, 1873-01-21
The Lake Superior Mineral
Region.
Karly History---Tho Jesuit Fathers
---Geogrephioal and Topo-
graphical Features,
Tho Orcs---Thcir ClnssificAtiO1l--.
Tho Mines, Etc, Etc.
SECOND ARTICLE.
n1HTOnICAn.

lAeA WIKI Flktte1 1Ithc bH(bElOIs 4Aoy HoAb
whero duty cal1od them, and, tho moro arduous
the labor, tho moro ropu1sivo tho region, to
which they wero ordorcd by their suporfors, tho
greater the personal merit. "!rho heavior tho
CROSS, tho brighton tho crown" was tho legend
to read It," Many of thom wcro learned men,
and somo Of them had boen accustomed To ivoa
Of luxury. They know Of tho yast IMMORAL
wcnlth OF the region, but thoy had no means OF
making tho knowledge available, oven 1t their
thoughts Ind not been turnod to what they Bup-
posed to bo noblor duties, md the laying up Of
moro imperishable riches than were hidden under
these bleak hilln. After them, by n long inter-
raj, can1o tho whto tra1ora in the employ OF tho
American Fur Company, who knew Of tho exist
enco Of iron orc as early rs 1880. But Indians
had known from time 1mmemorial OF
The existence Of iron md copper IN tho vast
region whios, thoy used as e hunting ground,
and Ind made some uBo Of tho copper, which
occurred In natiyc purity, and could bo easily
utilized. Professor Chnrlcs T. Jackson, after
whom tho oldst lnno In tho Marquette District
Il named, aays, ih Ills report to tho Secretary OF
the Interior made in 1840, that, when he first
.sisltel Lake Superior, In tic summon Of 1874,
ho obtained from Mr.. =. B. Darbeau, tlicn
trader at SMUT Srs. Maric, q fine specimen OF
spec,alar iron, which TINT gontloman had re-
coiyel front MI Indian Chief. Tho rod dignitary
rold him that, somewhere hotweon koweonaw
Hay and the Monomoneo, there existed vast
mountain Of this orc. He told tl,is to Mr.. Ly-
man Pray, Of Charlcstown, Mass, who camo
the next summer to tho region, and was guided
by tho aon Of tho Chief to tho place, L'Anso bo-
ing tho atnrting-point. Tho mountain WIS dis
covered, and AIR. Pray travelled round It, dis
tanco Of four 1nlloH, finding only tho sano kind
Of orc, and no rocks. Ho informed Professor
Jackson OF tho extent Of Ills diecovery,
but mado no effort to gain pos
session of tho land or to develop tho
locality. It il thought by so1no that this dacov-
Ury Yas not within tho territory which Ia ut proB-
ent tho scene OF activo mining operations. Tho
orcH near where tho jackson Mines was after
wards opened were found BY h1r. Joseph stacy'
OF 1faino tho anme ycnr. Mr.. Darboau, trador,
of Negauneo, Upper Peninsula, also claims to
hAyo boon ono Of the original discoyerors. Vari-
ous other pioneers Of tho region are anxious to
share in tue honor, but their names arc not
essential to this brior historical episode: In
1915, tho first Gro was taken from tho Jackson
a[ino "packcd" OIL tho baclsB Of mules to tho
mouth OF tho Carp, d small riyor omptying into
the lake near Marquette, and thence carried "
way Of tho snult 6to. Mario to Detroit. In. the
sarno 1 y year, tic Jaclson Company was organizod,
and Mr.. P. n. Everett, one Of its incorporatorh,
came to Lake Superior, and located the Jackson
mines, under land permits from tho Secretary OF
War. Some Of the ore waa carried by Mr. Ever
cit, by way of the Carp and the Sault, to Detroit
4 small quantity Was sent to Pittsburgh, and
declurcd worthless by the iron-masterg Of tlat
city. Tho iirHt truo opening OF the ntne WAS
mado In 1916, .
ouirod good doal OF hardihood. They worc
uncertain financial ventures, and the surronnd-
ings gave them tingo Of romance. The larg-
cat Of the Northwestern cities wero then more
villages, Nearly tho whole Of Wisconsin aud
Michigan vas covered with m nnbroken forest.
Laao navigation waH in its infancy. Compara-
tively few roBso1B wore seen upon Luke Mlchl-
gan, aud, az for that great unknown Arctic sea
north of the Upper Peninsula, sa1l Was scarce"
y over reflected from ita unoasy watera.. a
iow people had yenturcl into tho copper region,
:. huntlrod milos from Marquette. In all tho
region known aa the iron diatrict, there wns not
at tllat time population to exceed titty 20 aonle.
was not . road through any portion, Of the
region, aud tie iron orc, heavy and cumbersome
81 tho best, lay, at its nearest point, fourteen
miles distant from tue shore. Tho sault Ste:
Marie Canal was not compieted until aDout
therefore, that, for tho first decade,
tie iron interest lenguished. The 1ninea
were worked under many disadvantages, and did
business in small way, md with small and vary
aug pFOulHs 1At 1l4clCllAAtH ~ O0%1ON %AoN w
tako tho pig iron Of tho Lako Superior furnaces
in payment Of their duea, and tho material nc
cumulatod upon the docLs Of thnt city. In large
quantities, Whom tho war had raised tho price
81 iron, tho merchants sold that which they had
racoiyed Us payment In kind, at large advance,
aud iron-mining and tho export OF oros became
at onco profitable. Tllenceforwara tho iron re-
gion steadily developed, until it attainod it's
present gigantic proportions.
From the Sault Sto. Marie to Marquette, n dis
fepce OF little over hundred miles, the gen-
oral direction Of tho southorn shore Of Lake au-
perior ia wost. BetWeon Marquette anu tic
copper peninsula, Keewoenaw Bay forms deep
indentatiou. Tho point Of the peninsula, which
rounds toward tho east like q bonded bow, Is hut
a little went Of north Of Marquette. Huron BAY
laps like q slender silver tongue into the land,
divided only by narrow strip Of highland from
10 LAuso, at the hoad OF tho lnrsor bay,
tha shora describes almost q seni~olroo.
Within this segment, iron exists only IN Hcatter-
ing deposits whoao wealth lsnot yos aotgfaoa 9;
mont, although not absolutely touching olth"i
Marquette or L'Anse, which arc tho extremetiea
THE Huron Mountains arc pioturehgue range o1
1illH, beginning at tho ond Of tho peninsula
iron range not fur from L'Anse: Tho lnttel
range continues beyond tho head Of KeoWeonaW
Bay, and ia lost in the Willis Of Northern Wiscol
sin. The Menomonoo Iron range croases the
Marquette iron range not far southwest o1
L'Anse, aud appears in tho vicinity OF Bay
held. .....-,
Iron exists only in worry nncient geologic for
tive rooRs. Tho rocEs Of tho iron region arc Q
various kinds such as "argilito,. talcoso
chioritic, hor1iblenle-Rchiata, qnartzitcH, ant
occasionally doomtoH, al Of. which are suppose
to DO Of metamorphio origin, intermingon r. VIZ
al cnua;atinr of felspnr and lornllenle, form