The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1897-12-25

ANCIENT NINE WORK.
Confined from page one.

been left on to serve DIS steps, while
in other instances portion OF what
had been wooden shovel was found.
This also was made Of cedar and is
in fair state of preservation.
In but one instance has there been
seen anything resembling an inscrIp-
zion upon any of these stone ham
mcrs. which may be said TO be found
by the wagon load, where this an
cicnt mine work had been carried
on. In 1879 the late Samuel ".
Hill, while exploring on Isle Royal,
found in one Of these pits u stone
hammer whiGn was about the medium
size in their use, with one end
worn by use, and having on one
side several marks.' The directors
of these ancient mine workers were
evidently men very proficient in the
science of geology, for in no instance
did they do any mining where there
was not an abundance of copper.
Little of this mine work has ever
been found on the main land on the
south shore of the lake, but seems
to have been confined TO Isle Royal,
where with all the indications Of
such extensive work, no sign Of Il
habitatiOn has ever been found
which is conclusive proof that they
were but temporary inhabitants OF
the country and came there for a
special purpose, We can say this
Of them, they were patient toiIers
to have accomplished what they did
with simply these stone hammers
held in the hand while chipping off
the rock, TO enable them to procure
the rich copper, which at last they
did not accomplish We cannot but
feel ii degree OF sympathy for them
when we see the amount Of hard la
Dor they must have performed in
their efforts, also the privatiun at
tending their primitive mining.
showing plainly that they had a
knowledge Of the existence OF copper
deposits, instead Of working where
it did not exist.
1t IS claimed by some who have
given this subject attention. that
this ancient mine work was done by
a prehistoric people as the aborigi-
nCCs OF this continent, and nave no
knowledge or tradition Regarding
this work. Again there are others
who attribute this work TO have been
done by the mound builders who
were once the. inhabitants Of this
continent, while none, we believe as
yet, have attributed this work TO
the French explorers who visited
the Lake Superior region in 1000,
having visited these in 45, 30, %
and '36, spending many months at
"a time during these years, accom-
panied by the different Catholic
priests who were known in the his
tory of the country. These French
explorers wrote elaborate reports Of
their explorations on Lake Superior.
an extract OF which was published
in France in 1862, and copy of
which | have.
These explorers make no mention
of any ancient mine work having
been found by them, when they first
visited that country, at the same
time having described so infinitely
the vast amount of copper found to
exist there, ESPECIALLY on the island
Of Isle Royal, and where the most of
the mine work was done as seen to-
day.
CLThey mention the mass OF copper
W ucn was found in Ontonagon
county near the surface in 1892, aud
which weighed II tons; it was pure,
native copper that these miners had
beaten the rock from; but were com
PEELED to leave. This mass of copper
was donated to the city of Washing
ton by the people of Ontonagon
county to be placed in the Washing
ton monument, where it now is,
helping to form the base of what is
the pride OF our beloved country,
and erected to the memory of the
Father of that country.
These explorers also mention a
mass OF copper known to them in
Keweenaw county which was found
by the late Samuel W. Hill in 1852.