Victoria Mine
Encyclopedia
Victoria Mine is a series of copper mines located in Rockland Township in Michigan’s Copper Country
. It was near this location that a large piece of float copper, also known as the Ontonagon Boulder
, was found. The mine operated off and on from 1849 until its final closure in 1921. Most of the metal found there is low grade native copper
from the Forest Lode. Quartz
, epidote
, calcite
, prehnite
, and pumpellyite
are also found in the rock.
During this period of time, estimates show that 200 to 250 tons of copper were mined from the Victoria (Stevens). The company shipped the copper to Calumet, Michigan, where it was smelted.
In 1881, The former mining captain of the Nonesuch Mine
, John Hooper, assessed the state of the Victoria Mine and after pumping the water from the mine, he found it to be in disrepair. Many of the tunnels and adits had collapsed and the support timbers were found rotted. He concluded that a large investment would be needed in order for the mine to run again. Because of this, it was not until the end of the nineteenth century that the mine finally reopened.
During this time, the village near the mine site, Victoria, grew to eighty houses. All buildings in the town were owned by the mining company, including the school, general store, and houses. The inhabitants of the town were miners and their families. These miners were paid average wages of the time: $1 a day for a ten hour day and later $2 for the same amount of time.
Records from this time are hard to come by and so it is unknown exactly how much copper was mined during this time.
The mine ran almost continuously for nearly twenty years, but as the 1920s approached, the price of copper started to decline. The cheap power provided by the Taylor Air Compressor allowed the Victoria Mine to remain open longer than most its competitors. After World War I ended, though, copper prices fell by fifty percent to 13 cents per pound. When the price dropped to 11 cents a pound, the Victoria Mine closed for the final time.
since 1947, the company now owns three dams upstream of the Victoria Dam in order to harness enough water to supply power for the area. Near the main dam, the Taylor Air Compressor now lies completely underwater. Though no longer in use, it is still fully operational.
Following the closure of the mine, the village of Victoria fell into disrepair. During the 1970s, an attempt was made to preserve the historical aspects of the area. The Society for Restoration of Old Victoria began repairing the old cabins where the miners lived. The site opened in 1976 and has been giving guided tours ever since. Currently, four cabins have been restored and furnished to fir the time period, including two boarding houses and a family home. It is now one of the Keweenaw Heritage Sites in the Keweenaw National Historical Park
.
Copper Country
The Copper Country is an area in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States, including all of Keweenaw County, Michigan and most of Houghton, Baraga and Ontonagon counties. The area is so named as copper mining was prevalent there from 1845 until the late 1960s, with one mine ...
. It was near this location that a large piece of float copper, also known as the Ontonagon Boulder
Ontonagon Boulder
The Ontonagon Boulder is a 3,708 pound boulder of native copper originally found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States, and now in the possession of the Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution...
, was found. The mine operated off and on from 1849 until its final closure in 1921. Most of the metal found there is low grade native copper
Native copper
Copper, as native copper, is one of the few metallic elements to occur in uncombined form as a natural mineral, although most commonly occurs in oxidized states and mixed with other elements...
from the Forest Lode. Quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
, epidote
Epidote
Epidote is a calcium aluminium iron sorosilicate mineral, Ca2Al2O, crystallizing in the monoclinic system. Well-developed crystals are of frequent occurrence: they are commonly prismatic in habit, the direction of elongation being perpendicular to the single plane of symmetry. The faces are often...
, calcite
Calcite
Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate . The other polymorphs are the minerals aragonite and vaterite. Aragonite will change to calcite at 380-470°C, and vaterite is even less stable.-Properties:...
, prehnite
Prehnite
Prehnite is a phyllosilicate of calcium and aluminium with the formula: Ca2Al2. Limited Fe3+ substitutes for aluminium in the structure. Prehnite crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system, and most oftens forms as stalactitic or botryoidal aggregates, with only just the crests of small...
, and pumpellyite
Pumpellyite
Pumpellyite is a group of closely related sorosilicate minerals:*pumpellyite-: Ca2MgAl2[2|SiO4|Si2O7]·*pumpellyite-: Ca2Fe2+Al2[2|SiO4|Si2O7]·*pumpellyite-: Ca22[2|SiO4|Si2O7]·H2O...
are also found in the rock.
1771-1849
Prehistoric mining pits indicate that the area was mined long before Europeans ever set foot in North America. Near this area was the location of a large piece of float copper, also known as the Ontonagon Boulder. Originally discovered by missionaries, the boulder sparked the interest of British investors. In 1771, Alexander Henry, an early British explorer, was sent to open a mine along the banks of the Ontonagon River where the boulder had been found. The venture ultimately proved unsuccessful after the adit caved in due to the fact that they were mining into a river bank. After this, the project was abandoned and the site remained empty for the next seventy years.1849-1899
In 1849, Christopher Columbus Cushing opened a mine not far from the area where Henry had attempted to dig. The Cushin Mine ran for about a year before the Forest Mine took over in 1850. Eight years later, the company reorganized as the Victoria Mining Company. The company experienced several disasters during this time. The first stamp mill was destroyed in a fire and the second washed away in a flood. After 1855, the mine was operated sporadically for a number of years.During this period of time, estimates show that 200 to 250 tons of copper were mined from the Victoria (Stevens). The company shipped the copper to Calumet, Michigan, where it was smelted.
In 1881, The former mining captain of the Nonesuch Mine
Nonesuch Mine
The Nonesuch Mine is an abandoned copper mine and small ghost town in the southeast corner of the Porcupine Mountains State Park in Carp Lake Township, Ontonagon County, near Silver City, Michigan, United States. The area was given its name soon after Ed Less discovered the Nonesuch vein of copper...
, John Hooper, assessed the state of the Victoria Mine and after pumping the water from the mine, he found it to be in disrepair. Many of the tunnels and adits had collapsed and the support timbers were found rotted. He concluded that a large investment would be needed in order for the mine to run again. Because of this, it was not until the end of the nineteenth century that the mine finally reopened.
1899-1921
Beginning in 1899, the Victoria Copper Mining Company started running the mine and Captain Hooper was hired to run the operation. One of the first problems Hooper encountered was a lack of fuel. Wood was hard to come by at that time and coal was expensive, so Hooper began to look into other energy sources. Even as early as 1882, the possibility of hydropower was discussed. The Michigan Department of Mineral Statistics annual report in 1882 stated: “Among the important advantages which the property possesses is the water-power in the west branch of the Ontonagon river, about a mile south of the mine; forty feet of head can be used here…If it shall be decided to systematically work the mine, the water-power in the west branch will undoubtedly be utilized to operate the machinery…”. In 1904, Charles Havelock Taylor, a Canadian inventor, visited the site in order to build a hydraulic air compressor that would harness the water in the Ontonagon River. Once running, the Taylor Air Compressor was able provided the Victoria Mine with an inexpensive power source which uniquely equipped the mine with the ability to extract the low grade ore. In fact, the Mines Register reported that the Victoria was “placed in a position to handle rock of lower average grade than perhaps any other mine in the Lake Superior district”.During this time, the village near the mine site, Victoria, grew to eighty houses. All buildings in the town were owned by the mining company, including the school, general store, and houses. The inhabitants of the town were miners and their families. These miners were paid average wages of the time: $1 a day for a ten hour day and later $2 for the same amount of time.
Records from this time are hard to come by and so it is unknown exactly how much copper was mined during this time.
The mine ran almost continuously for nearly twenty years, but as the 1920s approached, the price of copper started to decline. The cheap power provided by the Taylor Air Compressor allowed the Victoria Mine to remain open longer than most its competitors. After World War I ended, though, copper prices fell by fifty percent to 13 cents per pound. When the price dropped to 11 cents a pound, the Victoria Mine closed for the final time.
Victoria Dam
After the mine closed in 1921, the Copper District Power Company purchased the lands with the intent of building a hydro-electric plant on the Ontonagon River. The new dam created a five mile long artificial lake called the Victoria Flowage. Operated by the Upper Peninsula Power CompanyUpper peninsula Power Company
Upper Peninsula Power Company , a subsidiary of Integrys Energy Group, is a utility company serving most of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. UPPCO provides electric power to consumers....
since 1947, the company now owns three dams upstream of the Victoria Dam in order to harness enough water to supply power for the area. Near the main dam, the Taylor Air Compressor now lies completely underwater. Though no longer in use, it is still fully operational.
Old Victoria
Following the closure of the mine, the village of Victoria fell into disrepair. During the 1970s, an attempt was made to preserve the historical aspects of the area. The Society for Restoration of Old Victoria began repairing the old cabins where the miners lived. The site opened in 1976 and has been giving guided tours ever since. Currently, four cabins have been restored and furnished to fir the time period, including two boarding houses and a family home. It is now one of the Keweenaw Heritage Sites in the Keweenaw National Historical Park
Keweenaw National Historical Park
Keweenaw National Historical Park is a unit of the U.S. National Park Service. Established in 1992, the park celebrates the life and history of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan...
.