Welcome back to #MiningMonday. This week we travel to the bank of the Ontonagon River in 1771. There we find Alexander Henry (1739-1824) and a crew of miners. Henry tells the tale himself in his memoir, Travels & Adventures in Canada and the Indian Territories in the years 1760-1776: We built a house, and sent to the Sault de Sainte-Marie for provisions... In digging, they found frequent masses of copper. Having arranged everything for the accommodation of the miners during the winter, we returned to the Sault... Early in the spring of 1772, we sent a boat-load of provisions; but, it came back on the twentieth day of June, bringing with it, to our surprise, the whole establishment of miners. They reported that ...on the arrival of the thaw the clay on which on account of its stiffness they had relied and neglected to secure it by supporters had fallen in ...” So ended the first English copper mine on the Keweenaw.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 13:00:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015