The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1919-08-16

Ny story deals Win chV'hei N'
which / have termed the "Origina
cloyerland Trail" II grew out Q
the desire Of the people from lroI
county 10 get TO Gogebic county tina
they might assist In the bringing Z
light the rich iron ore deposits thai
lay hidden there refer 70 the old
trail leading from Iron River 70 Inc
corebic range. The Gogebic end OF
he trail had several terminals the
last one al state Line. where II re-
NAMED until the railroad was extend
"a from Iron River TO Watersmeet'
thus linking up by railroad the Me-
nominee and Gogebic ranges ana re-
moving from use an interesting route
that had enabled many to lay the
foundaticSs Of big fortunes and as
sisted in opening up for the use o
the people OF the world a most yalu-
able iron ore producing section.
The Gogebic iron range was ex-
nlored and opened up for ore ship
ments between the years 1881 ana
1856. Information pointing 70 the ex-
istence OF iron ore In the territory OF
the Gogebic range existed in the rec
ords OF the government survey Of whal
is now the Gogebic range as early as
1850. A year or 50 later geologica'
survey OF the district by Brooks 4
Pumpelly called attention to the prob
Dble existence OF iron ore in quantity
o. that region. Nothing was done to-
wards exploring the region until 1881
and the principal reason is that fur
mace practice among the iron smelt-
ers OF the day held back the develop
ment OF any iron ores excepting the
hard ore Of the Marquette range. The
soft hematites were set aside as
worthless and called mud" by these
men Some OF the more venturesome.
however. experimental with them,
found that they could be used and
then followed the demand for these
soft ores that led men to seek them
wherever existing. The exploration
and development OF the Menominee
range between 1878 and 1881 followed
and while II was thought by many
men in the iron business OF the day
that the discoveries on the Menomi-
nee would glut the ore market with
a supply that would last for many
years into the future. there were 9TH
err men OF broader vision who believ-
cd that they could see the expansion |
Of the iron industry OF the nation fol-
low the expansion in the supply OF |
iron ore aud these pilots OF the ex
ploring world pushed out into the un
known wilds OF the Lake Superior |
county in quest OF more OF the mud"
that had been set aside but q few
wears before
= The Gogebic range was closer to
the port OF Ashland, Wis. and 1t was
by small boats from that place TO
the mouth OF the Montreal. Then over
land the comparatively few miles be-
tween the ore region and the lake
that the most OF the first explorers
reached the range. but. as their dis |
coveries became noised about. the
men who had led the exploratory pro-
cession up the Menominee valley were
Influenced TO continue onward to the
Gogebic and they proved TO be the
mainstays in the exploration and sub
sequent development OF the Gogebic
range.
The Iron county section OF the Me-
nominee range was in the infant stage
when. in 1882, the news came that i'm
portant discoveries OF rich iron ore
had been made in the Gogebic coun-
try. II was in that year that the Chi
cago A. North Western railroad was
completed and opened up to traffic as
far west as Iron River and Crystal
Falls. Iron River was the farthest
west that any iron formation had
been met with and Il was at that point
that the road rested Iron River was
IS miles distant from the new region
and. outside OF Ashland, was the
closest point by rail.
/The work Of the PIONEER. the mar
Aho makes up the skirmish line for
the more settled colonist following,
had Just about been completed on the
Menominee range. He was being
crowded by the oncoming rush OF
capitalists and miners that his dis
coyeries brought to the country and
he turned his eyes further into the
fopest for new adventures which he
found on the Gogebic
Distancc and hardship has no dis
s,... "A a. n.faftf for fhlo txft,, 80 t,.o.. T..