“The copper rush that descended upon the Keweenaw in the second half of the 19th century was a global phenomenon. While the majority of investors and speculators arriving to the peninsula in search of their copper riches hailed from more native locals – such as New England – a few companies had their roots across the pond in Europe. Most notable of these foreign investors was the Societe Francoise des Mines des Cuivres Natif du Lac Superior, later known as the French Copper Mining Company of Copper Harbor. Organized in Paris in 1858, the company grabbed up a large tract of land leases and old mines around Copper Harbor and quickly developed several of the old properties including the Clark Mine. Within a few years the French Company was no more, but its old properties (including the Clark) fell under the ownership of yet another French investor: Edouard Estivant.”