Industrial Footprints
Jan 04, 2008 | Industrial Footprints |
When the first settlers along the Keweenaw came down from the high ridges of its interior, they found nestled against the steep hillside a long and narrow freshwater later. The lake was known as Was-wa-gon-ong, Ojibwa for “Place of the Torches” This was due to practice of native peoples of fishing the lake at night by torchlight, attracting the fish to the surface to spear and net. The settlers shortened it to simply “Torch Lake”, and settled along its northern banks.
The town was Torch Lake City – and was primarily settled by French loggers and farmers. The flat and wide valley just north of the city (now known as Traprock Valley) was quickly harvested, the logs floated down the Traprock River to the city. There they were processed at a slew of lumber mills lining the shores of Torch Lake. The newly cleared valley was then quickly converted to farmland, protected by the furry of Lake Superior by the Keweenaw’s rocky spine to the west.
Everything soon changed, however, when the mining monolith of C&H bought up land just south of the city around 1850 and erected a pair of large stamp mills. Torch Lake was a very deep glacier lake, a good 120 feet in most places, which made it the perfect dumping ground for the millions of tons of tailings the mills would produce. The mills were served by a gravity driven incline railway, which dropped straight down Lake Linden Hill from Calumet to the mils. Loaded cars would roll down the incline, pulling a set of empty cars back up the hill by means of an attached cable.
With such a large employer in the area, the town was inundated by workers, skyrocketing its population to over 4000 by the turn of the century. But the city of Torch Lake would have one more major hurdle to overcome, as a major fire in 1887 destroyed more than 75% of the town. The town was quickly rebuilt, this time with grand brick and stone buildings in place of the fire-prone wood structures that preceding them. The town took a new name soon after – Lake Linden.
For some time C&H shipped its copper to a smelter at Dollar Bay, but it soon built its own smelter complex a half mile south of its mills. This large complex included an enormous coal shed and loading dock, used to supply its mines with fuel. The smelter’s distance from the Mills and Lake Linden was too far to walk, so another town sprung up nearby to provide the needed workers. Originally known as South Lake Linden, this town soon became known as Hubbell. For decades later it would serve as one of the busiest shipping ports in all of the Keweenaw.
It wasn’t long until other mines atop the Keweenaw’s spine built there mills along Torch Lake as well. The interests behind both the Tamarack and Osceola mines were the next major investors in the area, placing their mills a few miles south of C&H’s. With the mills came hundreds of workers and their families, creating the town of Tamarack City. These mills were served by the Hancock and Calumet RR, which ran a line down the hill from Calumet. Finished copper was then hauled to smelters in Dollar Bay by means of the Mineral Range Railroad running along the lakeshore.
At the turn of the century, the Quincy Mine moved its mills from the Portage Canal (where they had come close to blocking the navigation channel) to an area at the far southern end of Torch Lake. Here they built two mills, and the nearby town of Mason. Along with the mills came their own railroad to serve it – the Quincy & Torch Lake. Copper from the mills were then taken to its smelter in Ripley via the Mineral Range.
The last mill to join the party would be the Ahmeek Mill, which was constructed at the site of an old Lumber Mill at Tamarack City in 1910. One of the only mills not built directly on the side of a hill, it required the use of a towering trestle to bring loaded rock cars atop its massive structure. The trestle and mill rose high above the city and became a oppressive landmark for decades to come.
By the 1920′s copper mining along the Keweenaw was starting to wane. C&H took advantage of the downturn and gobbled up most of its competitors including the Tamarack, Osceola, and Ahmeek Mines. C&H then moved all of its stamping operations to the more advanced (and recently acquired) Ahmeek mill at Tamarack City. The remaining mills – including C&H’s original mills at Lake Linden – were shut down. Down the shore at Mason, Quincy had to close one of its stamp mills – concentrating all efforts into one. From an original 8 mills operating along Torch Lake, the dawn of the depression saw only two still in operation.
This economic downturn might have meant the end of mining along the Keweenaw if it wasn’t for the opening of one of the largest mines to ever operate in the region: Torch Lake itself. For half a century companies had dumped over 200 million tons of stamp sand into the lake – displacing 20% of the lakes volume. Due to the inefficiencies in stamping technology only about 90% of the copper was extracted from these sands. This meant there was an estimated 20 million tons of copper sitting at the bottom of the lake. It was an opportunity the surviving mines could not pass up.
By the 1920′s modern technology such as chemical leaching and floatation could recover most of that trapped copper. Modern reclamation plants were built taking advantage of this technology, and the sands were sucked out of the lake with large dredges and reprocessed. The first company to mine the lake was C&H, which built a pilot plant at Lake Linden. The result was 20 million pounds of copper a year.
C&H built a second reclamation plant in Tamarack City (at the site of the Tamarack’s old stamp mill) to work the Tamarack and Osceola sands. Quincy soon followed suite and built their own plant at Mason. For Quincy the results were so successful that they closed their mine and mills completely and concentrated strictly on reclamation. The end of an era was here.
For the next 30 years only the reclamation plants, the Ahmeek Mill and C&H smelter continued to operate. In 1967, a looming strike resulted in the mines calling it quits. The mills and smelter closed for good. Railroads were torn up, houses were abandoned, mills demolished, and the people moved away. What once was an industrial corridor had turned into yet another rust belt. The end of the Torch Lake valley as it was always known – and the Copper Country itself – was at hand.
Today those heavy hands of industry have left their mark on the Torch Lake Valley. Along with the more than 500 acres of stamp sands scattered along the shore, the valley is home to the remains of over a dozen mills and smelters, miles of abandoned rail corridors, and a scattering of dams and trestle pilings. Worse perhaps is the environmental destruction caused by the chemicals and sands deposited in the lake itself. While many parts of the Keweenaw have rebounded nicely from the days of mining – the Torch Lake Valley is having a harder time. Only time will tell, but at least here the scars from the Copper Countries past are loud and clear. Take a closer look for yourself in our PANORAMIC MAP of the valley as it looks today.
BEWARE! The panoramic image linked to here is GIGANTIC (1.7 MB) image and may take a large amount of time to download, perhaps impossible on a dial-up connection. Just so your warned. (Image courtesy US Geological Survey)
I guess the Copper Country was fortunate that the copper was found in its native state and was easily refined. Out west, various acids were used to process the ores found there. I have seen articles in which people have picked up rocks, not knowing about the acid, put them in their pocket and end up with burns.
Also in some areas the smelting process released various toxic fumes. In eastern Tennessee, an area known as Ducktown had copper deposits that when smelted released sulfur dioxide. When it rained this fell to the ground as acid rain. Also cut down every tree in the area. I have seen pictures of the area, they show severe damage to the area. The mining ended in the 1960′s. They are still trying to restore the land in the area.
Dave..
The native condition of the copper lessoned the environmental impact significantly. For the most part stamping mills relied on gravity separation, and did not introducing chemical agents until the advent of the floatation and leaching processes in the 1920′s. This has made the environmental impact on the area much less then what it could of been otherwise.
In Torch Lake the problem is specifically with cupric ammonium carbonate (used in the leaching process); some 27,000 gallons of which were dumped into the lake. The floatation process also introduced chemicals into the sands (frothing agents such as pyridines and xanthates) which ended up in the lake as well. While the lake’s water will be refreshed by Superior over time, the narrow inlet at Torch Lake Bay and the depth of the lake itself greatly increases the time it will take. Nature will reclaim the lake as well, but it won’t happen in my lifetime (or probably my son’s either).
I was at MTU in the mid-to-late 80′s. I’m sad to say I didn’t take the time to learn more about it then, but anybody who was in the area at the time knew the rumors about the Torch Lake fish. The story went that you could catch ‘em, scrape off the tumors, and throw them back to catch another day. I vaguely recall newspaper articles about various studies that were done showing that Torch Lake pollution was a real and continuing problem, but I never new details. Thanks for the info, Mike!
Dave, the deforesting definitely happened in the Keweenaw as well. Look at any photos of old mine operations, and everything in sight will be clear-cut. It’s strange that the lovely forests we have today are a rather modern development!
I always have believed that nature will eventually reclaim land scarred by man – even the scars of mining. You can see that for yourself, as dcclark has noted, by comparing the lush forests we have now in the Keweenaw with what it once looked like at the turn of the century. But some scars take much longer to heal then others. Through my explorations across the peninsula over the last few years, I have seen my share of the ugliness the mining has created – some of which I know will be with us for a long time to come. But that ugliness is part of the Keweenaw character, and you can’t separate it from the beauty that also surrounds us here.
Dale..
As far as those tumor rumors, I have heard them as well. Its an urban legend of sorts, although I’m sure its based on some crumb of truth. I don’t think the lake is dangerous in any way, but it sure isn’t as clean as it once was. But I do think it at least looks a lot better now that the sands have been covered. I remember seeing those sands uncovered, and it was a mess. Things are starting to improve, just slowly.
Checked with my GPS program for depot locations on the Copper Range. Depending on where Milepost 0 was in Calumet, which I would think it was close to 5th or 6th St where the depot was, the Lake Linden Depot was on the south side of M26, Grove was just above Grove on your nice photo map, Hubbell was just south of Dover Rd, of course now private property, so no looking there, Mills was right at the Tamarack Mills location, right where the streets are.
Well then the “depot” marked on my Sanborn maps must of been strictly a freight depot, to serve the brewery – among other things. Although putting a passenger depot up the hill a ways seems odd.
Good news is that your placement of the Lake Linden Depot places it at the exact spot of a mystery building on some old topo maps that Dave F. had asked me about. I told him it was probably a shelter shed – but it looks like it could of been the depot itself. Thanks Gordy.
Well any depot in the Torch Lake area on the Copper Range was out of the way as far as I am concerned. For Lake Linden, they would either back into or pull forward into that depot, using my GPS, what part I had looked at a couple of years ago, it was somewhere around 3/10′s of a mile. Plus after C&H built the Trap Rock Valley line they had to cross it. My guess the passenger depot was by M26. If I remember right, there was a passing siding on the south side of M26 also.
While I am thinking about it, that freight depot at Lake Linden would have served any business, probably offered less than carload business also, kind of like our modern UPS, except in this case, you had to go get your package/s.
Also in the year 1903, Copper Range’s Timetable listed 4 passenger trains in each direction at Calumet, so hard to believe. This book I have says by 1927 Copper Range was pretty much out of passenger business
I think that all makes sense. While the interurban was still running it would just make more sense for people to use it to scoot around between Houghton and Calumet. The trains were probably only used for long distance travel, and walking up to a depot for that wouldn’t be too much to ask (like going to the airport today I suppose). Copper Range probably didn’t go down to the depot that much, it was probably only used for a few dedicated cargos.
Now I’m sure C&H didn’t move any freight (at least that wasn’t their own), which would make the Copper Range the only way to move freight from Lake LInden to Calumet (and points north) without going down and around Hancock. By the time Copper Range came through the H&C line up to Calumet was soon abandoned. You would think this would give the Copper Range a lot of business.
Just a few ramblings from my head…
Always amazes me, the photo of the new Tamarack/Osceola Mill being built, did you notice the guys standing on top of the smokestack. OSHA woud be having as heart attack and someone would be paying a big fine.
I did. I almost thought a group of circus performers, or cheerleaders with some great school spirit had made their way up there for the fun of it. It does seem a tab bit dangerous, but then again so was mining as a whole. They might of rather been up there in the fresh (ish) air then down in the mine.
Mike
Which map did you use for the source of the railroads coming from Calumet to Lake Linden The 1929 USGS report map shows the Mineral Range, the Hecla and Torch Lake railroad and the Houghton Co. Traction Line paralleling each other down the hill from Calumet on the West side of M-26. Was M-26 realigned at some time? Or is it possible that the traction line between Calumet and Lake LInden was realigned?
Dave…
All three lines did come down from Calumet on the west (left) side of M26 (then called St. Louis Hill Rd I believe) However, there was a stop along the interurban at Henwood – a small town just up the hill from Lake Linden. (its where that pet cemetary is now, just before the big curve on M26). The interurban crossed the road there and then continued on down the hill on the east (right) side of the road.
The map I have (see HERE) shows that the interurban crosses the road at Henwood then continues down the hill to Lake Linden. I don’t think the line was ever re-aligned, but M26 was re-aligned – adding that long and gentle curve just past Henwood. (the original route of M26 is that dirt road heading off to the right at Henwood today, just after the Pet Cemetary sign.)
If I remember right, on the west side of M26 now, the street car right of way is a driveway for a home. Also power lines follow the right of way on both sides where it crosses the highway, this would be just before the big curve going downhill. The newer wider highway had to be mid 60′s. I have to walk down below the old Copper Range and see if the old street car roadbed is visible this summer along the north side of M26
Funny how something comes back, the big curve is where a restaurant called the “Sputnik” was built, its that shell of a building there. It had small “Sputnik” satellites for driveway markers. It didn’t last long from what I remember as a youth. I think they thought the new road was going to bring so much more business that way. Was a weird place to open a restaurant. Never went in the place either. Shape of the building was more of a fast food type thing but don’t know that for sure.
Regarding those fish tumors:
http://www.glc.org/spac/pdf/rapupdates/Torch%20Lake%20RAP%20Final%2010.29.07.pdf
On pg 12 of above doc:
“These process wastes, which included creosotes and xanthates, were suspected as the causative agents responsible for tumor induction in Torch Lake sauger and walleye (Markham, 1985; Leddy, 1986; Stensland and Bowen, 1986). They have not been found in the lake due to their rapid degradation (Dorie, 1986 and MDNR, 1987). A direct link with tumor formation was never established (Markham, 1976; MDNR, 1987; MDNR, 1990)”
So the frothing agents are long gone and most of them probably went to the smelter with the concentrate. That dump of 27,000 gal sounds big but torch lake is 5.2 trillion cubic feet in vol so not very significant. And the ammonium carbonate is not a problem. It’s the cupric ion (Cu+2) that is toxic and it’s still at fairly high amounts in the sediments and can be mobilized from the stamp sand.
I think the ammonium leach process developed by Benedict at C&H was used starting in 1915.
Do you have a date for that Gazette photo of that M-26 over pass? I think I remember biking through that in 1973.
Mike, thanks for this site, it keeps me thinking.