The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-08

have been located in Cook county, Min
nesota, on the north shore of Lake
Superior. In the great Superior copper
region, old, debris covered copper pits,
abandoned centuries ago, have hereto
fore been discovered, but this new find
| is the first that has been made on the
northern shore Of the great lake, and
! the discovery gives promise of activity
! in mining operations in that locality,
for not sOnly have paying deposits of
| copper been laid bare, but some silver
and little gold have been found with
| the baser metal.
These mines, which were accurately
located only two weeks ago, lie within
a few miles Of each other, Immediately
south of and close to the Pigeon river,
which is the boundary line between the
United States and Canada at that
point.
That the mines have not been discov-
cred before is not strange, fors Cook
| county is an almost isolated point Of
land, far from any large settlement.
Though it contains 1920 square miles Of
land, it has only 140 Inhabitants, be-
sides a few Indians in the Pigeon River
reservation, at it's extreme eastern end
about ten miles from the nearest Of
| the seven newly discovered mines. Then
| the county is very hilly, rocky and
| wild, with little fertile land, and offers
| few inducements to settlers.
| HOW THE MINES WE'RE FOUND.
The ordinary observer might walk all
over Cook county and not be aware of
the fact that he was treading on rich
6Qnncifc Of l1ro 10 hof ho6
| worked centuries ago, for the pits of
the ancient mines have been filled with
debris and been covered by brush,
growing and fallen trees and the wash
from higher lands.
1t requires the eyes of an expert
trained in prospecting to find the signs
of hidden ore; and so 1t was in this
case, for it remained to Capt. William
P. Spaulding- seventy-four years
old-of Sault Ste. Marie, to make the
discovery.
The captain, who is a prospector Of
long experience, is familiar with the en-
tire Superior region, and until within
a year thought himself acquainted with
all of the mines in it, But late In 1895
he concluded that he would look over
Cook county. The task was one full Of
portion Of the state.
His search brought him success, for
he discovered evident traces of ancient
'diggfngs," and then, having associated
himself with Mr. John M. Miller, of
Escanaba, Mich, the explorations were
continued this year
The two men went carefully over the
ground, making thorough examination
suit of accurately locating the seven
pits, so that a surveyor would have no
difficulty in finding them.
In a letter from Capt Spaulding in
relation to his discovery he writes:
Il claim to have been the first dis
coverer Of ancient diggings' on the
north shore Of Lake Superior made in
the fall Of 1895, in what is township
GA north, or range 2, east of the fourth
principal meridian, sections 4 and S;
and afterward in section g. The dig
gings are on the north side Of a bluff
on mountain, on a vein running near
ly east and west On section the
work is about twenty rods in length,
apparently of the depth of fifteen or
twenty feet l have sunk in these dig
gings two pits, from eighteen to twenty
ASSS NOOP' VII II1C 1OOL wall O1 Tie vein
in the bottom of the pits found char
coal and ashes, but did not reach the
bottom of their digging on account of
water.
I'm another pit, just off these works,
l sunk fifteen feet to a vein which had
been greatly disturbed I found water
| that was plentiful and free, and which
1 suppose comes from the lake, which
| ic oil IVy+ Io 1I.
took out very fine specimens Of both
| gold and silver, besides the copper The
vein is quartz, and both walls are tai
cose slate.
81 found no tools or stone hammers.
but from the evidence the work was
| done by building a fire on the vein.
heating it to a high temperature and
then cooling it suddenly with water,
which would have the effect of loosen
ing the ore. The copper was then brok-
en- out with stone hammers. This was
the ancient mode of working the mines
on the south shore Of Lake Superior.
"On section I sunk sixty-five feet
| just outside of the old work on the
north, expecting the vein to come into
my shaft at depth Of 10 feet-as the
dip is toward the north-but I put in
| q anu DOT0Q forty 1ooI
| at an angle Of forty-five degrees be-
fore [ struck the vein. In this vein I
took out some valuable specimens of
native silver and silver glance. 1 will
| continue the work here next year.
ION section 8 there is old work on a
vein which unites with ancient dig
gings where two immense pits were
dug up by the prehistoric miners.
Near this junction, to the north,
| there Is mound, which should be
opened, and I intend exploring it on
some future day. Not far from this
mound there is apparently a roadbed
| of loose stones, which might have been
the road to Lake Superior, and the
| destination Of the product Of the mines.
II have found no tools, so far, but
this is no evidence that they will not
be found in the future
| WHAT THE MOUND MAY TELL.