Old Reliable

Old Reliable

On This Date: Photo taken 7/14/2016

People think of #2 Shafthouse as Quincy Mine, but it’s only the most prominent in a large collection of buildings, many of which are damaged or missing. The shafthouse is now part of a museum complex on the site of the former mine, run by the Quincy Mine Hoist Association. It’s a key component of the Keweenaw National Historical Park, which celebrates Michigan’s copper mining heritage.

A year ago–a dull grey day, as you can see–we decided to leave our Fort Wilkins campsite and visit the mine. It was an interesting visit, and we got some good photographs. Definitely worth the trip.


Two photographs today. Just because.

Quincy was one of the world’s great copper mines, producing ore from 1844 through 1945 (or 1931, or about 1970–sources vary, probably for good reasons, though the last date’s likely a stretch).

When I was younger the shafthouse was a rusty thing, but the Association restored it around 1990. I toured the place shortly after the restoration with a railfan group, part of a very interesting fall weekend looking at mining museums and remnants of the Copper Range Railroad. Our visit a year ago was far less ambitious.

Number of pix taken on various July 14ths: 647
Year of oldest photo: 2005

How I Rated the Date’s Photographs:

  • 1 Star: 2
  • 2 Stars: 59
  • 3 Stars: 448
  • 4 Stars: 125
  • 5 Stars: 13
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