The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-10-22
Exploring for Copper Mines.


In 1S47 made two trips to Lake Supe-
rior In search of copper mines. A number
of Detroit gentlemen had procured Gov
eminent permits to locate ground for min
ing purposes, and John r. Grout and my
self were employed to explore the copper
region and locate them. Up to this time
but little mining had been done. There
was military post at Copper Harbor, and
on Keweenaw Point, near the mouth of
Eagle River, a Boston company were sink
ing shaft, and near there Pittsburgh
company were opening what they called
the Cliff Mine. We landed from little
schooner, the only one on the lake. at Cop
per Harbor, and from that point made
excursions into the interior in search
of prospects. We spent a month in
that vicinity, bat could find no indi-
cations of copper except upon lands COW
cred by permits of one or the other Of
these companies. We then chartered O
birch bark canoe and couple of Chippewa
Indians and coasted along up the lake as
far as the Porcupine Mountains, stopping
for day or two mt the mouths of all the
streams and searching diligently for some
indications of copper. We saw in the On
tonagon country the big copper bowlder
that Mr.. Eldred afterward, at big expense,
brought down to Detroit, only to have it
taken away from him as Government prop
erty. This bowlder was the only evidence
of copper we found after leaving Kewee-
nav Point We returned to Copper Harbor
without having made n location, and there
fell in with Col. Chas Gratiot, who was the
agent of the Boston company, who had To-
Gated six sections. He offered to sell us one
of them for $4,000, but we were not au-
thorized to purchase n claim. The section
he offered us adjoined the ground on which
was the cliff vein, considered the banner
mine of the country, and the course of the
vein would carry us to the section he Of
fered us in about 100 yards. We hired
Cornish miner and sunk some pits along
the line of the vein and found some speci-
mems of native copper. and came to the
conclusion il was valuable claim. finally
contracted with Colonel Gratiot for the
property, intending to offer it to the COM
pany who had sent us If they wanted it,
and, if not, keep il on my own account.
On returning to Detroit we made out our
report, stating our inability to discover any
ground on which we could find evidence Of
copper sufficient to warrant the expenditure
of money save the section l had bargained
for. l told them that as we were in their
employ this was theirs il they chose to
take it. They concluded to take it and organ
lied the North American Mining Company,
of which Gurdon Williams was President
MIDI. Bacon Superintendent. They issued
5000 shares, aud before any assessment
WAS levied save for the purchase money the
shares sold for from SO to $25 each My
puota of stock was issued 10 me. and al
though | had great confidence In the ulti-
mate value of il / was confident it would
require heavy assessments before dividends
could be made, and therefore parted with
my stock while il was in good demand. Mr..
Bacon went on to the ground and before
testing the mine to any extent built fair
sized village for superintendent and ore
men and laborers to occupy. A large sum
was expended ut the mine, but | never
heard of any dividends. Mr.. Grout, my
companion in exploring. continued to give
bis attention to the copper mines, and even
lually erected smelling works near Detroit
and accumulated fortune.