This is the BLOG Post for 07/21/2013!!!

Hello Fellow Wandering Travelers!!!

First, if this BLOG Post says that it is July 22, 2013, DON’T BELIEVE IT!!!! This BLOG Post is for July 21, 2013!!!

I had to spend a few nights in a campground that said they had internet Wi-Fi, but that’s if you stood on your head at the top of a tall fir tree, facing south-south-east, exactly!!!! Anyway, I was in Copper Harbor, Michigan at the Fort Wilkins Campground and it was remote enough that I couldn’t get or send cell phone calls, text Messages, E-Mail, or browse the WEB!!! In other words, I was cut off from any communication except pay phone. I did go on a trip to the top of a mountain and was able to send out a Text Message (I think)!

 

This BLOG Post is for July 21, 2013 and what I did on that day!!!

 

Today, I left the trailer at the Fort Wilkins Campground and drove to the Delaware Copper Mine!!! The weather was again beautiful – bright sunshine, blue skies, but cool!!! I am back to wearing long jeans and a jacket!!!

I got into my truck and drove about 12 miles to the Delaware Copper Mine. Yes, it’s a funny name for a mine in Michigan and I don’t know why it was called that!!! From what I read, this mine produced copper, but not like it was thought to be able to. In other words, it was a failure!!! The town around it grew to be about 1500 people and then went down to just a few!!! The mine stopped at in about the 1880s and was basically abandoned!! I believe it is now owned by a private person who sells tours to explore the upper part of the mine. When you go in you walk down about 100 feet of steps to the first level and then walk along the main shaft about 1800 feet into the mountain!!! It was so cool in the tunnel; you could see your breath!! The mine goes to a total depth of 1,400 feet! The reason you can’t go any deeper is because all the lower levels are filled with water!!! In fact, the water is usually anywhere from a few inches below the main path to a few yards below the main path. I asked about flooding of the main tunnel, but the owner said that it always drains away before it reaches that level!!! This means that there is about 1,300 feet of water in the tunnels!!!

Anyway, I went into the mine and took photos – most photos are too dark to see much. My small flash just can’t light up areas that could be as big as a house!!! Anyway, here is what I got ---

 

Going into the hole in the ground and down the stairs (notice the water; it looked like a fast running stream going into the tunnel!! I wasn’t too sure of this, but it drained away and later I found out that it was a large hose that was left to run too long!!!??? It was off when I came out!!) ---

There are left over ore car tracks and sled beams for removing ore in some of the tunnels ---

 

If the beams look like they are floating in the water; it’s because – they are!!! That’s the water level I was talking about!!!

Then here is the tunnel ---

Here is a air driven drill. But, at first, the drilling was done by hand; that is, one man held the drill bit and two men took turns hitting it with big sledge hammers!!! It wasn’t until the end that the air equipment started to come in!!!

 

Sometimes the shaft would open up to an area as big as a small house. These were called slopes and they were done to follow the vein of ore as it wound within the mountain. Here’s a photo – not a good photo, but a photo!!! ---

 

Here is a photo of one of the ore cars and some tools ---

 

Here’s a tunnel connection – filled with water!!!

 

Here is what I think is a little bit of copper that was overlooked – of course, it’s not enough to be able to mine!!!

 

The last 500 feet was lit with lights at a low wattage to demonstrate what the miners worked in. It was so dim that my camera refused to work!!! You can barely see anything with clarity – I don’t know how they actually mined with it so dark! Anyway, I enjoyed the mine and when I got to the surface, I walked around and looked at the structures and equipment that was left behind!!!

Here’s an example of a piece of copper that could have been found on occasion; it weighs over two thousand pounds!!! It’s value right now is about $5,000!!!

 

Here are some photos of pumps, buildings, compressors, etc. ---

 

And, last, but not least, the view from this mountain side mine ---

From here, I went back to camp and then walked into town; Copper Harbor!! I didn’t take any photos in town because it’s like any small town on a highway, except the buildings are all spread out. The whole town has about ten shops, but it’s over almost a mile distance!!! I even found a few used book stores and one had a book I wouldn’t mind buying except they wanted two to three times what it was valued at!!!

It was starting to get late, so I walked back to my trailer and started typing up my BLOG Posts in Word so that I can send them out tomorrow!! The I checked my plan for tomorrow’s drive and then called it a day!!!

Well, that was my day!!! Very busy, some driving, some walking in the dark, some walking in the sunshine, but all interesting and fun site seeing!! I even learned a few things!!!

So, with that, I will go for now, but I will see you all again tomorrow.

Again, to quote that great comedian, Red Skelton, "Good Night and May God Bless!"

Happy Trails ---- Jon