For railroad fans, the Keweenaw is a treasure trove of material. Besides the dozen’s of short line railroads that were built to service various mines (The H&TL and Q&TL being the most popular) there were also a collection of larger independent lines that ran trains across the Copper Country. While this is all great for railroad fans, it has also resulted in a confusing tangle of old grades and right-of-ways criss-crossing the peninsula. To make things even more complicated, a plethora of mergers and take-overs meant that railroads changed names several times during their life-spans. All of this makes identifying those railroads and their remains extremely difficult.

One of those recurring difficulties has been with the Mineral Range and its subsequent partner, the Hancock and Calumet. Before Copper Range arrived these two were the largest railroads in the area with over 60 miles of narrow gauge track under their control. In the end the lines were merged under one roof – the Duluth South Shore & Atlantic. These lines – and where exactly they ran – has been a thorn in my side from the beginning. Over time I have mixed them up many times, and have even labeled them incorrectly on a few maps. To cover my butt I just referred to them as the “DSS&A” which while technically accurate was a sloppy way of doing things. Today I thought I’d clear it all up and define these railroads once and for all.

The Mineral Range came first, in 1873, with a thirteen mile narrow-gauge line between Hancock and Calumet. The line was the area’s first independent railroad and as such was not operated by any mining interests. It did however rely on the mines for its income – most notably the Tamarack and Osceola. The Mineral Range was contracted to haul both ore and coal for these mines, a relationship that quickly went sour. Unhappy with the rates and service the Mineral Range was providing, the Tamarack and Osceola Mines decided to start their own narrow gauge railroad for themselves. This new line was the Hancock & Calumet, which began operating in 1884.

The Hancock & Calumet’s first line simply ran down from the mines south of Calumet to their respective mills at Torch Lake. As the Tamarack and Osceola Mines acquired new properties, the line was extended to service them as well. In 1887 it was extended to Allouez to cater to Osceola’s newly acquired Kearsarge Mines. By 1895 it had reached Fulton, just east of Mohawk. It also built a spur from a point just west of Tamarack Mills (known as Lake Junction) out towards Lake Linden and the mouth of the Traprock.

Unfortunately, even with the business and backing of the Tamarack and Osceola Mines the H&C RR was never able to compete with the Mineral Range, and was quickly bought up by its former rival in 1887. Although it was allowed to operate under the H&C name, the line was forever more controlled by the Mineral Range. Connections were made between the two lines at Hancock and Calumet, merging both railroads into a railroad juggernaut with over 60 miles of track, 16 locomotives, 12 passenger cars, and close to 400 pieces of rolling stock.

In 1893 the Duluth South Shore & Atlantic gained majority control of both railroads, and proceeded to convert it all to standard gauge in 1897. By 1949 the DSS&A took full control of both railroads, and operated all under the DSS&A banner. All lines ceased operations in 1978.

In the map above (as with the other two maps to follow) the original Mineral Range line is in YELLOW, while the Hancock and Calumet line is in RED.

Here is the starting point for both lines at Hancock. The Mineral Range line (YELLOW) took a gradual ride up Quincy Hill on the way north, while the H&C (RED) took the low road along the lake. At first both lines were landlocked here, as the original private bridge built across the canal did not carry any rail traffic. Through some major lobbying on the Mineral Range’s part, the private bridge was bought by the government around 1883 and a lower rail deck was added for the Mineral Range.

While the Quincy Mine had its own inclined tramway to bring copper down to its mill in Hancock, it required an independent railroad to deliver its coal supplies. The contract went to the Mineral Range, which built a 2 mile branch line to the mine. Unfortunately Quincy became unhappy with the service (just like the Tamarack and Osceola before it), and began using its own Q&TL for coal in 1890.

The Mineral Range main lines terminus (YELLOW LINE) was at Calumet, a short distance past its depot on Oak Street. For the original H&C (RED LINE) starting point was just south-east of the Osceola Mine. A branch line was built northward to reach the Tamarack and North Tamarack Mines. The line then ran down the hill to Torch Lake, ending at the Tamarack and Osceola Mills south of Hubbell. After the Mineral Range gained control of the H&C, the line was extended northward as far as Fulton in 1895. Along the way a series of branch lines were built to service the Kearsarge Mines (S. Kearsarge, Wolverine, N. Kearsarge, Allouez, ect.).

The major mystery I have yet to figure out was how the H&C got from the point south of Osceola up to the Tamarack – without using the pre-existing Mineral Range Line. Either the two ran side by side, or shared the same tracks. Its possible the the re-alignment of the Mineral Range that I noted at Osceola might have had something to do with the arrival of the H&C.

After coming down the hill and meeting up with the Tamarack and Osceola Mills at Tamarack Mills, the H&C line west south-west towards Hancock. A branch line was built northward to Lake Linden for 2.5 miles, which met up with the H&C main line at a place known as Lake Junction. At the bottom of the map you see part of the Arcadian Branch of the Mineral Range, which served the Arcadian and Franklin Mills at Pt. Mills from the Arcadian Junction at Boston Pond.

More details of the Arcadian Branch can be found HERE
More details of the Torch Lake Valley rail lines can be found HERE

The history of both the Mineral Range and Hancock & Calumet Railroads was obtained from “American Narrow Gauge Railroads” by George Woodman Hilton, a preview of which can be obtained at Google Books HERE. Detailed line information for both railroads (including accidents, freight and passenger numbers, and general balance books) can be found in the “Annual Report of the Commissioner of Railroads of the State of Michigan for the year 1896″ also available at Google Books HERE