It was five years ago yesterday – July 31st – that I published my first entry into what would become a daily on-line journal documenting the history and heritage of the great Copper Empire. Now I’m writing my 781st entry in that journal, and I have no idea what to write about. I had intended on approaching CCE’s five year anniversary with much fanfare, pomp and circumstance. I was going to have a special anniversary book prepared, one showcasing some of the site’s best work. It was going to sell like hotcakes. I was going to write up some profound statement to commemorate the day, and create some heartwarming memoir to go with it. I was going to make it matter.
But here we are. There is no fanfare. There is no pomp or certainly no circumstance. There is no book, and it’s not selling like hotcakes. And unfortunately I can’t seem to come up with anything profound to say, nor provide any heartwarming memoir. All I have is a blank document on my computer and a horrible case of writer’s block. It all doesn’t seem to matter.
Perhaps thats a fitting commemoration in itself. It sure didn’t matter all those years ago when I first started documenting my explorations here – no one cared because no one was reading. I was just a guy writing about what he discovered out in the Copper Country, really nothing more then a digital version of an internal monologue. A speech without an audience, a manifesto without a constituency. Ramblings of yet another blogger out on the world wide web. But then through the power of the world wide web, people did began to listen. People began to read. People began to care about what I had to say. The site attracted a following.
Today CCE musters a respectable average daily audience of about 350 people, a far cry from the audience of one that the site originally garnished (an audience that primarily consisted of just my wife). While not large in internet terms, its rather impressive for such a niche subject as Copper Country history. And the inclusion of these readers means that CCE is no longer just an internal monologue put on digital paper. Its now a dialogue, a conversation between me and 300 other knowledgeable and enthusiastic people who care just as deeply about the same subject as I do. It’s more then just a series of exploring posts, it’s become a smart and engaging conversation about history and heritage. A conversation that hundreds of people eavesdrop on each and every day.
I guess that’s the true legacy of these past five years. Somehow between all the posts about hoist foundations and rock piles CCE has managed to build itself a community. A community of copper country experts and enthusiasts who together create a treasure trove of interesting discoveries, experiences, and knowledge – all explorable in one place. Perhaps that’s as a profound statement as I could say, and perhaps that’s what makes CCE truly matter in the end.
Check out the post that started it all, five years ago HERE.
As one of those 350, CCE has had a huge influence on the last 4 (for me) years of my life. The community built up around CCE is small but excellent, and I’ve learned (and seen, and explored, and photographed) amazing things thanks to you and thanks to others who come here as well. Keep it up!
Thanks Dave. Somehow I knew you’d be the first to comment. Glad you’ve been along for the ride all these years. You’re one of the many great friends I’ve met through this site, and that’s what matter’s the most for me…
Have enjoyed your pictures and information! Congratulations on Five Years of CCE!
As I tip a glass of smurf colored kool-aid in honor of your 5th anniversary I have to think about how much information about the region I have obsorbed because of your work. Amazing! Keep up the good work, and here’s to the next 5 !
Happy Anniversary CCE. This site covers what facinates me. The ruins and remnants. The bricks and morter that remain. The Poor Rock and Stamp Sand piles. This helps to comprehend somewhat the extent of such an important industry to the Industrial America, yet all in a narrow strip of land. This site first caught my attention because it was about exploring the Copper Country. It has held my attention because I always want to know more than what is in the pictures and the pictures here are often things you will never find in the tourist guides that just want to show polish. Thank you for sharing your time with us. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for all you do – and do so well.
Jim, Allen, and Cindy – thanks for the kind words. I’m lucky to have such great readers as yourselves.
Bill – thanks for the smurfy toast, but it’s to you that toast should be raised. If it wasn’t for your constant encouragement and support this day would never have come, the site would have died after I quit it years ago. Thanks a bunch!
Cheers on five years!
I arrived at this site almost five years late, but not too late to realize what an amazing and unique resource this is. I just read those first posts about the Osceola mines, and it felt like having discovered buried treasure.
Everyone here has been very helpful and willing to share their expertise. This is a truly fine community. Thanks to Mike and all the members for keeping the history alive, and for sharing it with those of us with less knowledge but who are eager to learn and explore. Let’s all hope that five years is only the beginning.
Thanks for all your efforts Mike! I now have to come here to get my fill of the UP, and its greatly appreciated!
Thanks Mike for five years of wonderful Copper County Exploring. I read often but haven’t commented before now. CCE provides my heart an ongoing connection to the amazingness of the Copper Country. Isle Royale, the Keweenaw and Lake Superior stole my heart back in the early 90′s when I was a student at Tech. Now, living in Seattle, I rely on you to give me my daily fix (no pressure!)
Truly the delight of CCE comes from your passion and keen interest in exploring. So long as the passion burns I hope CCE continues to chronicle it. Meanwhile, I look forward to that book!
Congratulations on your 5 year anniversary here. Keep up the great work! I’m going to be up there in a couple of weeks and plan on using some of your information for some explorations of things I haven’t already seen.
Congratulations MIke!!! Haven’t been here the entire five years, but have enjoyed every post since I found it! You do a wonderful service to CC history and the preservation of the mining past. I’ve seen so many things on this site that I’ve never seen in person, despite living right next to many of them for over 30 years! I may not comment all the time, but I certainly check in every day. Good luck with your next five years! Oh, and I can’t wait to order your book one of these days.
Congratulations on 5 years. Every time I go through the posts it seems like I find something new. As someone that doesn’t get to head up to the U.P. and explore nearly enough, your site has shown many of the great threads of history woven into the Copper Country. Thanks for all the great finds and many many more to come.
I’ll add my congrats and kudos on the five year anniversary of a fantastic site. I fell in love with the Copper Country during my years at MTU. I don’t get back UP north nearly as often as I’d like, so now I rely on this site for my daily dose of exploring the Keweenaw. Keep up the fantastic work!
Congratulations on 5 years! Great job on running a great site.
Nolsen – Glad you could join us, even if you’re five years late to the party. There’s 780 posts to explore in my archives, so get ready to find even more buried treasure.
Joe – Thank you for hanging out with me all these years (weren’t you still in college when I started this thing?) Your engineering knowledge has been a great asset to this site – thanks!
TheCatGuy – I love it when I get a lurker to come out of the woodwork to leave a comment. Glad to know you’re out there!
Doug – Drop me an email if you want any help finding something. I’ll do my best to help out!
Vic – You’re welcome! Thanks for being part of the conversation on many of my posts, it’s surely welcome
Dale – Another oldie but goodie, thanks for hanging out with me all these years. I think a lot of people use this site to take them back to their MTU days…
Paul – What can I say Paul? Having a man of your expertise and experience contributing to this site has made it ten times better for everyone. I’ve admired your photos and knowledge for years before CCE was even born, and was blown away when you decided to contribute here as well. Keep on stopping by!
Again congrats on this site’s 5th anniversary. I never commented until a few months ago and this site has given me incentive to make my own explorations in to the copper country. Hurrah for another five years!
This is a great site that I visit everyday, the amount of info here is priceless!
I am a relatively new member but have been following the site for several years. I am forced to exist in SE Michigan but I truely live in the UP – when not on trips through this website.
The site and the regular contributors are beyond compare.
MLC
Congratulations on five years of informative, entertaining posts!!!
I haven’t been here for all five years, but pretty close. I can’t believe that after all this time there’s always something new to learn almost every day.
BTW, I still miss the black background with white letters…
Congrats on the 5th anniversary. Your website filled a hole that was created by the passing of Kevin Musser, as his copper range website gave me my weekly fix of copper country lore. Keep up the good work!
I was just thinking and this was my introduction to CCE….
“The Centennial is a rather old mine, originally opened in 1869 and consisting of a total of 7 shafts. Centennial #6 is that large shaft house you can see from the road as you head north near Kearsarge. This shaft originally closed in around 1900, but was reopened in the 70′s by the Homestake Mining Company in a last ditch effort for profitable mining in the Keweenaw. It closed for good in ’77. The group of buildings and mixing tanks next door is the on-site mill used to create copper concentrate from the mined ore.
Since your pictures were taken the structure has disinigrated greatly. One of the main beams holding the whole building has snapped, and the entire structure is leaning to one side at a precarious angle. More fencing has been placed around its base to keep people away, mostly due to the fact the thing could fall over at any moment. Its no wonder though, considering the thing is over a century old (unlike its more modern sister shaft next door). We actually walked right past the thing to head out towards Centennial No. 6, but never stopped to take any of it. We will have to return soon before the whole thing is gone however.”
Jsu – Glad the site’s helped you find some great places here in the Copper Country, thanks for the great well wishes!
Mark – You’re another one of the great contributors to this site, and the site is better because of it. Thanks!
MLC – Thanks for the compliments, I’m glad the site helps get you out of town from time to time, if only virtually…
Chris – Kevin was an inspiration to me in starting this site, as his work was of such an amazing quality. Though I appreciate your sentiment, his passing left a hole this site could never fill completely, the entire CC heritage community is worse off because of it.
Jay – What can I say? I feel like you’ve been here from the beginning (though I know you haven’t). Though we haven’t met face to face, I feel like you’re an old friend who has been right alongside me for the whole ride this last half century. Thanks for being someone I could always count on to post a comment and send some traffic my way when you could. It was always appreciated.
That email is an oldie, and your question about the Centennial was the first email I ever got (besides spam of course) from my site. I think it was that point when I knew that it was starting to matter. At least to you it did. But now everyone will know that I was just making that stuff up…
BTW, both the old mill and hoist house that accompanied Centennial No.3 are long gone, but that stubborn old rock house continues to stand amazingly.
I still haven’t taken any pictures of the darn thing.
As a long-time,but frequent, lurker I would also like to congratulate you on a splendid effort. You have not only created itineraries for future vacations to the Copper Country, but have also made the times between a lot more enjoyable. Thanks!
Gosh golly, I missed the party again, oh wait, you didn’t have one.
Mike, this is one of the coolest websites. I look forward to seeing what you posted new.
I have no idea how far into your 5 years I jumped on board, but its been worth every minute. I still run into things I had never read before.
So congratulations on the first 5 years and hopefully many, many more.
Think its about time to send another donation to help a bit.
The site really got me to start looking at things I had always wondered about and never took the time to look or even search for. I wish I had more time to search and look. Seems every time I get in the northwoods, its time to come back.
Thank goodness old #3 did not blow over when the roofs were taken off those other buildings in Calumet
Congatulation on hanging on for five years and making this site what it is today.Look forward to checking out your posts everyday after work.A relief from the rat race down here.Thanks.
Kurt – you’ve been another great friend that I’m honored to have gotten to know through this site. You’ve always been welcoming to me and the CCE community, opening up your property for us many times. Can’t thank you enough!
ROC – thank you, but it’s you who rocks (couldn’t resist the pun there). Your many contributions to this site and most generous support over the years has always been appreciated immensely. I couldn’t have done it without you.
Gordy – same goes for you, your generous contributions over the years has kept this site afloat in more ways then one. (those maps and newsletters were killer). Your opinion has always mattered a great deal, and as long as your still happy I know I’m doing a great job. It’s even ok that you get ahead of me once and awhile…
CCWannabe – thanks and I’m glad you’ve been around, even it was just lurking in the shadows. Glad I could show you around this great area…
Mike, Thank you for your site and the effort you put into it. I attended MTU from 1966-1969. The day I stepped off the Copper Country Limited I looked up to Quincy Hill and saw the rock cars parked on top. The next day I climbed up Mt. Ripley Ski Hill and started exploring. Well, the exploring got the better of me and I eventually dropped out of MTU. No regrets. Exploring the CC and the UP has been a far better education and has touched my soul.
I was just out of college, but the site allowed me to stay connected from Az… Funny I am back in Az now working on the same project as I was when you started!
This web site is one of best web sites I have had the pleasure of using. The information that you present is new and informative. It is a daily dose of medicine for those of us who cannot make it on a regular basis. However I will be in the area the second two weeks of September with a number of both new to me and old places to explore.
You done a wonderful job for all of us Copper Country fans.
congrats on 5 years CCE!! Mike enjoy reading each post and its contents of the great copper country and its heritage of its people, the copper and all the industries and business it supported and your effort to keep it alive and active in the present ,while we all look back at its past. Keep up the outstanding passion going on this site and I am sure there is many more years of exploring ahead.
I’m sure there are plenty of locals who have “always known” which mine was which and where everything was. But for the rest of us, it’s great having the information laid out. The time I get in the copper country is not nearly enough, so it makes a big difference knowing what I want to see and how to find it before getting there.
So thanks.
Hans – I wish I could have been around during that time to explore this area, I’m sure it was way more interesting. But I’m glad you can still find my site interesting, after having experienced such great explorations back when so much more was here to find.
Dave – Thanks for all your help and support over the years. Those maps of mine wouldn’t have been possible without you, nor would of a lot of the posts I have written here. We’ll have to get together when you come up…
Bruce – Glad you enjoy the work I put on here, but you would have done the same thing if the internet was around back when you were exploring this great land. I was just born in the right era. Thank you for all your great contributions to this site, your photos are amazing and I’d love to see more!
ticketmagnet – Thanks for the nice words, and I’m glad I can help you enjoy the CC better during your visits. I only wish I could be more helpful and not worry so much about all those liability issues!
Congratulations Mike. I have been enjoying the info you present for a long time now. I used to spend a bunch of time and money to research things which your site now freely covers. I also think a lot of us have the urge to somehow ‘get close’ to the CC mining operations of the past. Reviewing the images of the ruins and other info you provide help me to mentally visit those fascinating times. Thank you! (‘The Copper Empire’ is also one of my favorites).
cheers again mike. you’ve done well.
without this site, i would not know a fraction of what i know about the region. and i would have seen even less of it.
thanks also for allowing me into your house and showing me Yooper hospitality. ive made new friends from this site, and for me that’s rare.
thanks for everything man.
long live CCE!
Thanks mike for such great dedication to an amazing area that means so much to all of us. I’ll have a drink for you (I’d buy you one but it wouldn’t transport well from Colorado) Here’s for 5, 10 ,15….. more exciting years
Rob – thanks, glad I could save you some dough, (and thanks for the book plug)
Adam – your welcome for that hospitality, but its just what I would have done for any other old friend I’ve known for years. If I ever get the urge to explore Detroit I know you’d do the same for me.
BTW – if I was an ounce as adventurous as you, this site would have been a thousand times better.
Geoff – I’ll just consider that drink off an IOU, maybe next time you’re in the Copper Country. Thanks for all the support!
Congrats on 5 years Mike! Sorry, I would’ve commented on this days ago, but I was at band camp all week and didn’t get a chance to read it until now… but I must say, this little entry, in my mind, is a fitting 5th anniversary celebration!
I’m proud to have contributed to this site and to have supported you in comments and such, and I’m thankful beyond anything I could ever put into words for you sticking with it all those years and working your hardest to make this site the best source of Copper Country information on the internet for us.
At band camp this year, as always, we made a big point to the incoming freshmen about band being a real family. In a way, that’s kind of how we are here – even though some of us may never meet in person, and we may not support each other in anything other than fellowship, donations and knowledge, it’s this kind of informal family – the CCE community – that, at least for me, has made a large impact on my life.
Congratulations, and thank you for each one of those 5 years!
Ian – Glad to have you back, and thanks for the great comments. This site may not have made me a millionaire, but its made me rich in other more important ways. Thanks everyone for taking the time to make me a part of your lives each and everyday, hopefully I’ll continue to make it worth your while.
Congratulations on the 5 year anniversary of CCE. You’ve done a great job with the site. Hope to meet you in person on one of my trips to the Copper Country!
Thank you kindly for all you do and Congrats!!
I’m playing catch up with your posts, I may be late but I don’t want to miss the opportunity to say a big thank you for your hard work Mike, and congratulations on five years!!! Since 2009 now I’ve eagerly been reading all your posts and have loved having the connection to mining history and the copper country that you provide. Best wishes and here’s to a great future!
Thanks Phill, glad you took the time to drop me a note! It’s much appreciated!
Hi Mike, Better late than never I guess. I’m just getting caught up with all the postings I missed this past summer. Anyways, a whole hearted thank you to you and Tricia for all the time and effort you put into this wonderful site. This is by far the most valuable source of info about CC that I have ever come across. Also your sense of humor and style of writing often puts a smile on my face. You are a very good author. In fact it has compelled me to send you my annual membership dues…..oops, I mean annual donation (membership dues aren’t tax deductible, donations are!) to you, but when I put my arrow on the “Help Support CCE” box the arrow won’t change to a finger. What’s the deal? Is my money not good enough for you?!! Anyways, it was a blast meeting you at the Baltic and Champion and I hope to remain friends with you for years to come. Thank you!
Jim –
It’s great to hear from you again. Thanks for the great comments and I’m glad your enjoying the new CCE. I apologize for the broken link but I’m working on something special. I don’t want to go into specifics yet, so you’ll just have to have some patience with me. The link should be working next month…