I miss this town we had a lot of fun living here and had lots of good friends those were the days. I was extremely saddened by the closure as were thousands of others directly or indirectly impacted. We would start with Jumbos, [driller blaster] that drilled a specific pattern with 12ft steels to fill the face with explosives to be blasted at the end of each shift. And I hope to pass that onto my kids someday. These photos are beautiful. Hi Donna, I’m Terri Cencich Riveland. Has anyone ever heard about the copper road that was a natural vein of copper that was flat and wide and trucks drove over it till it was polished to a shine? I’ll never forget the air pressure blasts and reverb of the 8-12 other units being blown at shifts end. Could see that stack out of my bedroom window. My father gary paul worked there for years till 1976 when he accepted a job with msha. Mine shafts were capped and allowed to flood, and the concentrator was razed to its foundations. 3 days later Mom said the snow storm ended and they took me to Ontanogan county hospital. I was amazed by a full service mechanics shop there. The facility has the capacity to produce 3 million pounds of copper cathode annually from landfill-diverted products. My Grandfather and Uncle used to work there too .. Adam Halliday and Yaka Skoviak . Can you confirm when that photo was taken and another info you have? I only saw the offices for that company, which I think was called Subterra. Maybe someday. Here’s an account of another grand adventure: I caused a major days long shutdown and flood when I wrapped a chain around my grader wheel backing up trying to avoid an ore car barreling down a slope. While it had been known for decades that a huge deposit of copper lay beneath Ontonagon County, Michigan, because of its metallurgical and chemical properties it could not be smelted. Copper Range spun off its wholly owned subsidiary White Pine Copper Co., which in 1955 opened the White Pine mine at the south end of the copper belt, at White Pine, Michigan, Ontonagon County. I lived in White Pine. But the ore grades were too low, the ore mineral particles too small, and the copper was largely in sulfides instead of native copper. Distribution of copper in the parting and upper shales, on the other hand, seems to be completely independent of local structure, faults, and rock permeability. After working through the difficulties presented by this different kind of mine, White Pine becomes the major producer of copper in Michigan. The copper deposits of the White Pine mine are large stratiform deposits in the Nonesuch shale of upper Precambrian age. It is still there. [no women yet] The next shift would follow up with Trams with 3yd push buckets. I have fond memories of White Pine in my past. The crushers could be located up to a quarter mile away up and down grades. All along would be the massive Ore cars with a push system in the box to empty the ore into a crusher. The pride for White Pine is just as strong, if not stronger. People that have moved away still continue to love and cherish their hometown. It went on for miles with historic machinery graveyards that went on for acres, dead ends filled with water, multiple drive thru air locks, stop signs, stop lights and mechanic shops. The White Pine deposit is in the Ontonagon County, Michigan State. My family roots have literally been raised from this mine and its community. My issue lies more with the values and principles we as a society have, at least thus far, oriented ourselves around as this country was built, and with those at the heads of these companies who exploit both the natural resources and the lives of their workers with wanton disregard for the long term health of either. These belt lines, with a light bulb placed every 10′ would seemingly stretch forever into the uphill slope. [no women yet]. These articulated five foot tall vehicles were yellow and were aptly named, But I still love being home. It went on for miles with historic machinery graveyards that went on for acres, dead ends filled with water, multiple drive thru air locks, stop signs, stop lights and mechanic and utility shops and depots. A ball mill at the old White Pine mine. Each unit worked multiple heads to keep the equipment rolling. I have his lighter from 1964, he worked at the white pine mine and was my great grandpa and, Liked your story and photos.you may be intresred in the older white pine mine site with old ball mill drums and smelter stack. Off we would go- to the Dry [locker and shower building on the surface]. Historically the site has been associated with the Keweenaw Copper Mining District which is now part of the Ottawa National Forest. It’s heartbreaking to see what was once for White Pine. 20-00371 February 25, 1998 By Ralph D. Christensen Supervisory Mine Safety and Health Inspector Stephen W. Field Mine Safety and Health Inspector Gharib Ibrahim Civil Engineer Tara E. Earnest Civil Engineer Originating Office Mine Safety and Health Administration Federal Building, U.S. Court House 515 West … The White Pine Mine was the very last commercial copper mine operating in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, producing nearly a third of the total copper production of the entire Copper Country over its 151 year history. There was an industrial elevator in the middle of this ranch type home that we entered and we went straight down a long ways. White Pine Copper Division, Copper Range Company, is the operator of a large underground copper mine in White Pine, Michigan. The White Pine Mine is near White Pine, Michigan. This is my account of my experience Posted in the Ruins of the White Pine Mine Michigan- SUBSTREET. By summer I had transferred to a road grader where I would travel miles underground to maintain the roads. I also remember seeing the orange buses picking up the workers near school on Bessemer. 20+ years later and I still miss da UP!! Whether you are staying in or venturing out, there are many things to do and sites to see year round. The mine is located in the copper range district of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Bam Bam Bam then ours BAM! 语: Very interesting slideshow . You could not be signed in. I love reading about the miners stories handed down by White Pine Mine families. I had great uncles that worked there.. Ted Peterson, Leonard Peterson, John Ikola .. and so many more men I likely knew.. so many brave men who did so much grueling work to care for their families!! Upon exiting the elevator, I was both amazed and somewhat frightened. Amazing photos of a world most of us never knew even growing up in the area. Tectonic Growth of a Collisional Continental Margin: Crustal Evolution of Southern Alaska, Early Sedimentary Evolution of the Michigan Basin, Proterozoic Geology of the Southern Rocky Mountains, Selected Studies of Archean Gneisses and Lower Proterozoic Rocks, Southern Canadian Shield, This site uses cookies. He passed from an unexpected heart attack. COOL CRYSTAL SILVER & CALCITE: WHITE PINE MINE, ONTONAGON CO., MICHIGAN - NR! Next came the Bolters that would drill 20-40 holes 4ft deep to insert a ceiling bolt that held the layers above from crashing on your head. The people from White Pine love that White Pine is their hometown. And hearing my dad talk about it…it’s a beautiful experience for myself. Thomas Hooper discovered copper mineralization in an outcrop of Copper Harbor Conglomerate along the Mineral River on land owned by the St. Mary's Mineral Land Company. How can I send you some photos, In April 1981, I visited this mine just as a casual observer with a friend of mine who was an industrial safety engineer. I bet if it wasn’t maintained nature would have reclaimed much more ! I would hope that those who were involved in the mine can find and post pictures of these machines as they were awesome- with tires 5foot max height and Deutz V12 air cooled diesels with coffee can size cylinders- A mechanics dream. White Pine, MI Copper mines, mine companies, mine owners and mine information. My uncle, Alton (Babe) Seid and aunt, Jeannette Seid (nay Geist) also worked at White Pine for a while. The school closing was one of the hardest experiences I’ve ever had to endure. So sad to see all that history gone. I was a miner for 14 years and was able to get a bachelors of mining engineering in my last two years as a mineral and was able to do so because of a layoff and strike. Copper was at $2 a pound and they were hiring like there was no tomorrow. Visitors will enjoy thousands of public land for hiking, biking, canoeing, fishing and visiting area waterfalls. Well, ask any ex White Pine miner about the mine and you’ll get the White Pine Story. I was a child, but remember how impressively huge and bright it was down there. We all saw a lot of change after reopening as an employee owned project until the approved EPA permits to proceed using solution mining vs conventional mining extraction were pulled in early mid 1996. I did love living in white mine.but coming back to ga.was very important to my mom. Copper content of the shale beds typically decreases as their sand content increases. The resulting rubble ("muck") is … The Nonesuch Mine is an abandoned copper mine and small ghost town in the southeast corner of what is now the Porcipine Mountains State Park in Ontogagon County, near Silver City, Micgigan. high x 3/8 in. The mine found some reprieve by 1985, but it closed permanently in 1995. Some of the most unique and rarest of the crystalline copper and silver specimens ever found in the northern Michigan Copper Country have come from this mine. Met my husband Phil Kolehmainen here. The Copper Range district is well known for hosting significant concentrations of copper and silver in numerous deposits. long x 3/8 in. The base of the Nonesuch Formation hosts the bulk of the copper mineralization at … The photographs are beautiful. The White Pine Copper Refinery is a processing plant. Just when your circadian rhythms adjusted to one time, it changed. Each unit had several heads blasting simultaneously creating the reverberation.Off we would go- to the Dry in our Banana transports holding 12 men. Jeff Steinhoff I Was an engineer at the mine in the early to mid ’60’s. I was very familiar with large machines, having driven corn pickers and pea combines and large trucks but what I saw in those tunnels frightened me. Press Esc to cancel. A scoop would follow up for detail of the face and floor. The mine found some reprieve by 1985, but it closed permanently in 1995. I’m said to have been born in a log cabin next to a string of trailers. I still have a business card sized visitor pass that I was given that day. When I grew older, I realized how dangerous that would be. Which was brand new at the time. I was born in White Pine on Nov 3,1953. My mom donated it there after grampa died. We spent over two hours underground. The Copper Range Company operated a copper mine in White Pine. The settlement was given a post office as "White Pine Mine" in June 1915. I have spent my 79 years here in White Pine, from 1940 on, seen so many changes! And because it was a shock, I will always remember this event as a once in a lifetime opportunity for me that almost no one else would ever have. It is present in five different layers in amounts that average from 1 to 3 percent. After closing, different fates befell the former White Pine buildings. Traveled to the farthest reaches of the mine, 2700 feet below the surface. If you attended the White Pine Michigan grade school check out the facebook group and join White Pine Michigan Grade School Students. My Sister and my Nephew are also certain it is him, but photo just to far away and too grainy to be sure. My grandfather passed away in the mine in the 1960’s, but it was unrelated to the mine itself. It had reached a depth of 2,700 feet and produced 4.2 billion pounds of coppery and 47 million ounces of silver. Home > America > USA -East cost > Copper - White Pine mine Michigan USA Copper, largely in the mineral chalcocite, is found in the lowermost beds of the Nonesuch shale over many square miles near White Pine, Ontonagon County, Mich. Damon Merlyn Williams, he went by Merlyn. It had reached a depth of 2,700 feet and produced 4.2 billion pounds of coppery … A group of us young guys were the last of the hiring frenzy and were stuck in a training unit for three months. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gsecongeo.49.7.675. At time I left in December 96 to go to work at a very large mine in Arizona I was one of about 100 miners remaining between the management and unions staff. I started back in October 1985 as the skills training director and mine rescue instructor. Copperwood is currently owned by Highland Copper, a Canadian company. The White Pine mine produced copper until 1995. To say the mine was large doesn’t really do it justice. Disappointing to see the place in ruins. Note: All content, photographs, stories and depictions at least 3 years old. It was an explorers dream and a marvel to all who worked there for far longer than I did. Brian Kallioinen [Kalen] I worked there for 9 months Jan 74 to September when I started Soumi College. During a Sept. 28, 2013, tour of the tailings reclamation at the former White Pine copper mine in Ontonagon County, Michigan, Kevin Hokans, environmental contractor, explains the system of dams for controlling the tailings and answers questions posed by some members of the Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (KUUF) who organized the tour. The Superior Upland of the Canadian Shield characterize the geomorphology of the surrounding area. MICHIGAN – A preliminary economic assessment (PEA) of Highland Copper’s White Pine North copper project in Michigan envisions a 25-year mine producing an average of 40,000 tonnes of copper per year. It is a remarkable town with so many different families of nationalities, will always hold treasured memories! I love listening to my dad talk about the mine and his experiences…all of them! Highland Copper acquired the Copperwood Project from Orvana Minerals in 2014 –along with permits previously issued by the Michigan DEQ. 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