Copper Mini lit/ in Minncsotii — Hull. 100 



yejir 174.4, and nortli of Lake Superior, several large lumps of 

 virgin copper; jet we note that the first mining of which we have 

 definite record was done at French river 14 miles below Dulutli.* 

 •lust when copper was discovered at this place cannot be told . 

 The metal was first seen l)y Indians in the bed of the river at 

 some distance away from the lake. In 18o4 the Indians ceded 

 to the governmeat large tracts of land in northeastern Minnesota. 

 In that year an association was formed by gentlemen for the most 

 part residents of Cleveland, Ohio, for the purpose of securing 

 possession of several locations then known. After four or five 

 vears title Avas obtained by 11. B. Carlton c^ Co. In 18()o, two 

 companies were formed; one was the French Itiver mining com- 

 pany, to which K. 1). Carlton & Co., or their trustees conveyed the 

 SW^and lots 8 and 4, sec. 17, town 51, range 1*2 W: and the 

 other was the North Shore mining company, to which the same 

 parties conveyed the SE|, sec, 25, town 52, range 12 VV. The first 

 mining work so far as can be learned was done in 1 8()4. Shortly after 

 the mine was reopened by a Mr. Salisbury acting as foreman for the 

 company of Cleveland capitalists,who worked for some time and suc- 

 ceeded in sinking a shaft of considerable depth but did not succeed 

 in securing more than a few hundred pounds of copper. After 

 Mr. Salisbury left the work, excavating was resumed by Mr. Tom 

 Saxon, of Duluth. under a contract which he closed up in 1800. 

 At this locality native copper occurs in amygdaloidal rock, partly 

 in the form of nuggets up to 15 poumls weight and partly mingled 

 with prehnite, forming amygdules in the decomposed and soft 

 vesicular rock. 



The mine has never been worked continuously since Mr. Saxon 

 left it, although Mr. John Mallmann of Duluth has at different 

 times done considerable work. Probably not more than a ton of 

 copper in all has ever Ijeen removed from this mine. 



*VVe learn however, from the JNUunesota Historical Collections, that "in 

 1770, papers were issued in P^ngland, in company with a Mr. Baxter, for a 

 company of adventurers to work the copper mines of Lake Superior. They 

 opened veins on botli the nortli and south shore. IJut tlie enterprise proved 

 ii fnilure. In one of their mineral expeditions a Russian gentleman picked 

 up a piece of ore of eight pounds weight, took it to England, and it yielded 

 silver at the rate of GO pounds ot silver to 100 pounds of ore. It was 

 deposited in the British Museum and is tlie first recorded specimen of silver 

 from Lake Sujerior." J. 11. Baker, annual address, vol. iii, p. :J40. 



