The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1905-12-02
INTERESTING BITS
OF RANGE HISTORY
JOHN [. BUELL. READ INTERESTING
PAPER AT MINING INSTITUTE.
MtNpulNEt INUIAN [EGENU
:. l.
Shown, - he Msnominee indians
had a knowledge Of the Presence
OF Minerals.


interesting paper at the recent meeting
OF the Lake Superior Mining Institute
on the early history and successive de-
yelopmant Of the lower Menominee
iron range. He said among other
things
"It Is not generally known that a
tradition exists with the Menominee
Indians. who were the only inhabitants
OF this range prior 10 the discovery OF
iron ore. that. IL any member of the
tribe should disclose 10 a white man
the existence OF a mineral deposit, his
speedy death was sure to follow In
some manner. II IL not improbable
that this superstition may have 10 a
degree. influenced the belated discovery
and subsequent mining operations on
this range for by bringing specimens,
which they could have so readily OBJ
tained. 20 the trading posts, would
have melted earlier investigation. Be
that as il may, surely IL is incom-
prehensible why, for 80 many years,
the existence Of ore deposits in such
vast quantity and great wealth snould
nave remained unknown.
Another embarrassment, and one OF
more substantial import. was the inn
preston. generally heralded, that iron
orc Of paying quality and in sufficient
quantity. could only exist in the
Marquette range For some unac-
eountable reason, the geological forma
tion Of other districts, whore indica-
tions OF ore were prevalent. not cor
esponding with those Of the Marquette
Tstrict. precluded the possibility Of
the existence Of paying ore This im-
preston was general and so effective
az to influence the most active and
noted explorers, among whom may be
included such men as Credner. PUN.
pelly and Brooks, men OF national re-
putation as geologists, and, especially,
that branch Of geology pretaining to
minerals
mo more striking illustration of
the rapid development Of iron ore in
our country, or in the world. is OBJ
servable than In the rapid opening Of
the Lower Menominee range and the
Iron River. Crystal Falls, Gogebic and
Minnesota districts, disclosing ore
fields over vast territory. which a
short time previous II IL had appreci-
able value in the eyes of men, was
based solely upon the quantity and
quality OF the pine timber standing
thereon. The location Of this district
remote from water and rail transporta-
tion. the reported severity of its
climate, as also the reported barenss
of It's soil. all tended 10 divert the
immigrants from this section. Saw.
logs and saw-IDills were the only
hymns chanted on the Menominee and
its tributariea
The 6rst exploring party 20 enter
the territory embracing the lower
Menominee Range. was DR.. N. p.
Hulst, OF Milwaukee. As a representa-.
tive Of the Milwaukee Iron Co. he be-.
gan active exploration with large
force OF men on Section 10. 1920 the
summer Of 1872. The exploration war
not confined 10 this point, but extend
cd elsewhere along the range, consist
ing OF test pitting ana trenching. with
the exception OF long drift across the
silicious formation on Section 10 The
exploration was discontinued In the
fall Of that year
''In the fall OF 1871. in company
with John Armstrong | encamped al
the little spring at the north end Of
Quinnesec avenue. on the present SIT,
Of the village Of Quinnesec. Will,
Armstrong was preparing dinner, 9
little stroll over the bluff 10 the wesI
- losed to me the out-cropping of the
srly termihus Of the Quinnese'
mine forrurtior This tract had beer
entered by Sales a. LASER with
Agricultural Scrip. IN 1864. but IN,
entry had been cancelled and the land
withdrawn from the market with al
other even sections in this region. Z
enable the Canal company 70 complete
its selection Of 8. 600 acres IL was no
until the spring OF 1878 that the titl'
70 this tract was restored 10 Sales =
Lasier. and in May of that year. ex
ploration was begun with a force O
fifteen men and prosecuted until
deposit Of blue ore was discovered OF
the Ord Of August In the same year.
wnen the ore was first struck IL hat