Quincy Mine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Quincy Mining Company Historic District | |
|---|---|
| (U.S. National Historic Landmark District) | |
 |
|
| Nearest city: | Hancock, Michigan |
| Architect: | Quincy Mining Co. |
| Architectural style(s): | No Style Listed |
| Added to NRHP: | February 10, 1989 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 89001095[1] |
| Governing body: | Private |
The Quincy Mine is an extensive set of copper mines located near Hancock, Michigan. The mine was owned by the Quincy Mining Company and operated between 1846 and 1945, although some activities continued through the 1970s. The Quincy Mine was known as "Old Reliable," as the Quincy Mine Company paid a dividend to investors every year between 1867 and 1921.
Contents |
[edit] Lifespan: 1846-1945
The Quincy Mine was founded in 1846 with significant investment from Massachusetts (the town of Quincy, Massachusetts lent the mine its name). While many other copper mines were founded at the same time, the Quincy Mine became the most successful of the 1840s-era mines, and was the country's leading copper producing mine from 1862-1867.[2] The mine was the first such mine to switch from "fissure mining" (extracting large, mostly pure masses of copper) to "amygdaloid mining" (extracting large amounts of ore-bearing rock, which is processed separately to extract the metal). Amygdaloid mining is vastly more efficient, and the mining company produced profits for 54 consecutive years as a result. This helped the mine survive longer than almost all other Keweenaw copper mining companies, except the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company and the Copper Range Company.
To attract a better class of worker, the Quincy Mining Company built and maintained housing for the workers. Over the course of operations, the types of housing ranged from simple tents in the early days, to complete three story houses shortly before the mine's shutdown. The executives on the east coast wanted to build more elaborate and fancy homes with a lot of amenities standard, such as electricity and running water. However, the on-site managers didn't think it was necessary for the miners to have such high class dwellings. The reason behind the building of the nicer houses was that the east coast executives realized that if they offered nicer homes to the workers, the miners were more likely to stay there and raise a family. This would make the workers less likely to leave the area or transfer to another mining company. This strategy proved effective and really helped the Quincy Mining Company retain its status as one of the premier mining companies in the region.
The Quincy Mining Company closed operations (but did not dissolve) in 1931 due to low copper prices.[3] During World War II, the mines re-opened due to increased copper demand. When the government stopped supporting copper prices after the war, the mines quickly closed for good.
[edit] The mine's engineering achievements
When the mine ceased production in 1945, the Quincy Number 2 shaft was the world's deepest shaft, at 9,260 feet (2.82 km or 1.75 miles) along the dip of the deposit.[4] To raise and lower ore and workers into this shaft, the world's largest steam-driven mine hoist was built in 1918 and housed in the Quincy Number 2 Hoist House. The Nordberg Steam Hoist and its reinforced concrete building, built in the Georgian architectural style with brick veneer and Italian-tiled walls, cost over $370,000 in 1918 but was used for only eleven years until it ceased usage in 1929.[5] Weighing more than 880 tons, it lifted 10 tons of ore at 36.4 miles per hour, thus saving $16,080 in fuel bills in its first year of operation.[6] The hoist sat on the largest concrete slab ever poured, containing 3200 cu. yards of cement and over 8 tons of reinforcement material. [7] The Number 2 Hoist House was built as a reinforced concrete structure on a scale rare for 1918, making it one of the first of its kind[8] The very decorative Hoist House was used as a showpiece for visiting investors.
[edit] The mine today
The Quincy Mine is now a popular Keweenaw tourist attraction. The Quincy Mine Hoist Association maintains the buildings and grounds, and provides guided tours of the Number 2 Shaft House and several of the mine tunnels during the summer. There are museum-style exhibits within many buildings. The mine and surrounding areas are part of the Keweenaw National Historical Park.
The Number 6 Shaft House (no longer standing) is often pictured in photographs as a picturesque example of shaft house architecture.
Many of the shafts and stopes below the hoist house have filled with groundwater and are no longer accessible.
[edit] References
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
- ^ Horace J. Stevens (1909) Copper Handbook, v.8, Houghton, Mich.: Horace Stevens, p.1149, 1457.
- ^ National Park Service article on the Quincy Mining Company (PDF)
- ^ Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula is a playground for snow bunnies, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal (HTML)
- ^ Keweenaw National Historic Park Website for Quincy Mine
- ^ A Sightseer's Guide to Engineering
- ^ http://files.asme.org/ASMEORG/Communities/History/Landmarks/5631.pdf
- ^ Yarborough, Ed. Personal Interview. 13 April 2007.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Quincy Mine Hoist Association
- Photo of the Number 2 Shaft House
- Photo of the Number 6 Shaft House
- Current Pictures of the Mine Ruins At Copper Country Explorer
- The Quincy Mining Company Collection
 |
This Michigan state location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
|
||||||||||
