Before heading to the Upper Peninsula, we had read that Michigan copper is historically important because it provided over 90% of the nation's copper during the mid-19th century, driving the American Industrial Revolution and powering the Union war effort.

Before embarking on a mining history lesson, we stopped for a culinary one. The pasty became a cultural icon here after 19th-century Cornish immigrants brought the portable meat pie to the region's copper and iron mines. Originating in Cornwall, England, as a sturdy meal for tin and copper miners, the D-shaped hand pie featured a thick crimped crust edge that served as a "handle". Miners could hold it with dirty hands, eat the filling, and toss away the crust. Needless-to-say, there was no crust throwing away for us. What a delicacy.









The thing behind Steve is a really big deal here. The Nordberg Hoist (1918) is the largest mine steam hoist in existence. Its drum has a capacity of over two miles of 1-5/8" wire rope (13,300 feet). It was rated at approximately 2500 HP. Sadly, it was only used for 11 years before it was taken out of service. It could operate at a cable speed of 3,200 feet per minute (36 MPH). It is a Nordberg cross compound Corliss type engine with two 32" high pressure cylinders, two 60" low pressure cylinders, 66" stroke. It is 60' x 54' wide. and 60' high and weighs 1.8 million pounds. For those who know, this is incredibly impressive.




After a general history of the Quincy Mining Company, in the museum, we donned our hardhats and boarded a funicular to head down the hill.


We were then lead through the adit, a 2,000 foot-long horizontal tunnel, into historic workings dating to the 1860s.


Kyle explained that the state’s copper deposits extend in a narrow band from the Michigan-Wisconsin border to the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula and out into Lake Superior. The copper-bearing rocks are late Precambrian and mostly volcanic (basaltic lava flows) and sedimentary in origin. Into the lava flows percolating hot waters rising from great depths brought copper and silver in solution. As it cooled, the waters filled the fissures and the gas cavities (amygdule) of the lavas (trap rocks) with pure copper and silver, making the greatest deposit of native copper in the world.

We learned that unlike mass (fissure) lodes, Quincy mined amygdaloid deposits, where copper formed as smaller specks and pieces in the rock. This material was more economical to mine because after being drilled and blasted, rock could be brought to the surface more easily than mass copper, and then stamped to liberate the copper within the rock matrix.


Hkay, how cool is this? Michigan Technological University used an underground classroom carved out of solid rock inside for mining engineering classes and team meetings from the 1970s through the 1990s. Students built their own subterranean classroom to avoid traveling back and forth in harsh winter weather.
While a great deal of this tour was technologically over my head, I left with a  full appreciation of what was required to produce the copper that fueled the industrialization of our nation. What a tour!
After touring the local town that copper built, we returned to the Quincy for our evening's campsite.
Michigan is magical!

We have embarked on the Lake Superior Circle Tour, a magnificent 1,300-mile scenic drive looping around the largest freshwater lake in the world.

It spans three U.S. states (Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota) and one Canadian province (Ontario). We will not be completing the entire loop, missing out on crossing the border, but we will capture as much of the lake's history and views as we can.
Our first stop was at the village of Port Wing for its Saturday market.

It was full of interesting people and items to purchase.

Lunch, shopping, and exploring happened in one of the "The 23 Best Places to Go in the U.S. in 2023" named so by Conde Nast Traveler.
I love this description, "Bayfield is the perfect getaway for those looking to experience the magic of Lake Superior. Known as the Gateway to the Apostle Islands, there is no shortage of adventures. In 2023, Bayfield was voted among the 10 Best Coastal Small Towns and Best Midwestern Small Towns in 2023 by USA Today Top 10Best Readers' Choice. Bayfield is also Wisconsin’s Smallest City and the Berry Capital of Wisconsin. Underneath all the titles and accolades, Bayfield is a strikingly beautiful small city on the shores of Lake Superior. Plan your adventure and see what Bayfield and the Apostle Islands have in store for you."

Timing and weather prevented us from ferrying to the Islands. Instead we meadered, shopped, and dined, lakeside, at Hoop's a deservedly high rated fish place.
Grilled whitefish... drool-worthy.
How about some history? We're in the Chequamegon Bay area which had a long and colorful history well before the settlement of Bayfield. It is known that several different Native American peoples were here prior to European discovery.Early Bayfield was dependent on lake transportation to provide goods and passage to the outside. Boats stopped running in December or January when the Bay froze over ending service for months. When the railroad finally steamed into Bayfield in 1883, lumbering and fishing were already established. Brownstone quarrying and tourism were just beginning to gather strength. The population reached 500. Bayfield was becoming civilized, boasting schools, churches, lodges, hotels, and boarding houses. An impressive sandstone courthouse was constructed the same year to herald the booming quarry industry and the village’s passage into maturity. The beautiful buildings still stand, visual proof of this town's rich history.

Besides an incredible thrift store, there were THREE different places at which to purchase books. Wow.

A respite in nature was found on the Houghton Falls Trail. This 1.3 mile out and back trail allowed us to explore the 76 acre Houghton Falls Natural Area. The trail took us into the woods to the (now dry) falls and continued to the Lake Superior shoreline. Here we were offered views of the Apostle Islands and where we vowed to return one day.





We were mesmerized by Echo Dells, a series of water-carved rock cliffs and caves interspersed with small waterfalls (in Spring) and a forested footpath. The Dells supports dense stands of hemlock, yellow birch, and mountain maple common. The understory includes intermediate wood fern, common polypody fern, long beech fern, thimbleberry, wood sorrel, and small enchanter's nightshade... In case you were wondering!


This Reserve protects a picturesque pre-Cambrian sandstone gorge along the Lake Superior shore. The dramatic sandstone cliffs extend into the clear waters, affording views of the Apostle Islands. A stream meanders through the site cascading over the exposed sandstone before descending over 60 feet into a rippled sandy cove.
The site is also important in maintaining the unfragmented, undeveloped shoreline that supports many residents and migratory birds including the merlin, least flycatcher, veery, wood thrush, Canada warbler, and lucky for us, the bald eagle.

Our home for our last night in Minnesota was the wonderful Memorial Park Campground right on the lake outside of Washburn.
Camping on any lake is the perfect campsite. So far, so awesome!