Latitude: 47°23'30"N
Longitude: 88°0'47"W
An underground copper mine consisting of five shafts near the ghost town of Mandan. The Mendota Mining Company was organized in 1865; however, mining was taking place as early as 1855 under Meteor Mining Company management. Three of the shafts were sunk under Meteor management, with the other two shafts being more exploration shafts sunk under Mendota control. With the price of copper during the American Civil War rising, investors formed the Company and quickly built a smelter and stamp mill on nearby Lac La Belle. The ore that came from these shafts was different than most places; a black/gray sulphate which the company mined until 1873 when it was realized it could not turn a profit and the mine closed for good. If the piles can be found, the “black/gray sulphate” mineral the mine discovered can still be collected; today, we call it chalcocite. It is said that bornite, malachite, and chrysocholla can also be found. Local collectors say the piles are great for micros.
References
Dana 6: 1086.
Rocks & Min.: 58:111.
Kaminski-Hamka, T., 2011, The Copper Mines of Keweenaw County, Michigan. Copperlady Press, 150 pp.
DeGood, L., 2011, Michigan Copper Mining Stocks and Bonds. 401 pp.
The Copper Country Rock & Mineral Club, 2001, Red Gold and Tarnished Silver, 2nd Ed.
Mineral List
8 entries listed. 7 valid minerals.
The above list contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please
register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to
visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders
for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.
Mineral and Locality Search
