Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1879-03-05
Among the Iron Mines of Michigan

Among the Iron Mines OF Michigan
Froa The Pictorial Co--vs7oassncs q A1eri11i
AETisuItuEis, f1r March /.
Turn to the map Of Northern
Michigan, or the upper Peninsula
draw with your pencil a small
circle, having the city of Ishpem
ing as the center and you will EN-
brace the Marquette iron ranges
which, It is claimed, produce near
ly one-third Of all the iron mad,
in the United States. In lS4T
two years after the existence o
iron became known 70 the whites
the first forge was constructed, not
far from where Ishpeming now
stands. and on the 18th Of Febru.
airy, ls5s, the first Lake Superior
iron was made. Now over fifty
mines, and twepty-one blast furn.
aces are in operation. and a million
tons Of ore are annually shipped
from this region.
The second, or Menomonee iron
range, being 4 comparatively new
field, lies in the southern portion
Of Menomonee county. The
center of this region is fifty miles
north of the village Of Menomonee,
and fifty-five miles southwest from
Marquette. The Chicago and
North Western Railroad Company
has run a branch from the main
line to one Of the mines, and it is
expected that the Menomonee
region will soon be actively de-
veloped. When this is done, it is
estimated that the inexhaustible
ores of the Marquette and the Me-
nomonee regions will together be
fully ample to meet all the iron
requirements of the United States.
The Menomonee is wild, pictu-
rescue country, with dense forests
full Of deer and other game, and
swift flowing rivers and smaller
streams abounding in trout and
other fish. 1t is an attractive Sec
ton for those who are fond of
spending the summer and autumn !
months in the woods, where they
can forget the cares of business in
successful bunting and fishing.
Prior to the construction of the
railroad from Green Bay to Ishpem-
ing, the ore was mostly transport
ed to Marquette, and thence over
Lake Superior, round through the
st. Mary's Ship Canal to Cleveland,
Ohio, and other distributing points.
Now the ore is brought by rail
down to Escanaba and
Lake Michigan, thereby securing
a vast saving of time and distance
In transportation. The ore trains
are carried much of the way on
The down grade by their own mo-
nentum. During 1878 they land
ID between five hundred and six
hundred thousands tons of ore at
Escanaba, where it is worth about
,4.5O per ton. The two docks
through which the ore is trans
erred at Escanaba from the cars
o the vessels, cost nearly half a
! million dollars. Escanaba, which
s situated opposite the Bay de
Soquet, has a population Of about
hree thousand, and is becoming a
,oint OF great importance. The ,
vater views about here are very ,
picturesque. +,
Returning to the Marquette iron
entire, we are able to count 20
mines within a radius of
ight miles around Isbpeming, ,
'bich city has been built within a ,
short time. Nine years ago, :
here there are now regularly laid q
It streets, and fine buildings, =
ere was nothing but a marsh. =
J one mine after another has been .,
veloped, population has been 4
avn hitber. Many Of the princi- =,
business men are from the :,
W England States. The miners =,
o comprise the bulk Of the popu- Il
on, are mainly from Sweden and
er European countries, and n
BE excellent citizens. They II