This year, we spend our Fourth of
July holiday visiting Michigan ’s Upper Peninsula .
There are so many things to see and do – we have to keep coming
back!
We arrive at Houghton , Michigan
– the entryway to the Keweenaw Peninsula . We cross the Houghton-Hancock
Bridge (aka the Portage Lake
Lift Bridge
Lift Bridge
Near the town of Hancock is the Quincy
Mine. A number of ruins can be found in this area. Along
M-26 we can see some stone ruins on a hill to our left. A short road
leads us to a parking lot and informational signs. We walk down an
old two-track road to get a better look at the Dry
House Ruins and peak inside the now roofless building (built
around 1860).
Park Informational Sign
Dry House Ruins
Peak Inside Dry House Ruins
A dry house was a large place where workers could go to wash off the
dirt from the mines and change back into their clean dry clothes
before they went home. Typically, a dry house had windows along both
sides of the building and contained rows and rows of lockers (one
assigned to each worker). The building would have included a large
wash basin with hot running water.
We get in our car and drive across the street to see more ruins. A
road takes us along side the old Engine
Shop (train repair) and an old wooden tower.
There is a small grass
parking lot here.
Engine Shop
Wooden Tower
From the parking lot, we follow an abandoned railroad grade for a
short distance to gt a closer look at three more roofless stone
buildings (like the No. 2 Shaft-Rockhouse). Once upon a time these
buildings were ornate in design. Arched windows accented with
brickwork lend a distinct appearance giving each building a sense of
importance regardless of its use.
Quincy mine Ruins
Quincy mine Ruins
Reflections of the Past
We return to our car and drive to the top of Quincy Hill. We stop at
the gift shop and buy tickets for the 5pm mine tour. Our two-hour
tour begins at the brick 1894 Hoist House. Inside the building is a
model of the mining operations with a model train that circles the
exhibit. We meet our tour guide.
Entrance Sign
1894 Hoist House
Model Train inside Hoist House
Wearing our yellow hard hats, we begin our tour with a 5-7 minute
ride on the cog-wheel tram down the steep hillside (one spot has a
33% grade). It is 86 degrees F today
but inside the mine it is cool 43 degrees F and breezy … we're glad we took a jacket!.
Cogwheel Tram
Cresting the 33% grade
At the bottom of the hill, we leave the tram and get on a tractor
pulled-wagon for a ride into the mine (seven levels underground).
Waiting for our ride to begin, we can feel the rush of cold air
blowing out of the mine’s entrance. We leave the daylight and pass
through the adit - horizontal mine entrance that has been enlarged to
15’ x 15’ - into the ceiling-lighted tunnel traveling about 1,800
feet inside the mine. At one point, we are about 360 feet below the
surface.
Wagon Ride into the Mine
We leave the wagon and walk a short distance into the mine where we
are shown some of the mining equipment and told how the copper was
extracted and taken to the surface.
Inside the Mine
Mine Shaft
Our
tractor pulled wagon takes us back to the adit/entrance where the
cog-wheel tram returns us to the top of the hill.
Our surface tour continues with a tour of the 1918 Hoist House. To
raise and lower ore and the workers into this shaft, the world's
largest steam-driven mine
hoist was built in
1918 and was housed in the Quincy
Number 2 Hoist House.
This building was rare for its time – notice the decorative
windows – it was used as a show piece to impress potential
investors. Oh – and while you are touring
the building be on the look out for Sneakers!
1918 Hoist House
Steam Hoist
Sneakers
The
guided tour ended here but there is still more to see. Behind the
1918 Hoist House there are some more interesting pieces of equipment
including a locomotive.
Locomotive & 1918 Hoist House
Equipment & 1918 Hoist House
Boiler House
Miner's Residence
Around
the Hancock/Torch Lake area, you can find more historic buildings from the Quincy Mine
era.
Quincy Mine Office
The Calumet & Hecla/Quincy
Reclaiming Sand Dredge is located on M-26 along Torch Lake. It was
designated a Michigan Historic Site on July 26, 1978.
Michigan Historic Site on M-26
Across
the road from the dredge are the ruins of the Turbine Building (built
in 1921) and the Stamp Mill #2 near the town of Mason.
Turbine Building
Stamp Mill
Family vacations created some of my favorite memories. To start planning your memorable trip to the Quincy Mine please click on the following link:
The town of Houghton will offer the widest selection for food and
lodging. However, a variety of options are available throughout the
Houghton-Hancock area. Since
opinions, budgets, and preferences vary, I recommend checking a
trusted travel source for current reviews on food and lodging.
If you are interested in visiting other nearby mines and mining towns, I
invite you to view my other blog post on Keweenaw Heritage Sites by clicking on the
following link:
