Mine: North American Mine, Phoenix, MI

Began → North American Mine → Closed

Operated for about 26 years.

From: 1849

Owned by: 

Produced: Copper Ore

Method: Underground.

Railroad connection: Tramroad.

Stamp Mill: On site.

Until: ~1875

Lifetime Production: 

Notes

Time Line

1848. December. The North American mine will be worked by 50 men during the coming winter. An engine and stamps has arrived there. [DFP-1848-1207]

1849. October. The propeller Independence came down on the 13th with 34 tons from the North American Mine. [DFP-1849-1009]

1852. February. This Company commenced last fall a new shaft near the boundary line between their lands and those of the Pittsburgh and Boston Mining COmpany, for the purpose of intersecting with the celebrated south vein of the CLiff mine, the distance from where said vein has been taken down to the North American Company boundary,m being something less than 250 feet. M. W. Kelsey, the clerk of the mine, said "You will all be pleased to know that we have got through the quick sand, and have reached the rock. We commenced blasting there on the 9th, so you see the main difficulty has been encountered and overcome. The shaft is down 52 feet - the south drift in the Cliff continues to be the best part of that mine, and when we shall have found the vein, you may rely upon our having a valuable mine." [DFP-1852-0209]

1853. September. The mass of copper from the North American Mine, to which we have heretofore made reference as being designed for exhibition in the New York Crystal Palace, arrived (in Detroit) from the Sault yesterday noon, on the propeller Globe. It weighs 6,300 pounds, and was cut from a "chunk" weighing about 175 tons! It is now lying on the G. Williams & Co. dock, whence it will be shipped in a day or two to New York. [DFP-1853-0905]

1856. September. The North American mine is described as having reached the "paying point". It employs 180 men, 96 of whom are miners and are now getting out about 30 tons a month of stamp work and masses. They have shipped since January 579 tons and expect to ship in all 324 tons in the present season. [DFP-1856-0917]

1859. The South Cliff portion of the North American mine has been let on tribute for three years, the miners to open the ground in a regular manner, and pay the company one-sixth of the mass copper of over ten tons weight, and one-eighth of all the balance. [DFP-1859-0910].

1860. No work is being done by the company at the North American mine or on any portion of their territory, but the tributers are still at work, and have taken out about ten tons of copper during the past winter. The mine will be free fromw ater by the close of this week, when another lift will be commenced and sunk from the LXX to the LXXX fathoms level, and this latter will be opened. Nothing definite is known in regard to the future operations here; whether the mine will be opened again by the company, or whether the tributers will continue work, cannot be positively said. [DFP-1860-0403]

1873. Messrs. Gottstein and Paull have disposed of one-half interest in their Tribute contract at the North American mine to a party of gentlemen. The association hereafter will be known as the "American Tribute Company."

1877. Lloyd & Peters, the parties who have leased the St. Louis Mine, have purchased the little stamp mill on the North American Mine, and intend removing it at once to a point where it can be economically used in treating the rock they are taking out. [DFP-1877-0807]

1897. June. A French farmer who resided in Keweenaw County came to (Calumet)  yesterday and told a startling story of a neighbor's adventure with a bear. He was driving on a branch of the county road near the old North American mine location below Manhattan, when he saw a large black bear standing upright on her haunches with two little cubs near by. The farmers horses got frightened and made a bolt past the bear and ran several hundred yards before they could be stopped. The bear did not follow but scampered off into the woods. The bear stood fully six feet high, was black in color with a shade of brown mixed in. The cubs were probably a few months of age. If the animals are so bold as to travel on the road in daytime some of our local sportsmen will have an opportunity to do a little real interesting hunting. [CN-1897-0616].