Sault Saint Marie, August, 1846.
I am the owner of a few shares of copper stock, but exceedingly anxious
to dispose of my interest, at the earliest possible moment, and on the
most reasonable terms. This remark defines my position with regard to
copper in general, and may be looked upon as the text from which I shall
proceed to make a few, a very few, general observations on the copper
region of Lake Superior. I am curious to find out how it will seem, for
the public at large to read something which is not a purchased puff.
Those, therefore, who are unaccustomed to simple matters of fact, will
please pass on to another chapter of my little book, or lay it down as
the most insipid volume that was ever published.
It is undoubtedly true, that all the hills and mountains surrounding
this immense lake, abound in valuable minerals, of which the copper, in
every variety of form, is the most abundant. The lamented Douglas
Houghton has published the opinion, that this region contains the most
extensive copper mines in the known world. The discoveries which have
been made during the last three years would lead one to suppose this
opinion to be founded in truth.
Not to mention the ship loads of rich ore that I have seen at different
times, I would, merely to give my reader an idea of what is doing here,
give the weight of a few distinguished discoveries that I have actually
seen.
The native copper boulder, discovered by the traveller Henry, in the bed
of the Ontonagon river, and now in Washington, originally weighed
thirty-eight hundred pounds; a copper mass of the same material was
lately found near Copper Harbor, weighing twelve hundred pounds; at
Copper Falls the miners are now at work upon a vein of solid ore, which
already measures twenty feet in length, nine in depth, and seven and a
half inches in thickness, which must weigh a number of tons; and at
Eagle River another boulder has lately been brought to light, weighing
seventeen hundred pounds.
As to native silver, the Eagle River valley has yielded the largest
specimen yet found about this lake, the weight of which was six pounds
and ten ounces. These are mineral statistics from which may be drawn as
great a variety of conclusions as there are minds.
The number of mining companies which purport to be in operation on the
American shore of Lake Superior and on our islands, is said to be one
hundred; and the number of stock shares is not far from three hundred
thousand. But notwithstanding all the fuss that has been, and is still
made, about the mining operations here, a smelting furnace has not yet
been erected, and only three companies, up to the present time, have
made any shipments of ore. The oldest of these is the Lake Superior
Company; the most successful, the Pittsburg and Boston Company; and the
other is the Copper Falls Company, all of which are confined in their
operations to Point Keweenaw.
This point is at present the centre of attraction to those who are
worshipping the copper Mammon of the age. It is a mountainous district,
covered with a comparatively useless pine forest, exceedingly rocky and
not distinguished for its beautiful scenery. As to the great majority of
the mining companies alluded to, they will undoubtedly sink a good deal
more money than they can possibly make; and for the reason, that they
are not possessed of sufficient capital to carry on the mining business
properly, and are managed by inexperienced and visionary men—a goodly
number of whom have failed in every business in which they ever figured,
and who are generally adventurers, determined to live by speculation
instead of honest labor. The two principal log cabin cities of Point
Keweenaw are Copper Harbor and Eagle River. The former is quite a good
harbor, and supports a vacated garrison, a newspaper, a very good
boarding-house, and several intemperance establishments. The latter has
a fine beach for a harbor, a boarding-house, a saw-mill, and a store,
where drinking is the principal business transacted. The number of
resident inhabitants in the two towns I was unable to learn, but the sum
total I suppose would amount to fifty souls.
Altogether perhaps five hundred miners and clerks may be engaged on the
whole Point, while about as many more, during the summer, are hanging
about the general stopping places on the shore, or the working places in
the interior. This brotherhood is principally composed of upstart
geologists, explorers, and location speculators. From all that I can
learn, about the same state of things exists on the Canada side of the
lake. Twenty companies are already organized for that section of
country, the most promising of which is the Montreal Mining Company; but
not a pound of ore has yet been smelted or taken to market, so that the
“subject theme,” for the present, is as barren of real interest there,
as in our own territory. Rationally speaking, the conclusion of the
whole matter is just this: the Lake Superior region undoubtedly abounds
in valuable minerals, but as yet a sufficient length of time has not
elapsed to develop its resources; three quarters of the people (the
remaining quarter are among the most worthy of the land) now engaged in
mining operations, are what might be termed dishonest speculators and
inexperienced adventurers: but there is no doubt that if a new order of
things should be brought into existence here, all those who are prudent
and industrious would accumulate fortunes.
I ought not to leave this brazen theme, without alluding to the science
of geology as patronized in the mineral region. Not only does the nabob
stockholder write pamphlets about the mines of the _Ural_ mountains, and
other _neighboring_ regions, but even the broken down New-York merchant,
who now sells whisky to the poor miner, strokes his huge whiskers and
descants upon the black oxyd, the native ore, and the peculiar formation
of every hillside in the country. Without exception, I believe, all the
men, women and children residing in the copper cities, have been
crystalized into finished geologists. It matters not how limited their
knowledge of the English language may be, for they look only to the
surface of things; it matters not how empty of common sense their
brain-chambers may be, they are wholly absorbed in sheeting their minds
and hearts with the bright red copper, and are all loudly eloquent on
their favorite theme.
But the grand lever which they use to advance their interests, is the
word “conglomerate,” which answers as a general description of the
surrounding country. You stand upon a commanding hill-top, and while
lost in the enjoyment of a fine landscape, a Copper Harbor “bear” or
“bull,” recently from Wall-street, will slap you on the shoulder and
startle the surrounding air with the following yell: “That whole region,
sir, is _conglomerate_, and exceedingly rich in copper and silver.” You
ask your landlady for a drop of milk to flavor your coffee, and she will
tell you “that her husband has exchanged the old red cow for a
conglomerate location somewhere in the interior,” thereby proving that a
comfortable living is a secondary consideration in this life. You happen
to see a little girl arranging some rocky specimens in her baby-house,
and on your asking her name, she will probably answer—“Conglomerate the
man! my name, sir, is Jane.” But enough. It will not do for me to
continue in this strain, for fear that my readers will, like my mining
friends, be made crazy by a remarkable conglomerate literary specimen
from the mineral region.