Virtual Smelter Tour- The Beginning

We are pleased to announce the beginning of the virtual smelter tour! We’ve partnered with Copper Country Explorer to provide an in-depth tour and exploration of the Quincy Smelter. We’ll deal with more of the history here, while Explorer provides architectural commnetary and some great photos of the smelter taken during the special photo tour which took place during our Oct.3, 2009 open house. I really appreciate Explorer’s effort, and hope you enjoy the tour on both sites!

We’ll be moving from building to building in the same manner as the copper would have as it arrived from the stamp mills on Torch Lake. As such, we’ll start with the 1904 Mineral House. For now, here’s a map of the smelter as it would have appeared in 1920. Take a look and orient yourself to the various buildings!

Smelter site map, ca.1920, as drawn by the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) in 1978.

 For larger versions of this drawing, as well as the rest of the HAER documentation of the smelter and the Quincy Mine site, please click here.

Smelter Tours a Success!

In October 2009, I helped plan the first large-scale public open house at the Quincy Smelter. I got a chance to work with a lot of great people, and met numerous interested individuals on the tours I led through the site.Despite the cold, wind, and threatening rain, the public open house and tours of the Quincy Smelter were a great success! Over 200 people showed up for the tours, each of which was sold out. An additional tour (for a total of 9) even took place to accomodate those who couldn’t get on the earlier tours! Special thanks are due to the Keweenaw Chapter of the Michigan Tech Alumni Association, the staff of the Keweenaw National Historical Park, Dr. Liz Norris and the industrial archaeology students from Michigan Tech, and the staff of Franklin Township. This event wouldn’t have been possible without their help. Thanks are also due to everyone who came out and showed their support and interest in the smelter!

Tour group gathering before heading into the smelter.

Group at the cupola furnace building.

Industrial archaeology students from Michigan Tech documenting the ice house.

Special photography tour group examining the locomotive behind the smelter.

Inside the 1920 casting house.