Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-01-12
BY LAND AND WATER.
A Study Of the Industrial Conditions Of
the Central West.

A Glance at the History OF Copper Min
Ing in this COuntry---WhRt the First
white Men did In the Lake superior
Mines Scientific wild
Cat specuIatIous---what LOSd-up of
whisky Had TO do with the DiscOv-
cry and Development OF the Famous
Calumet a. Hecla MInes--Interestln z
Figures.
Especial correspondence Of The Phpnix.l
When the first white men came to the
southern shore of Lake Superior, which
has since become famous as the copper pro-
ducing centre of the world, they found the
native Indians possessed of large boulders
of mass copper which they held sacred and
worshipped as a strong and dangerous Man
itou that was possessed of bad temper
consequently worthy of all respect, but not
desirable friend at close range. 1t was
100 years later, after the British had gained
possession of all the territory formerly
claimed by the French king, that a com
pany was formed in London to work the
copper mines south of Lake Superior. This
effort proved abortive, owing to the I'M
expected outlay attending the operations
and the war with the American colonies
Very little progress was made in the in
vestigation of the copper mines of this
country until 1S40 when DR.. Houghton of
Detroit, who subsequently became identi-
fed with the development of the upper pen
insula, chopped several pieces of copper
from the great copper boulder in Ontana-
gon, while travelling through that county
with the Schoolcraft expedition.
Al. Ill
knowledge was obtained through the OBJ
servations of scientific men who were sent
to Ontanagon county to study the geologi-
cal conditions, and especially the possible
copper indications, then confined to mass
copper found on the surface. This party
of observation made their report to Presi-
dent Tyler in 1912. The next step made
was to get possession of the $4,000 square
miles of land, embracing the whole upper
peninsula of Michigan and the northern
part of Wisconsin, belonging to the Chip
pewa tribe of Indians. This typical piece
of diplomacy with the Indians was accom-
plished by David Henshaw, Boston man.
then secretary of war, with the aid of a
few barrels of New England rum, legal
tender in treaty transactions, and reserva-
tions of land further west which the gov
brass neck chains and beads, with promises
of future remuneration which were not in
tended to be redeemed. Mr.. Henshaw was
an enthusiast in the belief of the mineral
wealth of the lands obtained from the
Chippewas, and Immediately induced his
Boston friends to get possession of such
townships as showed a mineral indication,
meanwhile reserving liberal slice of the
pork" for himself.
Other investigations were made, and
specimens of mass copper were circulated
in all the financial centres, Boston being
the most conspicuous Visions of sudden
wealth became the dream of that element
of the people who are ever watching and
waiting for something miraculous to turn
up" From the explorations of the next
few years nothing tangible resulted in To-
eating and forming companies until 1916,
when the era of wild cat" speculation
was inaugurated which ended in general
collapse in 1860, as briefly noticed in my
last letter in discussing the folly of whole
communities launching their small capital
on the turgid sea of copper stock invest
ments. The writer has no motive to I'M
derrate or discourage the development of
the copper industry of Michigan, neither
does he assume that all copper investments
are based on deceptive and fraudulent rep
resentation. trust my contention is un-
derstood with this explanation. The cop
per found in the mines of Michigan is
known as mass, conglomerate and amaygad
loid formation, the metal being pure in
these conditions. The sulphurets and car
Donates occur only near the surface where
the elements have acted on the metal for
ages, producing oxidation. The metal is
called mass copper when it is found in con-
GREETED quantities, like boulders or large
stones.
The largest specimen of mass or native
copper ever found was obtained from the
Minnesota mine in Ontanagon county in