The Keweenaw Peninsula was once a thriving copper mining location, and abandoned mines and mining equipment dot the countryside. One of the things I wanted to see was the remains of Quincy Dredge Number Two. It’s not easy (or probably legal) to get close to the dredge, so I made do with a few photos from the road.
But across the road from where the dredge lies is the remains of the Quincy Mining Company Stamp Mill #1. It looked interesting so we pulled into the parking area to take a look around.
The building is a bit creepy and probably (mostly?) quite safe, but I didn’t venture more than a few feet in. The graffiti and trash made for an interesting scene, reminiscent of some of the abandoned building we saw across Route 66 a few years ago.
It was late and we had a dinner reservation at a nice restaurant, so duty called and I only got a few representative photos.
You just may have made more photos in Michigan than I have this year! 🙂 I haven’t read much (or seen for that matter) about this particular mine. I know left over mining sands on the shores of Lake Superior are a bit of an environmental cleanup problem. A few stories published by Great Lakes Now just this year on dealing with the legacy pollution left over from these places. :-/
Ironically, I’ve possibly taken more photographs in Michigan this year than I have in North Carolina!
I’ve wondered about the environmental impact of all those mines, but so far at least it hasn’t raised any major alarms. You’d think it would be a bigger issue.