The Mineral Range Railroad began its life in 1873 as a short 14 mile line connecting Hancock and Calumet. In this original configuration the majority of the railroad’s surface structures were located in Hancock, including its locomotive house and machine shops. But over the years the line expanded to cover more than 90 miles, and included trackage obtained from its merger with its competitor: the Hancock and Calumet Railroad. By the turn of the century the majority of the railroad’s business was to the north, along several mines between Calumet and Mohawk. For the sake of efficiency the railroad was forced to move its base of operations north to Calumet. In the process the company constructed a new roundhouse and several support structures just outside of the village – at a point where C&H would later build its trestle along its line to Red Jacket.

Here’s a look at that complex as it existed in 1924 (which is also featured in the Copper Empire Vol I by the way). This would represent the Mineral Range at its peak, after which the line would contract and along with it several of these buildings would be demolished or reduced in scope. At the complex’s core is the roundhouse and attached machine shop. Nearby stood a sand house (to supply the loco’s with traction), a couple tool houses, a water tower (to supply water for the boilers), a warehouse, and an oil house. All that stands today from this entire complex is the oil house – which we’ll take a closer look at today.

From a distance the building looked more like a powder house than an oil house, but the similarities are not a coincidence. Like the explosive black powder stores in powder houses, the oils used along railroads were highly flammable, and oil stored in a tank could possibly explode under the right circumstances. Because of this oil houses were built to be fire proof, usually out of concrete or brick and featuring as little wood as possible. To keep down fume, they were also vented. This is true of both oil houses we have discovered thus far, including a much different looking structure at the Champion Mine.

Oil houses were built to store the oil needed by the railroad to lubricate its engines and cars, as well as provide oil for various light sources including lamps and signals. Storage tanks inside the building held the oil while pumps were provided to siphon off the oil by railroad workers. This door was most likely used for that purpose.

Taking a peak inside it was obvious that I wasn’t the first to do so. Along the concrete roof I could make out a few metal bands running its length, while a series of iron bars spanned the opening between the walls. We have seen these details before, most notably at the Ahmeek powder house. More interesting, however, was what sat along the floor – tanks.