Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1857-09-26
Ancient Mining Operations al
Lake SuDeriot,

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5 Lake Superi0f.
Prof. Charles Whitllesey read paper
before the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, on the An.
/, cient Mining Operations of Lake Superi
/ or.
After describing the geography of the
copper region of Lake Superior,he said that
throughout the country Indications APP
pear Of Mining operations carried on by an
ancient people. The works of these peo-
pie we're mere open min s, like quarries,
never descending more than thirty feet be-
low the surface. These mines had pc
fculIarity which distinguished them from
others, that the metal was found in pure
masses. Th>se masses the ancient miners
seemed to be unable to deal with, and they
appeared merely to have sought for pieces
Of GO PIPER perhaps Of two pounds weight,
which they hammered out cold.
They seemed to have known nothing of
the art of smelling, though the discovery
seemed the simplest thing in the world,
since they made use of fire to soften the
stone,ss and to separate the ore. When
they got a large mass they used stone ham
mers to break off projections. They had
no means of raising the very large masses,
nor had they any way of cleaning out the
water from the bottom. 1t seemed that
The miners had been accustomed cons tan
/ " to throw back the rubbish onto til e
mine, so that there were now no trat-
ces on the surface. These works extend
through one hundred or one hundred and
! fifty mines, on the south side of Lake 81.
perior.
Sonnet times there were cavities of thirty
feet as large us this room; in other cases
they made excavations in the bluffs, which
were now occupied by porcupines, bears,
DC. The stone hammers employed were
nothing but boulders of green stone or
trap, having a groove round them into
which wythe was twisted. Some had
no such groove, and the mode of swinging
them was unknown. Wooden sbovels
were also employed, and spear heads with
Il socket. There were, besides, tools, like
knives and chises-all made of copper
Timber had also been found with Ratchet
marks on them.
From these mark he judged that the
people who worked these mines had a con
nectlon with the ancient Mexicans, known
as the Toltecs orAztecs. IL appeared from
the works of Sqnier and Davis, on the
Mounds of Ohio, that in those places there
had been found tools which would have
made marks like those noticed on the. tim
Der fouu! in the Superior mining region.
Again the connection between these in
habtants of Ohio, and the miners Of Lake
Superior, seemed to be established from
the fact that in the Lake Superior mines
alone were to be found pure copper, having
ESpecks Of pure silver in them. No tools
found IN Ohio, were found to contain these
I>pecks of silver, and it WAS evident that
these tools had been hammered out cold,
because if they had been melted the silver
tspecks would have disappeared. Then the
! Spanish on their arrival found theMeXicans
in occupation of Qualifications, mounds and
: pyramids very much like those of Ohio.
In this way it appeared to him that con-
necton was traced between the people OF
Mexico and the miners of Lake Superior.
) He considered from com garrison OF the
trees formed upon the tops of the trenches,
land of an extent of the works with the
difficulties which the miners have in work
lug them, that it must have been 1900
: wears since the mines were abandoned,
and 200 more during which they were &C.
cupied. His impression was that the min
ers resided in a warm country and came
to work these mines in the summer
time, taking home their produce in the win
e ter.
A gentleman mentioned the fact of his
having discovered some remains of mining
: below tree having 400 annual concentrlc
L rings.
SUMNER is GoNE.-Summer, beautiful
q summer our first summer in Iowa-is
gone and our heart is sad as we make the
announcements Never have we seen g
lovlicr season. 1t has not been intensely
, hot; an abundance of rain has fallen in
showers how pleasantly interspersed
through the sultry days, how refreshing tc
t the earth, and how grateful TO the senses
u of man and now, as we look out upon the
: bluffs, what an affiuencc of verdure greets
I the eve. There is vernal freshness, rare
1 lv seen at this season of the year; and the
! serenity and holiness of the heavens are
! glorious to behold How many hearts
2 must feel the sentiment of the poet-Hos-
n mer:
s'Month of my heart September bland,
When radent Sumner breathed her last,
She placed sceptar in thy hand,
I'll Her robe around thee cast.
4 Yas bor robe for as vet Azure is arlay