Rock Chute

A rock chute at the Centennial #3 rockhouse
The Centennial is a very old mine -- originally opened in 1876, it closed very quickly. Calumet and Hecla eventually bought the mine and reopened it, and then it closed again. It was reopened once more by Homestake, but that operation barely got beyond pumping out the water.

This photo comes from the Centennial #3, the "peanut mine". As Mike over at Copper Country Explorer puts it, the Centennial #3 rockhouse looks like "it's going to fall over with the next stiff breeze." The old wooden rockhouse is in very poor condition, and the whole building is leaning severely to one side. The shafthouse isn't doing much better -- it's falling right into the mine itself! The old hoist building was torn down last year, the hoist rope supports have fallen to the ground... everything is disappearing quickly.

This photo is from the rockhouse -- a metal rock chute which used to unload mine rock into waiting rail cars (or, later, trucks). The chains, I think, helped to keep the rock from moving too fast or bouncing around. The background is the side of a rusted rock bin, which stored even more mine rock.

With a little luck, I'll be able to get some more photos of this fascinating location before it finally disappears.

Handprints

This photo is a bit of a mystery for me. It comes to you from a small, squat, and very solid cement building near the old Centennial Mill. The building almost looked like a bunker, with its thick, solid walls. But on the inside was this lovely touch of interior decoration! I have no clue what the building was, but it made for a fun photo.

The mill itself previously appeared here in the form of a bracket. I don't even know if this building was part of the mill, or what its purpose was. If anyone out there has an idea, let me know!

Bracket

A machine mount of some sort.
This photo comes to you from the Arcadian, er, Centennial, no wait I mean Calumet and Hecla mill. The mill started life processing copper-bearing rock from the short-lived Arcadian mine, and was quickly bought up by the Centennial Mine -- which eventually fell into the hands of the great Calumet and Hecla, and that was that. This mill is hidden in the woods on the shores of Portage Lake, slowly succumbing to nature.

I have no idea what this bracket is, except that the mill floor is covered with them. The mill was extremely modern when it was first built -- the Arcadian mine was funded by John Rockefeller himself, and spared no expense. The ruins look much more modern than 1913 (the year they were actually built), but regardless -- they're still ruins.

Lost Light

An abandoned light post at the Centennial #6
This minimalist shot comes to you from ye olde Centennial #6 mine, which had the honor of being one of the very last operating mines in the Copper Country. As a result of its longevity (or to be more accurate, its opening as the Schoolcraft mine, its re-opening as the Centennial Mine in 1876, then its final RE-re-opening as a "last chance" mine late in the 1970's), the mine was actually fairly modern -- it even had a parking lot, with lights and everything!

This light post was in the old parking lot -- which is almost unrecognizable today, except for the excess of gravel, and these poles standing up here and there. The lot is quickly being overrun by grasses, shrubs, and small trees, all living in the shadow of the old rock house.

Trespassers Beware!

... and don't even think about looking at this sign!

I'm downstate, visiting my parents and enjoying the utter flatness of the Saginaw Valley. I dragged a bit of snow down with me, but otherwise it's pretty different from the UP.

Until my return, here's a photo from a previous adventure: the old Centennial #2, mine of mysteries. This photo is from the old collar house. Nearby is the old rock house foundation, which is currently used to store road salt. That foundation is made half of cement and half of poor rock. Beyond it is... an old township dump! And beyond that is the old hoist. The hoist building is mostly destroyed, except for a single wall, and a small cinderblock addition. There is junk strewn about everywhere, and this sign, which apparently was posted back when there was still something left to steal.

Centennial by Moonlight

The Centennial #6 rockhouse in the moonlight.
The night after my moonlight outing to Quincy, I thought I'd keep up the spooky full-moon fun. My stop that night was the old Centennial #6, north of Calumet. The Centennial once had the honor of being the last operating mine in the Keweenaw, but it's long since closed.

In the moonlight, Centennial was just as spooky as Quincy. There are fewer ruins there (almost everything is modern-ish frame buildings), but the area felt very isolated. There was also a screech owl hunting for prey whose call kept echoing across the site.

This photo is one of the few I managed to capture before the moon was totally hidden behind a heavy cloud bank (some clouds are great for dramatic photos, too many just block all the light). I think that the muted colors make it look like an old postcard. If you look close, you can see the stars moving across the sky.