotive and the copper was then drained into the refining furnaces. The slag accounted for approximately 35 percent of the material they received.
Other buildings on the site included an office and laboratory heated by exhaust steam, a warehouse, two 150 ton railroad track scales.
The site today
The smelter's office still remains on the site and is now a private residence. Foundations and concrete columns are still visible. The property is privately owned.See also
- Copper mining in MichiganCopper mining in MichiganWhile it originated thousands of years earlier, copper mining in Michigan became an important industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its rise marked the start of copper mining as a major industry in the United States.-Geology:...
- List of Copper Country smelters
- List of Copper Country mills
- List of Copper Country mines
External links
- Picture of the Michigan Smelter from 1906 at the Library of Congress
- http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2010/03/a-michigan-smelter/
- http://quincyminer.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/the-portage-lake-smelter-tour-the-michigan-smelter-pt-2/