In February of 1996 I started researching the history of the mines of the Gogebic Range with the intention of publishing a... More > very modest account of the mines, with all of them arranged in alphabetical order. By June of that year I had prepared three dozen pages and had covers printed for the books. Some mines and explorations are known by the name of the person who held the mining option or who actually worked on or discovered minerals on it. These mines and explorations are listed under all of the names they were known by, based upon directories, maps, newspaper records, and other sources. < Less

Upper Michigan is known for its great mineral wealth, its iron and copper, but it has also produced quite a bit of silver... More > and even some gold. The gold fever spread across northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan during the 1880s and dozens of gold and silver mining companies were formed in an attempt to mine the precious metals and/or sell stock to gullible investors. Spectacular reports of extremely rich gold and silver finds appeared in newspapers across this region, and some people expected these mines to turn the area into another El Dorado, Comstock Lode or Black Hills gold field. It is impossible to judge the veracity of some of the old assays that appeared in the papers, or the potential value of these mines; per-haps with modern technology and methods some of the properties described in this history could actually be profitable and produce gold and silver today. < Less

In June of 1975 Ted Albert was vigorously pursuing his vision of turning the Upper Peninsula of Michigan into the 51st State... More > of Superior. In the latter part of that month he an-nounced a meeting to be held at the Community Memorial Building in Wakefield. I was then nineteen years old, and out of curiosity I attended the meeting to see what he had to say; there must have been close to a dozen people in attendance. This was my one and only acquaintance with the political maverick and dreamer who worked for years to make the U.P. into the 51st State of Superior. < Less

The present volume contains an interesting photographic history of education in Ironville. The erection of Ironville... More > Polytechnic Institute was an historic event in the saga of education in our city, and the people and animals associated with its early history were well beloved. Floyd Gibbon was one of Ironville's favorite native-sons and a celebrated bank robber who rose on the social ladder by associating with nobility. His father, Earl Gibbon, was among Ironville's greatest entrepreneurs, and the city's citizens were greatly bereaved when Floyd Gibbon died in a tragic but well-intentioned explosion. Slim MacDonald and Diamond Jim Handy were local legends, and many will be pleased to gaze upon their images and read of their achievements, as well of those of the other educators, politicians, businesspeople and personalities memorialized in this volume. < Less

Upper Michigan is known for its great mineral wealth, its iron and copper, but it has also produced quite a bit of silver... More > and even some gold. The gold fever spread across northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan during the 1880s and dozens of gold and silver mining companies were formed in an attempt to mine the precious metals and/or sell stock to gullible investors. Spectacular reports of extremely rich gold and silver finds appeared in newspapers across this region, and some people expected these mines to turn the area into another El Dorado, Comstock Lode or Black Hills gold field. It is impossible to judge the veracity of some of the old assays that appeared in the papers, or the potential value of these mines; per-haps with modern technology and methods some of the properties described in this history could actually be profitable and produce gold and silver today. < Less

In February of 1996 I started researching the history of the mines of the Gogebic
Range, with the intention of publishing a... More > very modest account of the mines, with all of
them arranged in alphabetical order. By June of that year I had prepared three dozen
pages and had covers printed for the books. At that point I began to realize that I could
add a lot of details to these listings by checking into old newspaper reports and other
sources, and I began my research in earnest. < Less

In February of 1996 I started researching the history of the mines of the Gogebic Range with the intention of publishing a... More > very modest account of the mines, with all of them arranged in alphabetical order. By June of that year I had prepared three dozen pages and had covers printed for the books. Some mines and explorations are known by the name of the person who held the mining option or who actually worked on or discovered minerals on it. These mines and explorations are listed under all of the names they were known by, based upon directories, maps, newspaper records, and other sources. < Less

In February of 1996 I started researching the history of the mines of the Gogebic Range
with the intention of publishing a... More > very modest account of the mines, with all of them
arranged in alphabetical order. By June of that year I had prepared three dozen pages and
had covers printed for the books. At that point I began to realize that I could add a lot of
details to these listings by checking into old newspaper reports and other sources, and I
began my research in earnest. The more I dug, the more I realized that this was a project
worth devoting some time to. I soon learned that not all of these so-called mines really
were mines; the majority of them were no more than explorations that never produced
profits (except from the sale of stock) for their owners or stockholders. Most of these old
mine sites are private property and are not open to the public. The shafts are either filled
with earth and debris or flooded with water almost up to the ground level, and cannot be
entered or explored. < Less

In June of 1975 Ted Albert was vigorously pursuing his vision of turning the Upper Peninsula of Michigan into the 51st State... More > of Superior. In the latter part of that month he an-nounced a meeting to be held at the Community Memorial Building in Wakefield. I was then nineteen years old, and out of curiosity I attended the meeting to see what he had to say; there must have been close to a dozen people in attendance. This was my one and only acquaintance with the political maverick and dreamer who worked for years to make the U.P. into the 51st State of Superior. < Less

Ironville was once the home of a Scandinavian nobleman whose very name conjures up images of food; now the true story can be... More > told and his fame preserved for posterity. Also read the scandalous account of Melvin Cankerton and the demise of the Church of the cosmic Pachyderm! < Less