Mine: American Mine, MI

Boston and Sterling Mines → American Mine → Became

From: 1880

Location: Diorite, MI

Owned by: 

Produced: Iron Ore

Method: Underground shafts.

Railroad connection: MH&O to Marquette, C&NW to Escanaba.

Stamp Mill/Pellet Plant: Improvement plant on site.

Until: 1920

Lifetime Production: 

Image info: Top, the headframe of the American Mine in Diorite. 2nd photo, the concentrating plant at the same location. [Michigan Technological University collection]

Notes

American Mine was located in Diorite, MI west of Ishpeming. The mine was located north of the C&NW Michigamme branch and was served by the C&NW with trackage rights to the mine by the DSS&A. The mine had four yard tracks with an ore loading trestle, a coal trestle and other side tracks. The plant also had a ore crusher.

American Mine had a depot on the Michigamme branch at approximately MP 188.7. Evaluation maps reports this depot was moved from "Golden" in 1907. It was a "no order" depot and had a bay window.

The mine also had a DSS&A siding which crossed the Michigamme branch at a grade crossing. [CNWV] notes that the crossing was owned and maintained by the C&NW railway and may have been removed in 1927. The crossing was not interlocked. There was also a junction with the DSS&A east of the crossing built in 1928. This may have taken place of the other crossing. [CNWV]

For information on the American Mine, go to their page on the mine list, below the station list.

The mine had a concentrating plant. The plant and mine shipped by the DSS&A to Marquette and the C&NW to Escanaba and all-rail shipments. [SSS-2022-11]

For an excellent article about this mine and its beneficiation plant, see Mark Worrall's article in South Shore Shorts November, 2022 edition.

Time Line

1880. August 23. The MH&O constructed a two mile branch to the mine, leaving the main line just east of Clarksburg.

1888. The C&NW builds their branch from Ishpeming to Michigamme and reaches this mine. The railroad establishes a station at the mine, naming it Diorite. [SSS-1022-11]

1893. A panic closes mine operations. Machinery and buildings are dismantled and sold. 

1901. The DSS&A abandons the old MH&O branch to the mine.

1906. The mine reopens under M. A. Hanna Company control. Infrastructure is repaired and the mine is dewatered. Full production begins in 1909, shipping " a trainload a day". [SSS-1022-11]

1908. The DSS&A branch is restored using the old grade.

1912. A benefaction plant is built by the Denver Engineering Co., capacity 700 tons per day. [SSS-1022-11]

1917. Iron County mines have an order for 3,000 car loads of iron ore and Marquette range mines 2,000 car loads, all of this ore to go all-rail via the car ferry to Frankfort and Detroit. The mines from which the ore is to be shipped are the Carpenter at Crystal Falls from which 1,500 cars are wanted, the Bates at Iron River, from which a like number is wanted, and the American mine at Diorite from which 2,000 cars are wanted.

This ore is to go to Detroit via the C&NW, AARR and the DT&I. It is for use in the furnaces at Detroit which have not and cannot get adequate boat service to handle the ore that is needed to keep the plants going. Orders have been placed with the railroads for cars but so far not a single car is in sight.. The ore must be shipped in the big steel gondola cars used in handling coal. [DD-1917-0818]

1917. Ore is shipped to Detroit via the C&NW to Menominee, the Ann Arbor car ferry to Frankfort, the Ann Arbor railroad to Dundee, and the DT&I to Detroit. [SSS-2022-11]

1920. Underground mining here ends. Shipments in 1921 and 1922 were from stockpiles. The concentrating plant is used until 1924 by a marble company. [SSS-1022-11]