Elm River Mine, Twin Lakes, Elm River Township, Houghton County, Michigan, USAi

Regional Level Types
Elm River Mine	Mine
Twin Lakes	Unincorporated Community
Elm River Township	Township
Houghton County	County
Michigan	State
USA	Country

Commodities (Major) - Copper
Deposit Type: Secondary Enrichment
Development Status: Past Producer
Deposit Model: 96: Native Cu
Host Rock Unit: Portage Lake Volcanics
Host Rock: Basalt

An underground copper mine consisting of six shafts located near Twin Lakes. The earliest history of this site is as the Old Settlers Mine in 1846. The Great Western Copper Mining Company opened the Elm River in 1850 and proceeded to sink six shafts on the Winona Lode with the deepest being around 700 feet with over 1,000 feet of drifting. Early results of mining showed very little copper in small flakes which was not enough to support a full mining operation. Work continued on and off until 1899 when the mine was reorganized as the Elm River Copper Company. This new company worked only two of the original shafts with most on the No. 5. Additional exploratory work focused on finding the Baltic Lode which was known to cross the property. By 1903, only one shaft was actively worked. In 1912, the Elm River was sold at auction to the Contact Copper Company. If the piles can be located (no easy task), minerals that can be collected include copper, epidote, quartz, and some pyrite.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References