The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1917-09-22
FROM GRASS ROOTS TO
MINE IN Nine MONTHS
ass.s 'asg lRKaBlE RECORD ACHIEVED At THE
NDcERs HAS NEVER BEEN EQUALED
On December the Property Was a Mood
Lot; on October / ii Had Sent Forward
$4,000 Tons Of Ore From Workings

Nestled between the hills that SURROUND IL OH
three sides the Odgers mine, located on the sla
OF neA OF section 80 43n. 32w., moves along In
It's daily grind quietly and unostentiousiy
that were it not for its remarkable record and
the fact that II Is proving to be one OF the main
stays to Crystal Falls, one would hardly know a
mine existed in the locality. The familiar pun OF
the steam engine is absent the cloud OF black
smoke Is not seen there for It IS electrically
operated property and the whir OF its motors does
not create the noises nor does It's power plant at
tract the attention that mining properties equip
ped with the machinery Of older days creates.
The mine lies right adjacent TO the city line
and its location Is really a part OF the city, al
though separated from It by a small extent of
vacant land Many OF the workmen employed at
the odgers live in city homes owned by them
selves and in that way.it differs from the outlying
properties where transciept workingmen living
in company houses make up the major portion
OF the employees.
A Short History OF the Property.
The fee to the odgers mine is owned by the
Sheldon estate Of Hougilton and comprises por-
ton OF a tract OF mineral lands in this section
that were located by Ransome Sheldon and Jacob
shafer in the early days OF the upper peninsula
The first exploratory work this land was
done in the latter eighties when the prospeetors
on the old Volunteer property put down some
test pits on the quarter line about 200 feet south
Of the present Odgers Office Capt Thomas Bo-
sanko was in charge Of the work and the material
shown no was lean red states with some Jasper
SO work is that section was abandoned and not
resumed again until about the year 1900 a. i.
Fleweling secured option on this tract and let
y contrast to Matt Lee who at that time repre-
scented the Cole a Mcdonald interests in this sec
ton, to do some diamond drill work. Mr. Flewell-
ing showed up small vein OF ore, but work was
soon afterwards suspended and nothing was done
Non the property until about four years ago when
Mr. H. Jarcow OF Virginia, now of Chicago came
here to do some exploring for Duluth syndicate
Mr.. Jarcow employed Ira Odgers OF the Cole e.
Mcdonald company to do the drill work and the
records showed up promisingly. Mr.. Jarcow
stated that his funds were limited and that he was
unable to do deep work, so most Of the exploring
he did was OF the shallow kind that just punctur-
BED the formation He quit work and the property
lay idle for short time
About this time the Cole e. Mcdonald company
decided to change its policy Prior to that time IL
had religIously refrained from doing any explor-
atory work ts own account The slump In
exploratory work necessitated either the letting
out OF number OF skilled workmen that the
company had in It's employ the starting OF ex-
pioratory work on It's own account II decided on
the latter course.
Mr. Odgers had all along advised Mr. Jarcow
10 do some deep work the property and now
that his company was entering the exploratory
field he very strongly recommended the acquiring
OF an option on this property.
In less than three months after the option was
acquired the Cole & Mcdonald people had sufIi-
cient information to warrant Them in claiming
that they had mine
Negotiations were soon entered into with the
forrigan Mckinney interests and The property
Nnt to that concern az a handsome iilcrease IL
royalty.
Development Work Started.
The Hudson Mining Co was organized to oper
ate the property and the opening Of II was PLACED
In the hands OF supt w. J Richards OF this city
MIR. Richards at once started out on plans FOL
the opening and equpping OF a model minlne
property lie called In his advisers and told
them what he wanted and soon after plans were
admitted to him on the different equipment tems
= hhlch were altered and added to until MIR. Rich
~ Swas satisfied that he had what he wanted
AZ decided to operate the Odgers by elec
mower The Pehinsuar Power Co had Il,
= a Textended 10 Alpha and at that time con
T. aerlne an extension to Crystal Falls so the mo
ment was opportune for the making OF arrange
ments for economical power agreements. Thel
were made and work started on extension o
the lines from Alpha TO the Bristol passing IN,
Odgers and several other mines on the way.
AS soon as the plans were matured. Mr.. Rich
- ards started shaft sinking. Some testing had beef
taone with diamond drill to determine the bes
lbiace In which TO sink shaft and. although
formation was shown up on all sides, the shat
was finally located on the south, or foot-side o
th1 ore body In the formation but about 10
-. removed from any known ore lense.
n Ahe work was started with windlass and