http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com Thu, 17 May 2012 16:45:30 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/05/after-the-close/ http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/05/after-the-close/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 15:25:41 +0000 ccexplorer http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/?p=4655 If you travel far enough into the rugged wilderness of Ontonagon County between the town of Ontonagon and Porcupine Mountains State Park you'll come across a rather surreal site. Sitting miles from anywhere along a lonely stretch of road sits a suburban utopia of well manicured lawns and quant little ranch houses laid out along curving roads that casually move to and fro through the landscape. It's almost as if you've stepped back into time, visiting a surreal 1950's landscape straight out of Pleasentville (minus the black and white of course). Congratulations, you've discovered the old mining town of White Pine.]]> http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/05/after-the-close/feed/ 1 http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/05/an-old-car-in-the-woods/ http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/05/an-old-car-in-the-woods/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 19:29:33 +0000 ccexplorer http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/?p=4653 If history is just a story of us told from the perspective of the victors, whose story does this old hulk tell? It resides neither in a museum or collector's garage, but instead sits at the bottom of a deep ravine neighboring an old mine site. Though gutted and stripped with its rusty frame left bare, this old vehicular contrivance stands tall and proud. It almost appears to still be sitting on the curb, waiting to transport its passengers to some far off destination. Only no passengers will ever arrive, and the rotting skeleton that remains has no place to go. ]]> http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/05/an-old-car-in-the-woods/feed/ 12 http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/05/houghton-countys-courthouse/ http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/05/houghton-countys-courthouse/#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 13:01:46 +0000 ccexplorer http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/?p=4650 Houghton County was first established in 1845, comprising at the time of almost the entirety of the Keweenaw peninsula. The county's first seat of government was established at the centralized located port town of Eagle River, which thanks to the neighboring Cliff Mine was on the verge of becoming the center of the region's industrial and commercial ambition. By 1861, however, the size and scope of the copper industry had outgrown such humble beginnings, and the burgeoning county was split in two. Eagle River became remained the county seat for the newly established Keweenaw County, while a newly shrunk Houghton County would gain a new seat several dozen miles to the south at the port city of Houghton. Read More...]]> http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/05/houghton-countys-courthouse/feed/ 6 http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/a-michigan-bat-cage/ http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/a-michigan-bat-cage/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:21:35 +0000 ccexplorer http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/?p=4649 The old Michigan Mine property is a literal mine field, encompassing the shafts from not only the Michigan, but also the Minesota, Superior, Rockland, and National Mines as well. In total several dozen old mine shafts are littered across the rugged landscape, creating a rather perilous hike for those unaware of the dangers. Thankfully the mine inspector has placed quite a few warning about to help the unsuspecting, signs like the one seen above. But for all the uncapped and unmarked shafts, the bluffs are also home to a few more celebrated shafts - those lucky enough to receive the coveted "bat cage" treatment.]]> http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/a-michigan-bat-cage/feed/ 3 http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/scrapbook-fridays-centennial-edition-continued/ http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/scrapbook-fridays-centennial-edition-continued/#comments Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:44:38 +0000 ccexplorer http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/?p=4648 This week on scrapbook I feature more old photos of the Centennial No.2 from fellow explorer Paul Meier (thanks again Paul!). This time we leave the towering rock house behind and take a closer look at a few other of the structures to be found at the site, including the old Hoist House (of which only a single wall still remains)....]]> http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/scrapbook-fridays-centennial-edition-continued/feed/ 5 http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/the-church-that-time-forgot-p2/ http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/the-church-that-time-forgot-p2/#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:57:55 +0000 ccexplorer http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/?p=4646 It was nearly 125 years ago that this simple wood-framed church outside of the small quarry town of Jacobsville housed its first services. In that time a lot has changed in the region, including the death of not only the local sandstone industry for which the church was built, but also the copper mining industry that sustained the entire peninsula. While the rest of the Copper Country was irrevocably altered by these developments this old church remained the same - a message in a bottle from a seemingly simpler and less chaotic time. As the rest of the world marched along with progress, this small piece of rural Americana was left behind. Thus a visit to the old Jacobsville church today is like stepping into the past; to a time before the electric light, centralized heating, or indoor plumbing. It's a journey through time that we were lucky enough to embark upon ourselves last year as we visited the old building during one of its summer services. ]]> http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/the-church-that-time-forgot-p2/feed/ 5 http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/the-church-that-time-forgot-p1/ http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/the-church-that-time-forgot-p1/#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:49:07 +0000 ccexplorer http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/?p=4644 There was a time when Jacobsville was the center of much hustle and bustle, when the surrounding sandstone quarries were in full swing and the rumble of blasting and the clang from sledgehammers against wedges filled the air. Back then the town was joined by several other communities with names like Sandstone, Craig, and Red Rock; and between them all the region was home to nearly a thousand people. Today, however, the region is home to only a fraction of those numbers and more closely resembles a summer hamlet then a full-fledged village. Yet for a visitor willing to slow down and take in the view, the old community can still provide a glimpse or two into its more illustrious past. One of those glimpses can be found at the end of this unsuspecting two track heading off into the neighboring cedar forest. This is the path to the old Finnish Lutheran Church. ]]> http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/the-church-that-time-forgot-p1/feed/ 7 http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/scrapbook-fridays-vintage-centennial-no-2-edition/ http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/scrapbook-fridays-vintage-centennial-no-2-edition/#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:38:05 +0000 ccexplorer http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/?p=4643 We return this week with more great vintage shots from fellow explorer Paul Meier, who has been kind enough as of late to sen me a great collection of scans from photos he took of a Copper Empire in decline in the early to mid 60's. Last week we explored the North Kearsarge No.4; this week we head south to the Centennial Mine and the No.2 shaft. Originally the No.2 was joined by a second shaft - the No.1 - that sat almost right on top of the No.2. Though sitting in close proximity to each other on the surface, the two shafts angle off from each other underground. By the time Paul had come across the pair, the No.1 had been demolished leaving only the No.1 available for pictures. Read More...]]> http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/scrapbook-fridays-vintage-centennial-no-2-edition/feed/ 12 http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/from-the-ashes-p9-pearce-hardware-company/ http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/from-the-ashes-p9-pearce-hardware-company/#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2012 01:24:37 +0000 ccexplorer http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/?p=4642 Last up on our tour of Lake Linden's fire ravaged downtown is a trio of buildings that occupy a prime piece of real estate in the center of the village - at the crossroads of Calumet and Center (now Fourth) just across the street from the village hall. Two of these buildings were built with a few years of the great fire, with the third added several decades later. More recently all three buildings were given a "modern" facelift, creating a shared first floor facade that extends across all three buildings. This gives the impression that the buildings are all one and the same, but in reality there is three separate and unique structures here. We'll start with the first of the three - the Wieder Block. ]]> http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/from-the-ashes-p9-pearce-hardware-company/feed/ 3 http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/from-the-ashes-p8-the-therrien-building/ http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/from-the-ashes-p8-the-therrien-building/#comments Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:36:55 +0000 ccexplorer http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/?p=4640 The great fire was a wake up call to Lake Linden, prompting the village to institute new rules and regulations when it came to what could be rebuilt in the fire's wake. After the flames were doused and the wreckage cleared the village instituted a strict fire code along its main commercial avenue. The code called for any new structure erected downtown to be built out of fire proof materials - stone or brick. It was an attempt to keep those fateful events of May from ever happening once again. The irony of it all, however, was that the great fire originated in just such a fire proof building, and ended up destroying a few other brick and stone blocks along the way. In the end it might have all been just lip service to quell the nervous insurance companies and keep rates down to hasten the rebuilding process. But whatever the true motive might have been, the results were still the same. Within a year the village had rebuilt, and had populated its main commercial thoroughfare with a line of impressive stone and brick business blocks. Read More...]]> http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2012/04/from-the-ashes-p8-the-therrien-building/feed/ 2