“By the end of the nineteenth century, copper mining along the Keweenaw had come of age. No longer a rugged and remote frontier spotted by temporary mining camps, the Copper Country had matured into a civilized and highly prosperous land. The struggling boom or bust mining companies of the past had been replaced by stable, productive, and dominant players like C&H and Quincy who had great sway over its workforce and communities. But these civilized lands and the copper mines that controlled them were concentrated north of the Portage canal; to the south lay relatively untapped (and highly rich in copper) resources. But by 1901 this southern range would give birth to another great copper mine – the Copper Range.

The Copper Range Consolidated Company, under the direction of John Stanton and William Paine (of Paine & Webber fame), had gained majority ownership of a series of mining interests along the southern range including three mines, a smelter, and a railroad. One of those mines was the Champion sitting on the end of the Baltic lode. While the other mines along the lode managed operations only into the 30′s, the Champion continued to be mined right up to the end – September of 1967.”