Railroad: Isle Royale Company

This was a private ore hauling road, from the Isle Royal Mine properties to its stamp mill on Portage Lake.

Click here for Map.

Built → Isle Royal Copper Company. → Abandoned

Built: 1899.

Operated for 50 years.

Owned by: Isle Royale Copper Company, controlled by C&H. In 1937, control to Copper Range Co.

Method: Underground mine shafts, as many as seven.

Ended: 1949.

Reference: [MRRC]

Notes

This was a private copper ore hauling road which range between Dodgeville, to Hurontown, and then down to the company's stamp mill on Portage Lake.

Time Line

1897. The Isle Royal Consolidated Mining Company is formed by the Huron, Grand Portage and Isle Royale mines. In 1899 the Miner's Copper Company was added. The CEO was A.S. Bigelow and the company was controlled by the Calumet and Hecla Company through stock ownership. [CRR]

1897. The dock was 32 feet wide by 600 feet long. It was a deep port for lake freighters. [CRR]

1899. The railroad was built with 65-pound rail. It connected the DSS&A to the mines. [CRR]

1900. A stamp mill was built, 134' x 210'. Three Nordberg steam stamps were ordered. An engine house 40'x70' for two locomotives was built near shaft #1. A 175' steel trestle was built over the highway and DSS&A railroad connecting the new ore dock to the railroad system. [CRR]

1899. The Isle Royal mine was reorganized by the Isle Royal Copper Company and the railroad was built.

1909. The Calumet & Hecla Mining company purchased the mine and operated it until approximately 1930.

1913. The railroad was extended from #6 shaft to the Superior Mine. This, in effect, gave a second rail route from Houghton to the Baltic mine area, since the A&LS railroad had been extended to the Superior mine in 1908.

1914. December 24. The Isle Royal Mill on Portage Canal east of Houghton burns down. Rock was then hauled via the Mineral Range railroad to the Tamarack Mills at Point Mills (east of Hancock). A new mill was completed in June, 1915. [CRR]

1917. A new, 15,000 water tank is erected. [CRR]

1932. the Isle Royale Copper company suspends operations due to the depression. The mine and railroad were reopened in 1937 and the mines were dewatered. 

1937. Control of the company was passed from the C&H to the Copper Range company. Refined rock was sent to the Michigan Smelter until 1945, and then to the C&H Smelter in Hubbell.

1948. December 10. The railroad discontinued operations. The last run was in 1949 and the rails were pulled up. [CRR]

1949. The mine was closed for good.

Map