Copper mining has had a huge impact on Michigan throughout history. Copper mining has had such an impact that the Upper Peninsula of Michigan has a region referred to as “The Copper Country” because of its involvement in the copper-mining industry. The copper-mining industry has also led to technological developments necessary for hoisting and drilling as well as the development of towns and cities in the Keweenaw. In addition, it led to the creation of many potential jobs for residents of the towns that were developed to support these mines.
One of the first attempts to locate and mine this copper was back in 1771 when the first mining expedition was organized. English miners were sent to the New World to locate and mine the copper heard of in Indian tales that had been passed along by the French. These miners had begun their excavation in a clay bank where they had previously seen trickling green copper-containing water with pieces floating in the water nearby. Unfortunately, the frozen roof of the tunnel had thawed and lead to a cave in resulting in the first failed attempt at mining copper in Michigan.
Douglass Houghton had surveyed the Keweenaw’s copper deposits in 1840 and had reported them to the state legislature. These reports sparked interest in mining these deposits in 1841. In 1843, the treaty of LaPointe was signed with the Chippewa which resulted in a mineral land office being opened in Copper Harbor. Investors and prospectors in Copper Harbor began leasing this newly obtained land near Lake Superior for mining expeditions. This led to issuances of permits that would be required for mining operations. Unfortunately, these permits could not be bought nearby. Sault Ste. Marie was the closest place where permits cou...
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...f towns and cities that still exist today. In addition, the opening of mines created jobs which had a positive impact on the economy while the decline of mines led to a sharp decrease in population due to the lack of job opportunities. The era of copper mining also shows the powerful alliance that had formed between Michigan and Boston. Both Michigan mine operators and Boston investors had different kinds of resources that the other lacked. It can be seen that Michigan would not be the way it is today without outside influence from investors and interested prospectors.
Works Cited
William B. Gates, Michigan Copper and Boston Dollars (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1951), 1.
J. Robert Van Pelt, “Boston and Keweenaw: An Etching in Copper,” American Scientist (1949): 220-221
Larry Lankton, Hollowed Ground (Detroit: Wayne University Press, 2010), 11-13.
The tar creek mining site originally was owned by a Native American tribe, the Quapaw. The Quapaw wanted to keep these lands, but the Bureau of Indian Affairs deemed members opposing a transaction to mining companies “incompetent” (1). In such a case the business could continue and the Bureau of Indian Affairs sold the lands to mining companies. In essence these lands were stolen from the Quapaw because they were ripe for mining. These mines were then used from approximately 1891 to 1970. In the 79 years the mines were open 1.7 million metric tons (~3.75 billion pounds) of lead and 8.8 million metric tons (~19.4 billion pounds) of zinc were withdrawn from the mine (2). The entire area around Tar Creek is known as the tri-state mining area. This tri-state area was a massive source of metals. This area accounted for 35% of the all worldwide metal for a decade. It also provided the majority of metals the United States used in World wars I and II (3).
In 1948, a record of "125,000" West Virginia miners were employed. The picture looks different now however. Even though more coal is being mined than ever before in this state, the total number of miners employed is less than "19,000". The decrease in jobs have been blamed on technology.
Currently, there are numerous species who are threatened in the area where PolyMet wants to construct the mine. Both the Canada lynx and the Gray wolf are threatened species, as well as the long-eared bat (U.S. Fish and Wildlife, 2016). The construction of the mine would disturb these endangered species and the habitats in which they live in. Another factor in the detrimental effects of the PolyMet mine construction is that by building the mine, relationships among Native Americans will be interrupted. A treaty that dates all the way back to 1854 would be compromised with the building of the mine (BC Hydro, 2013, p. X). This treaty, which was agreed upon by both the government and the Chippewa tribe, gave the Chippewa legal entitlement to the land in which PolyMet wants to build the mine (BC Hydro, 2013, p. X). The production alone will disturb animals and wildlife, which will leave the Chippewa with less resources on the land that they preserved for nearly two centuries. For these reasons and more, I believe that the PolyMet mine will ultimately cause more harm than
On a midsummer day in 1896, a man named Robert Henderson tested gravel at a remote creek that had no name (Cooper 1). Expecting to see nothing, he grew excited when he looked in his pan and found a few flakes of gold (1). While digging for gold, Henderson was confronted by three moose hunters named George, Jim, and Charlie and told them about his discovery (McGill). These three hunters showed no interest in finding gold until they found a thumb-sized nugget and found gravel worth four dollars a pan in Rabbit Creek (Klondike Kraze). George Carmack had his brothers watch the land while he went and staked four 500 feet claims for him and his brothers (Blackwood).
The Ely copper mine is an abandon site located on the Vermont copper belt in Vermont. There are two brooks in the direct vicinity of the mine, the Ely Brook and the Schoolhouse brook. The Ely brook flows in to the Schoolhouse brook which eventually flows to the Ompompanoosuc River. During the Ely Mine’s operation, from 1850 to 1905, the mine produced between 13 and 18 million kg of copper (Briggs, et al., 2004). The United States was known as one of the top ten producers of copper between 1866 and 1881 (Briggs, et al., 2004). The site includes shaft and adits, roast beds, barren mine waste piles, flotation mill and tailings, smelter plant remains, smoke fue, and slag heaps all covering approximately 350 acers (Briggs, et al., 2004). In 1867
The crucial element that this period needed for industrial growth was STEEL. We needed steel and lots of it. Steel for longer bridges (Brooklyn), steel for skyscrapers, steel for better railroads, steel for better plows, steel for heavier machinery, steel for faster ships,
But despite Pittsburgh’s growth in population many of its residents started to become concerned about their hometown and its future. These Pittsburgh natives were concerned for reasons such as; the arrival of railroads wiping out the main source of trade, a change in the social relation of the city due to a rise in manufacturing, and the competition in the iron industry.
When prospectors first came, they looked in “stream-bed placers” or better known as “poor man’s mines” because this technique proved easier to find gold without proper equipment or machinery (Wallace 26). By the mid 1850’s, machinery replaced the individual prospector. Machines tore up the landscape with “the force of a combined flood and earthquake”, as entire rivers were moved and diverted for the sole purpose of mining (Johnson 108). These new mining methods had significant applications in the mining towns, as well as in the way gold was mined after the introduction of machines.
There were many economic opportunities in Pennsylvania. The soil was fertile and there was plenty of land. Grain was a big export here and earned Pennsylvania the title as one of the "bread colonies". The water was also very clean, which helped to prevent diseases. The economic characteristics of Pennsylvania helped the economy to prosper.
My opinion on creating a copper mine in Minnesota is, it isn’t a good idea. It isn’t a good idea because: It is bad for the environment, disrupts residents, and it affects the future.
Copper has been around for a while, since the prehistoric age. It's the oldest metal used by man. It's also the first metal used by man, as well. In fact, one of the stages in human history in named after bronze, a copper alloy. Since copper is resistant to corrosion, it has been popular from the Middle ages to today. The Egyptians used copper in their hieroglyphs. The Romans got their copper from ores. Since 1447 to today, copper has been in high demand. In the 15th century, copper was used for printing plates and in 1793, pennies were made out of 100% copper.
The economy was effected in many different way such as Business and wealth. Because the land was so scarce, the economy was driven by high speculation [high risk investments]. Governor Hothem didn’t help the land, as he wanted the streets to be filed with stone buildings. The economy was also affected about the “big Gold Frenzy” This quote is about the rush to the diggings.
The natural-resource frontier in the West and in the Great Plains offered a variety of resources, especially gold, oil, wood, and water. The Western terrain held many minerals and metals such as gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, tin, and quartz. Prospectors who found metal, would sell their claims to mining organizations, such as the Anaconda Copper Company. The mining was needed to help build telephone and power wires, light bulbs, and to make steel for the steel industry. During the mid-1800s, "The mining frontier advanced rapidly, drawing thousands of people to Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Colorado. California, where a gold rush helped populate a thriving state by 1850, furnished many of the miners, who traveled to nearby states in
...iling industry and the expansion of the west. The railroads helped these industries expand their territories which not only brought wealth to the large companies but, it also helped create jobs for many people. The railroad industry became an important gateway for immigrants because it introduced them to different opportunities of work and living. The railroad industry also helped to pour money into America’s economy. The railroad industry helped raise economic standards and change the way from an economy based on agriculture to an agriculture base on machinery. The railroads united America as a whole. It was the driving force of the industrial revolution that brought America together as a unity. The industrial revolution wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t for the railroad industry that changed not only the people but, the country as a whole for the next fifty years.
Humans incessant need to search for gold has been around since the beginning of time. Gold is a precious medal that humans treasure, in which it never tarnishes, nor rusts; there is something about it that makes people look for it ruthlessly and endlessly till the end of time. One of the times in history, in which people have flocked from all corners of the world to a small corner of remote north western Canada, is the Klondike Gold Rush. The Klondike Gold Rush was a large migration of well over 10 000 people, to the Klondike region of the Yukon to prospect for gold. Nevertheless, the question still remains; who discovered the first cold to begin the Klondike Gold Rush? There are 2 main possible contenders in this mystery, including George Carmack, an American Miner, and Skookum Jim, A Canadian First Nations, along with three other minor characters. There are many theories as to what happened