The Quincy Mine is a large group of copper mines located near Hancock, Michigan. The mine was owned by the Quincy Mining Company and worked from 1846 to 1945, with some work continuing until the 1970s. The Quincy Mine was called "Old Reliable" because the Quincy Mining Company gave money to investors every year from 1868 to 1920. The Quincy Mining Company Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District. Other important places near the mine, such as the Stamp Mills, Dredge Number Two, and Smelter, are also historically significant.
Lifespan: 1846-1945
The Quincy Mine was created in 1846 when the Northwest Mining Company and the Portage Mining Company joined together. These two companies had bought the same areas of land during the early 1840s copper rush because there was poor communication between government offices. The leaders of the companies met and decided to merge, with major financial support from Massachusetts (the town of Quincy, Massachusetts gave the mine its name). While many copper mines were started around the same time, the Quincy Mine became the most successful of the 1840s-era mines. It was the leading copper-producing mine in the country from 1863 (when its output surpassed the Minesota Mine) until 1867 (when it was overtaken by the Calumet and Hecla Mine).
The Quincy Mine was the first Michigan copper mine to change from fissure mining to amygdaloid mining after the Pewabic amygdaloid lode was discovered crossing Quincy property in 1856. Fissure veins contained large, pure copper masses, but extracting them was slow and costly. Amygdaloid mining involved removing lower-grade copper from "amygdaloid zones," which were the upper parts of basalt lava flows. Rock with small copper pockets could be blasted out quickly and processed at lower costs. Amygdaloid mining was more productive than fissure mining, and the rich Pewabic lode allowed the Quincy Mine to earn profits for 53 years in a row. The company expanded by purchasing nearby properties, including the Pewabic mine in 1891, the Mesnard and Pontiac mines in 1897, and the Franklin mine in 1908. These purchases helped the Quincy Mine last longer than most other Keweenaw copper mining companies, except for the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company and the Copper Range Company.
To improve working conditions, the Quincy Mining Company built and maintained homes for its workers. Early housing was simple tents, but by the time the mine closed, it included three-story houses. East Coast executives wanted to build more luxurious homes with features like electricity and running water. However, on-site managers believed miners did not need such comforts. The executives later realized that offering better housing encouraged miners to stay, raise families, and remain with the company. This strategy helped the Quincy Mining Company remain one of the region’s top mining companies.
The Quincy Mining Company stopped operations in 1931 because copper prices were low. During World War II, the mines reopened due to increased demand for copper. After the war, when government support for copper prices ended, the mines closed permanently.
The mine's engineering achievements
When the mine stopped producing in 1945, the Quincy Number 2 shaft was the longest mine shaft in the world, measuring 9,260 feet (2.82 km or 1.75 miles) along the slope of the ore deposit on a 55-degree decline. Measured vertically from the top of the shaft, its depth was 6,200 feet. To move ore and workers in and out of this shaft, the world’s largest steam-powered mine hoist was built in 1918 and placed inside the Quincy Number 2 Hoist House. The Nordberg Steam Hoist and its reinforced concrete building, designed in the Georgian architectural style with brick and Italian-tiled walls, cost more than $370,000 in 1918. It was used for only 11 years until it stopped operating in 1929. The hoist weighed over 880 tons and could lift 10 tons of ore at a speed of 36.4 miles per hour, saving $16,080 in fuel costs during its first year. It was placed on the largest concrete slab ever poured, containing 3,200 cubic yards of concrete and more than 8 tons of reinforcing material. The Number 2 Hoist House was constructed as a reinforced concrete building, a rare feat for 1918, making it one of the first of its kind. The highly decorated Hoist House was used to impress visiting investors.
The Mine Today
The Quincy Mine is now a well-known tourist spot in the Keweenaw area. The Quincy Mine Hoist Association is responsible for keeping the buildings and grounds in good condition. During the summer, they offer guided tours of the Number 2 Hoist House and the 7th level of the mine. Visitors travel to the 7th level using the Quincy and Torch Lake Cog Railway. Many buildings on the site have museum-style displays. The mine and its surrounding area are part of the Keweenaw National Historical Park.
Two locomotives from the Quincy & Torch Lake Railroad, which once carried ore to a mill, are located on the site. Locomotive #1, named the Thomas F. Mason, is a 32-ton 2-6-0 Mogul type built by the Brooks Locomotive Works in Dunkirk, New York. Locomotive #6, the last engine bought for the railroad, is a 2-8-0 Consolidation type. It was acquired in 1913.
The Number 6 Shaft House, which no longer exists, is often seen in pictures as an example of shaft house design.
On December 6, 2008, Michigan Tech Associate Professor William J. Gregg was installing emergency ladders in the Number 2 Shaft House when he fell 225 feet. He landed on an object and was declared dead at the scene by a paramedic who was sent down to check on him.
Since the mine closed, groundwater has slowly filled the shafts and stopes. Today, water has filled the mine up to the seventh level, making all levels below it unreachable. The seventh level is drained by a large adit, which serves as the entrance for mine tours. The adit was originally five feet high and three feet wide when it was built in 1892. In the 1970s, Michigan Tech expanded it for a mining study.