Latitude: 47°6'41"N
Longitude: 88°33'6"W
Commodities (Major) - Copper
Deposit Type: Secondary Enrichment
Development Status: Past Producer
Deposit Model: 96: Native Cu
An underground copper mine consisting of four shafts located south of Houghton. John and Austin Mabbs, working on the Isle Royal Mine on tribute, discovered a rich vein of copper (richer than anything the Isle Royal had produced) crossing the property in 1864. The shafts were sunk to between 80 and 250 feet in depth where much barrel and stamp copper was removed. The first of several large masses of copper was removed in 1865 and continued until 1867 when the brothers stopped mining after Isle Royal resumed operation. The brothers came back to mine the vein in 1875 and only recovered one large mass; after this, the mine was closed for good. The main Mabbs “F Shaft” would remain covered until 2010 when contractors building the new AE Seaman Mineral Museum broke into the shaft while laying foundations for the building. The shaft was capped and is currently under the northwest corner of the Museum. Several pieces of copper were found around the shaft with some going into private collections and others on display in the new Museum.
References
JOHNSON, A.M. AND GROTH, E.H., 1998, INVENTORY OF UNDERGROUND MINES, HOUGHTON COUNTY, SITE ID 310042, MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES.
Kaminski-Hamka, T., 2011, Copper Mines of Houghton County, Michigan. Copperlady Press, 120 pp.
Kilpela, T, 1995, The Hard Rock Mining Era in the Copper Country. 89 pp.
Mineral List
1 entry listed. 1 valid mineral.
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