The "Red Gold" drew immigrants here since the 1880's, to
mine the iron ore needed by a growing America. Through the
extraction of iron from the hills of Northern Iron County's Penokee
Range to the north, extending one mile
west and three-fourth miles east of the marker that stands before
you. Wisconsin made significant contributions to the fast
moving industrial revolution of the world, particularly in
production of steel, building materials and
automobiles.
The mining location around the Montreal Mine
looks more like an upscale community than an industrial site.
Montreal, the city on the hill, was incorporated in 1924 and was
the site of the Montreal Mining Company, the only planned mining
company town in Wisconsin. Designed in 1921 to accommodate the
nationality and temperament of mine workers, it is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. 132 white painted company
homes consisted of four different models that came from Bay City,
Michigan.
The nearby city of Gile, located on the
river, was the center of the area’s timber industries. The largest,
the Montral River Lumber Company, operated from 1884 until 1904,
milled 80,000 board feet of white pine a day. Lumbering continued
here on a smaller scale until 1915. From Gile you can clearly see
the huge vast rock tailing piles standing like pyramids across from
Gile Falls.
In May 1886, one year after the commencement
of the boom, one of the range newspapers gave a summary of the
values of the Gogebic mines that was regarded as entirely
reasonable and conservative in placing the total at $24,000,000.
"The Gogebic range, which a year ago to-day was practically unknown
and of uncertain and doubtful value," was the editor's comment, "is
to-day estimated to contain more wealth than the entire assessed
valuation of some of the oldest states in the
Union."
The
Montreal Mine is located in the Proterozoic Ironwood Iron
Formation that’s crosscut by Keweenawan dikes. Permeability
barriers imposed by the dikes localized rich zones of supergene
mineralization down over 5,000 feet. In 1963, 600 workers lost
their jobs. Many went to the American Motors plant in Kenosha and
their homes were sold for $2,200 to
$3,500.
Montreal
Mine
Minerals:
Actinolite, Barite, Braunite,
Calcite, Celestine, Dickite, Dolomite, Galena, Goethite, Gypsum,
Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Manganite, Marcasite, Minnesotaite,
Neotocite, Pyrite, Pyrolusite, Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Romanechite,
Siderite, Stilpnomelane, Talc, and
others.
TO LOG THIS
CACHE:
1) How many tons of iron ore were shipped during the mines
lifespan?
2) What was the vertical depth of the
mine?
To log this cache
e-mail me the
answer
HERE
.
