Comments on: A Mine at Boston

By: Franklin Jr. Revisited

Franklin Jr. Revisited — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:01:53 +0000

[...] been here before, multiple times in fact. The first visit resulted in the discovery of the old Albany and Boston Stamp mill, as well as a more contemporary [...]

By: Guest Post: The Franklin Jr No.2

Guest Post: The Franklin Jr No.2 — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:16:06 +0000

[...] Before wrapping this post up I thought I’d throw in a look at the site as drawn in the Calumet Sanborn. The No.2 was served by a MR rail spur coming up from Boston Pond. From here it made its way out to the No.2 Boiler complex, the stack of which is still visible above the trees. As for the hoist building, I had previously featured it HERE. [...]

By: explorer

explorer — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:04:42 +0000

Excellent Gordy… that helps out a lot. I was thinking it might of been a similar situation to the Calumet PO vs Red Jacket type of thing. I guess you can just name PO’s whatever you want and they don’t have to correspond to an actual town name.

I’ll have to look that book up….

By: Gordy Schmitt

Gordy Schmitt — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 04:47:30 +0000

I did a search for the Demmon Post Office, in Google Books a book called Michigan Place Names showed up.
Showed Boston as being a station on the Mineral Range Railroad.

Jemima White was the first Postmaster on Jan 26, 1900, on April 2, 1906, the office was renamed Demmon for Daniel L Demmon, Secretary and Treasurer of the Franklin Mining Company. Post office was closed on Nov 30, 1933, but Boston remains.
So it looks like to me, the Post Office was renamed and stayed right where it was, the town was still Boston, and was probably why the railroad never showed it as being Demmon.
Daniel L Demmons was 76 years old and passed away on Feb 19, 1908, he also showed being treasurer of the Tecumseh Mining Co formed in 1880.

By: explorer

explorer — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:16:38 +0000

Old Topo maps show that a spur from Arcadian Junction (which is probably the “Boston Jct” your source sites) went up and around Boston to stop at what is marked on the maps as the Demmon PO. I have a feeling the Demmon PO was a leftover from the Albany and Boston days, and once Franklin moved in that spur was abandoned and the new Franklin Jr. Spur was used instead. (and the station was moved to that intersection)

My topo shows both spurs, the old Demmon and the newer Franklin Jr. It does not show the St. Mary, but newer Topo do show an abandoned rail line there.

By: Gordy Schmitt

Gordy Schmitt — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:49:14 +0000

Funny how this come up, I had got a new book called the Duluth South Shore and Atlantic Railway, its a history of the DSS&A and its predecessor railroads. It lists the station names for the old Mineral Range, at Milepost 6.6 was Boston 1873-1931 which was also the Franklin Jr Mine Spur, then at MP 7.0 was Boston Jct, 1912 renamed Arcadian Jct, 1945 renamed Siding M7, it existed 1898-1960. Milepost 7.4 was St Mary’s Jct (1873-1933), MP 8.8 was Highway (1873-1919), MP 9.2 was Keno(1906-1917). Demmon was not listed. Remember that a station name didn’t always mean a train station existed, could be just a location for the train crews to know.

By: explorer

explorer — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 03:42:56 +0000

Terry..

Thanks for the updates. Its funny that you decided to post about the Albany & Boston / Franklin Jr. mines today because as we speak I’m working on that sheet of my explorer maps. After today’s research I came to some of the same conclusions. The Franklin Jr worked both the Allouez conglomerate lode on which the Albany and Boston worked as well as the Pewabic Lode next door (along the road).

I was able to narrow down the conglomerate shafts but the Franklin Jr’s are a problem. Supposedly there were four shafts, numbered from north to south with the first shaft called simply “North shaft” followed by 1, 2, then 3. It appears that most work was done on the No. 1 and No. 3. From my Sanborn maps the No. 3 was that rock pile visible along the road going towards Rhode Island.

But thanks for bringing my attention to this post. I’ll have to change the subject to the actually mine name (Franklin Jr I’ll call it) instead of the incorrect “Boston Mine”.

Now if you could just sort out some confusion on the Demmon / Boston Location conundrum I’m also currently trying to unravel my day would be complete!

By: Terry (Copperlady)

Terry (Copperlady) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:29:27 +0000

I forgot to mention that the conglomerate #2 was one of the old Albany & Boston shafts that the Franklin re-opened and re-worked. Most of the Albany and Boston’s workings were on this side of the Boston Location Road.

By: Terry (Copperlady)

Terry (Copperlady) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:27:10 +0000

Several people who have posted are correct, there was not a “Boston Mine” Boston Location contains the remnants of the old Albany and Boston Mine, which was later purchased by the Franklin Mine and became Known as the Franklin Jr. Mine.

The Albany & Boston operated from 1857-1881 and had 4-5 shafts and a few winzes. It became the Peninsula Mine in 1882, and was then purchased by the Franklin in 1895. The mine worked both the Allouez conglomerate and the Pewabic Amygdaloid deposits.

The more northern rock pile that is visible from near the Boston Road-Boston Loc. Rd intersection are the newer workings that were opened by the Franklin Jr. Mine on the Pewabic lode.

In back of what I remember as a construction company are old railbeds-roads leading back to the Franklin Jr.’s Conglomerate #2 shaft. This more southern spot has a very large poor rock pile, and the shaft is nicely capped and the metal posts are nicely engraved with the shafts identity. There is also the remains of the Rockhouse, a cement structure that seems to be what is in a few of your pictures. It would be nice if this, as well as many other shafts had not been capped in this way and could be recapped to allow for bat habitat. Those creatures that we hate to love have a benefit….they love to diet on the areas infamous mosquitoes!!

By: Hoser from Downer Peninsula

Hoser from Downer Peninsula — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 23:39:30 +0000

“You can’t find posts from before 7/31/06 because there are none.”

Oh.

Well, I guess that explains that. Eh shoot, I guess I’m all caught up.