Furnace: Bangor Furnace Company, Bangor, MI

The Bangor Furnace was an early iron ore furnace which converted iron ore into pig iron. The ore was brought by boat from the Marquette, Menomiee and Gogebic iron ranges into ore docks at St. Joseph. From St. Joe's it was brought by the C&WM railroad to Bangor for processing. The main reason for the location in Bangor was its proximity to wood fuel, which was converted to coal and then charcoal.

The furnace operated from about 1873 to 1888. It closed once for two years do to loss of tariffs on foreign iron, and in 1888 due to the declining forest fuel.

Notes

The company makes pig iron. It turns out 35-38 tons per day.

Time Line

1873. The Bangor Furnace Company paid out about $9,000 for wood and labor for the month ending March 15. [BUC-1873-0410]

1874. Two vessels, the Kate L. Bruce and Nelson, both laden with nearly 1,000 tons of iron ore for the Bangor furnace, arrived in port the first of this week. The Bruce got on to the bar in coming in (at St. Joseph) and several ton of ore had to be taken off before the Daisy Lee could bring her to the dock. [SJH-1874-0530]

1876. Some Holland gentlemen have offered the Bangor furnace company $30,000 and 20 acres of land to move their blasting furnaces to that place. [LSJ-1876-0627]

1877. The company has leased the necessary ground for the erection of works for the manufacture of acetic acids from the smoke of the coal kilns of the Bangor furnace. The smoke is conducted to the works by means of iron pipes, and there converted into valuable acids. [TTN-1877-1122] This is known as the Bangor Chemical Works.

1882. The Bangor furnace is out of blast. The company also lost about 350 cords of wood by fire which was burned in the woods, not in the kilns. [CNO-1882-0804]

1882. The furnace employees at least 400 men and converts about five cords of hard wood into cinders every hour but the wood is not used until first converted into charcoal, which is done in 14 coal pits made of stone standing near the furnace and 31 in the country round about, making 45 besides many private ones owned by farmers who convert their own timber into coal and haul it to Bangor for sale to the company. The furnace consumes 4,000 bushels of coal per day, or 125 bushels per hour. The company makes 40 tons of pig-iron per day. They melt, or rather run off, four times within every 24 hours, twice in the day and twice at night. [DFP-1882-1213]

1883. The Bangor furnace has stopped operating and in financial stress with $112,000 in liabilities. [GRP-1883-1020] It has been shut down as the result of a reduction in tariffs on foreign iron.

1885. The Bangor furnace is back into blast. The first iron ore has been received at the port of St. Joseph. [BUC-1885-0604]

1885. The big three-masted schooner John Kelderhouse arrived from Escanaba with 800 tons of iron ore for the Bangor furnace. This is the first cargo to arrive in this port since 1883 and will be glad to see this industry again established in St. Joseph. The Kederhouse will run here the rest of the season. [SJR-1885-0605]

1885. The street railway road-bed (in St. Joseph) is to be ballasted with slag from the Bangor furnaces. [WPAL-1885-1030]

1887. The Bangor furnace is now shipping 12 car-loads of pig iron daily. [SJH-1887-0226]

1887. A train of 25 cars of iron ore from the Gogebic mines passed over the C&WM railroad Wednesday for the Bangor furnace. [SJH-1887-1119]

1888. It is probable that the Spring Lake iron company will some time during the next month close up their business in Bangor (Bangor Furnace). It the furnace is one shut down its future disposition is as yet only a matter of conjecture. The disappearance of fuel is the principle reason, and the furnace will probably be moved further into the depths of the thick woods. [SJHP-1888-0720]