The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1921-08-19
The ABANDONED
ARVON QUARRIES
Wherein Poor Management and Lack
Of Confidence Disqualifes
Profitable Business in
Slate.

Just as long as the fortunate few
shall continue to reap the harvest
from the wild, almost fanatic instinct
OF the human race--that seemingly
uncomfortable desire TO speculate
just that long will the proven "sure
thing" fail to attract. And, while
hundreds Of thousands of American
citizens annually lend an eager ear to
the roseate tale Of the wildcat" pro-
moters, !: opportunities as substantial
ard glowing as the Creator could pos:
>sibly have made them stand idle, and
begging for a chance to prove
up.
It is doubtless the Yankee craving
for the novel and spectacular which
has resulted in the misuse, or non-use
of much Of the vast natural resources
for which the United States Of A
merica is known and recognized the
world over. So intense is the desire
of the masses for something new,
something different, that the slower
yet more secure method of attaining
success and independence is matter
of after-thougt entirely.
And so it is that, with the country's
economic situation frantically calling
for greater utilization Of the nations
vast natural resource in soils, miner
ais, waterways and timber, money
goes on, circulating from one fiy-by-
night scheme toaanother, each promis-
ing wealth and opulence.
There are any number of striking
evidence of this fact throughout the
country. We see it on all hands
abandoned mines, mills and factories
left to rot and decay because the
first turn of the wheel failed to net
the expected fortune.
And it is a safe assumption that 30
per cent or more of these idle prop
critics represent the lack of proper
management-and that alone.
So, with contractors and builders
wildly casting about for way out OF
the increased cost Of constructing ma
terials, there lies embedded in the
surface of Baraga county what has
generally been acknowledged among
biologists as one of the finest and
largest deposits of commercial sla,e
in the entire country. There have
been attempts to market the prod
uct-and the crumbling shacks, rust
ed machinery and water-filled pits at
Arvon, the site of the old slate quar-
ry, is the almost sickening evidence
Of the failure on the part Of the orig
inal operators to make it 60.
A visit to the abandoned village OF
Arvon inspires one more with sense
of pitiful awe than with feeling of
resentment OF announcement owards
these whose lack of proper manager
ial ability resulted in the failure of
operations few years ago. Scenic
ally, it is an unusually attractive spot.
Hewed from the great forest Of
hardwood timber which abounds thru
out that region, and approached by a
winding trail, hemmed in on both
sides by tall hemlocks, Arvon is pic
turesque in the extreme. There are,
or were, fourteen dwelling houses
and two-story hotel which is said
to have cost a bit over $4,000 to
build. Erected about fifty years ago,
the hotel is still in an excellent state
of preservation, with its Arvon slate
roof intact. A .caretaker, who is may
or, village council, fire department
and police, is the only resident Of Ar
Won.
Slate was first discovered in Bar
aga county in 1872. and the Huron
Bay Slate and Iron Company was or
ganized in the fall of that year. Work
was begun, and a tramway erected
to Huron Bay, where dock was lat
er constructed to accommodate boats
Of fourteen-foot draft.
The lack Of experience and disrup-
ton within the management iself re-
suited in the abandonment of he work
in 1877, after having operated dr1-
ing that period at q constant loss,
Previous to he year 1873, 500
squares Of roofing had been shipped
a square, in this sense, being 10O
square feet. During the year 1878
1885 squares were sent out.
In 1874 another slate company. the
Clinton Slate and Iron Company, took
up the work near that vicinity, and in
four years shipped out total of
1854 square Of roofing 6fAte. This
company, likewise, failed spd their
operations were taken over by the
Michigan Slate Company. in 1881
The officers were James Turner. w,
X. Prudden, 8. F. lSeaRer and 8. l.
Smith, Of Lansing. With capital
Of 100000 the new company began
operations the abandoned vii
lase Of Arvon is the result Of their