Hoist House

As we looked down the dusty path at this point in time, it was clear that Tecumseh road was quickly meeting its fate. Here the rail-line moved further south, making a turn to the southwest a few hundred yards distant. Down the road to the southwest, a small creek meandered through a covert and out into the marshland behind us. To the east, poking up above the tree line, Osceola #13 continued it vigil. And just ahead of us – so close we almost missed it – we could see the rust red of bricks in the brush. Ruins!

The second hoist building ( or so we had called it ) was similar in form to the structure we had encountered earlier – only on a more grand scale. This building was easily twice as large as the other – the “H” shaped foundation of red brick was a good eight feet high. The whole structure was a good 20 feet square. If it was a hoist foundation, this one was a much larger machine.

So how do you know a hoist building when you find one? Hoists consisted of two basic parts: a large drum on which a long length of hoisting rope was wound around; and a steam engine connected to that drum which was used to turn it. Because of this standardized design, any foundation we find that was used for a hoist would have to have accommodations for both of those components. Lets take a look at the foundation for what we think is the #5 hoist

While the outer wall is made from poor rock, the inner foundation on which the machinery sat is built with both poor rock and bricks. The bricks apparently manufactured by the “brush” company.

The identity of the mystery building yet to be determined, turned our attention back to the goal at hand: finding the hoist. While we knew that the hoist had to be in the direction we were heading, the woods were become thick and impassible. Instead of fighting our way ahead we decided to take the easier route and head out to the road. While we say road, it isn’t exactly that. It is the same dirt two track that ran between the shaft building and the dry, now heading east towards what we hoped was the hoist.

An inside look at the Gratiot Hoist building in a 360 view from the hoist pedestal itself. Get the big picture of this modern hoist ruin by clicking on the image below.

Through our explorations in the Copper Country, we have noticed various trends in mining technology, infrastructure, and building techniques. We have also noticed how these trends evolve over the years, shaping the ruins we find on our travels. The Gratiot Hoist Building is the apogee of hoist building design, and it’s lineage can be traced back to the earliest mine ruins we have discovered. Following this line says interesting things about mine technology and construction techniques over the years.

The hoist building is actually two connected buildings; a narrow and short building in which the hoist cables entered and a larger building shown here. The sheer size of this building would suggest it held a large piece of equipment, possible the hoist itself. However, modern hoists (as this mine would have used) are powered by electricity and are much smaller then their steam powered ancestors.

Sitting just off the beaten path and hidden in the thick woodlands south of Mohawk stands an impressive monument of stone and concrete. Like an abandoned English castle, this ancient structure lies hidden within natures foliage-weaved shroud. Fighting our way through thick underbrush we suddenly found ourselves at the base of its towering outer walls. Rising a good three stories above our heads, these walls were a work of delicate art – crafted from stone and brick

This building held a large hoist, a more modern steam powered machine then other hoists along the lode. The large trench in the center of the building was home to a machine of some girth, and the large opening afforded the hoist drum suggested a machine built for a deep mine. While the roof has long since collapsed, the high walls and cavernous space above our heads gave us an awe inspiring sense of scale. This hoist was huge.