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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmte d des taux de rMuction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd. 11 est filmi A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant lo nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. rata 9 lelure. n {2X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 f^-^^t i u •■00f^ SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO KNOWLEDGE. 155 V. ANCIENT MINING V SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. BY CHARLES WllITTLMSEY. [aCCKI'TKU rOR publication, Al-HIL, IBG2.J kA.. COMMISSION TO WHICU THIS PAPKR HAS BEEN UKFERRKD. i D Wilson, TJ,.D., K II. Davis, MI). Joseph IIenhv, Srcrdur'j ,S'. /. CUM, I N H, Pit I N TK h . I'liaAliKI.l'JII.V. ILLUSTRATIONS. PLATE. Outline Mnp showing the position of tlic nncicnt mine-pits of Point Keweenaw, Michigan, by Cliarles Whittlesey. { Frontisjnfce ) wt)OP-c r Ts. Figure 1. 'Waterbury Mine — nrtifieiiil cavern ...... 7 Figure 2. Woi)den Shovel — Watcrbury Mine ....... 8 Figure 3. Section on the Copper Fulls Vein ....... Figure 4 Stone Hunimer or Maul, with one groove, and broken by use — Copper Falls Mine . 1 1 Figure 5. Copper Spear-head — Copper Falls Mine .11 Figure fi. Central Mine. Section of the vein and old pit. Rnst and west . .12 Figure 7. 13rokeu Maul, without groove — Central Mine .13 Figure 8. Ancient Pits in the Boulder Drift or Gravel — Quincy Location .14 Figure 9. Minnesota Mine. Section across the Vein, looking from the easterly quarter . 17 Figure 10. Stone Maul, with double grooves — Minnesota Mine .10 Figure 11. Copper Chisel, full .-iize — Minnesota Mine ..... 19 Figure 12. Siiear-hcad, half size — Ontoniigon. From drawings of .Inhn V Mullowney, F.<(|., Surv(^y()r ...... 21 Figure 13 Copper (Jad, full size — Minnesota Mine ...... 21 Figure 14. (Chisel, half size — Ontonagon ..... 21 Figure l."). Rude Copjjcr Knife, full size — Carp River ...... 23 Figure Ifi. Pointwl Tool with n Socket, full size — Carp River . . . .23 Figuiv 17. Copper In.^^trnment, full size — Fort Wilkins . . .24 Figure ix. (^)pp('r llnok, full size — Siuill St. Mary's .24 Figure 19. Outline of a Co|)per Tool, full size — (Jarden River, Canada 25 Figure 20. Copper S|H'ar-lieiid, full size, ilownwiird view — Oak Onluinl, Oconto Ccumty, Wis- coM.'iin ........ 2.'i Figure 21. Copi)or Knil'e, full size ........ 211 C :5 ) f ANCIENT MINING ON THE SlIOllES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. PRELIMINARY REMARKS. The eviclcncos of ancient mining operations within the mineral region of Lake Superior were first brought to public notice in the winter of 1847-8. . Ithough the Jesuit fathers frequently mention the existence of copper, and even use the term ntini», it is clear, from the general tenor of their narratives, that they neither saw nor knew of any actual mhiiiKi in the technical sense of thn.t word. They annovmced as early as the year 1(530 the presence of native copper, and refer to it as having been taken from the "mines." This was prior to the time when they had themselves visited the Great Lake, and their information was derived from Indians, At the same time they speak with equal certainty of mines of gold, rnbica, and steel ; but it must be borne in remembrance that the French word is not equivalent to our English nihies, but may be more correctly rendered veins or deposits of metals or ores. In the "llelacions" for 1(559-60, after missions had been established on Lake Superior, the region is reported to be "enriched in all its borders by mines of lead almost pnr(> and of copper all refined in pi(Tes as large as the fist, and great rocks which liave whole veins of tor(piois(\" It is probable that these accounts are second hand and such as the Chippeways gave when they exhibited to the fathers specimei.s of native metal i. v- o shape of water-worn ])ieces and small boulders. I}(nicher, in the "Ilistoirc ve itabh>," &c., in 1G40, asserts that " there are in this region, min(>s of copper, tin, antimony, and lead." He speaks of a great island fifty leagues in circumference, which is doubtless the one now called Michipicoten, wliere "there is a very beautiful mine of copper." Copper was also found in other l)laces in larg(^ masses " all refined ;" in one instance an ingot of copper was discovered wliich weighed more than 800 pounds, and from which the Indians cut off pieces with their axes after having s.»fcened it by fire. All tliis information Boucher ()btain(>d from some Freneli traders, an«l not from h's own observation. Such is tlie tenor of the historical accounts from tlie time of Lagarde in 1(5;3() to Charlevoix in n',>l. Detached and water-worn lumps of copper have been found in great numV)( is in tlie gravel, clny, and loose materials that cover the rocks, from the days of the Catholic fathers to this time, not only hi the mineral region but over a large space to the southward of it. All these pieces were originally '>',m veins, but have f 2 ANCIENT MINI XO probably been separated by the same cause that gave rise to that formation which geologists call the "drift." The agent, whatever it was, that broki; off fragments from the rocks, not oiily on Lake Superior but further nortli, and trausijorted them in the shape of boulders, sand, and gravel, as far south as the valley of the Ohio, also bore along the con- tents of the mineral veins which those rocks contained. Pieces of native copper arc well calculated to resist the severe attrition to which transported materials are subjected. Masses of it have been found not far removed from the mineral range, weighing 3000 lbs., and others at a greater distance have been taken from the beds of rivers and from the beach of the lake weighing 1500 and 800 poimds. Others again of less size have been recovered from the gravel of the Menominee River, near the shores of Green Bay, and at Sheboygan Fidls near the town of Sheboygan on Lake Michigan. Professor J. Brainard, of CJlevcland, has a piece weighing five or six pounds which was found five feet beneath the surface in the drift gravel of llocky River, Medina County, Ohio. Had the Indians, the French, or the Jesuits of early times, discovered copper on the shores of Lake Michigan or of Lake Erie, not knowing or supposing the metal could exist except in mines, they would probably have spoken of it as having been found in a mine. The attention of the fathers was not particidarly called to the subject of mineralogy, and although they were learned men, their knowledge of geology must have been very limited, for this science had not at that time assumed a place in the schools. As to the accounts given by savages, every one wlio has had much intercourse with them, knows that great allowance must be made for their want of knoAvlcdge and their tendency to cmbellislimcnt and exaggeration. I have listened to many wonderfid tales concerning distant minerid riches. An aged Chippeway, by the name of Kundickan, Avhom I met on the Ontonagon in 1845, stated that as he was one day sailing along the western shore of the Gogebic (or Akogebe) Lake, at the head of the west branch of that river, he heard an explosion on the face of a rocky cliff that overlooked the water, and saw pieces of something fall at a dis- tance from him, both in the lake and on the beach. "When he had found some of them, they proved to be a wliite metal, like "Shuneaw" (money), which the white man gives to the Indians at La Pointe. There are good reasons why the old missionaries should have had greater confidence in sucli stories than we have, and thus have given them a place in their reports to the Propaganda. But with all the influence possessed by them over the Indians, and the closeness of the ties that coiUd not fail to exist between a priest and his converts, no instance is referred to where they were shown mining operations upon the rocks or veins. There is nothing to show that the Indians wrought copper in mines at that time. They had no implements proper for the puq)os(! ; nor did they produce samples of metal taken from its position in silCi. Tlie Indians hacT neither copper kettles nor axes when the French came among them ; but only rudely fashioned copper knives, that were evidtmtly beaten out from small bould(>rs. Instead of viewing copper as an object of every day use, they regarded it as a sacred Manitou, and carefully jtreservcHl pieces of it wrajjped up in s^kin in tlieir lodges for many years ; and this /I ON THE SIIOURS OF LAKR ST PR 11 lO It. 8 custom has been continued to modern times. I am well aware that they have a superstitious dread of showing a mineral mass or locality to a wl itc man, believing that the Mauitous will visit them with some calamity if they do so. The missionaries, however, frequently overcame this feeling in regard to copper boulders, and could as easily have done so in regard to mines, if any such had really existed. If the Chippeways had been cognizant of the ancient works that have been recently discovered, tliey would have communicated this fact to their spiritual fathers, who would not have suffered so interesting a fact to be lost. If the Indians possessed traditions from their ancestors relating to ancient mines, or the people who worked them, those must also have come to the ears of the Jesuits. AVith the exception of an old Chippeway chief who resided some years since at Fon du Lac (Lalte Superior), I have known of no one pretending to such knowledge. The story he gives is sufficiently imaginative, and relates to mines wrought by his tribe on Isle Iloyale, in times long past, when his fathers were much happier, and had larger canoes than his cotemporarics have now. 1 place his narrative in the same category with those above noticed, as having refer- ence to boulder copper, and not to that obtained from mining in situ. From evidences which I shall give, in describing the works in detail, it will ap})ear that they were abandoned several hundred years before the French became acquainted with the northern tribes; no mines having been found that could have been wrought as late as the time of the earliest Jesuit. If such were wrought by Indians, it must have been at a period very remote, such as Loons Foot describes. But could the natives have lost the recollection of such a state of things ? Had they ever worked mines, they must have; possessed the skill to fashion the metal extracted from them into various useful forms, without which it would be of no value. Neither the skill nor the implements themselves would have been lost in a few hundred years, by a people ha\ ing the same wants, and residing in the same country. It also seems to be highly improbable that their ancestors either knew of ancient mines, not worked by themselves, or the people who wTought them. Tradition is the only history of savage nations, and the fault of this species of knowledge is not in the absence, but in the excess of materials such as they are. Among thousands of legends which the Indians have related, nothing positive or consistent has come to my knowledge respecting the people who preceded the present Aborigines, except a tradition communicated to Major liong, in 1819, upon the Great Miami River, by an Indian chief, during his Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi. Aside from this, I have heard of nothing coming from the Western tribes concerning the origin of the tumuli and earthworks that are so conspicuous in Ohio, Kentucky, and other Western States. As a people, if we may judge by their silence on a subject on Avhich they may be supposed inclined to be communi- cative, if they had anything to tell, the aborigines have no traditionary knowledge of their predecessors, the race of the "mound builders." Neither do we find in the record of English travellers who succeeded the French in 1763 any notice of ancient mmes. A NCI F XT MIN'IXO Dcucription of the LrirnlHi/ of the liemninn nf Ancient Mining OjH'rntimts, (hr. . In casting the eye over a map of Lake Superior, a remarkable projection, in the form of an immense horn, will be observed jutting out from the south shore, and curving to the northeast imtil it ends in an irregular point. This peninsula, which is called Keweenaw Point, is about eighty miles in length, and at the place where it joins the main land forty-five miles in width. Through the whole extent of this projection a belt of metallif(Tous trap formation extends, diff(>ring at various points in structure, and in the character of its contents. Along this belt, which is designated on the vnap by dotted lines, there are exhibited, through- out nearly its whole extent, a disturbance of the strata, and upheavals comprising a scries of bluffs, rising abriiptly from the two streams. Eagle and Montreal Rivers. AVithin this belt, all the mining operations, ancient and modem, have been chiefly confined. The most remarkable feature of the district is the character of its metal- liferous products, which occur, not in the condition of an ore of copper, but exclu- sively as native metal. This is met with in immense masses, in veins of smaller size, and in rounded nodules. The cutting of the masses is a tedious and costly process, and in some instances, even with all the appliances of modem art, requires several months before a single mass is entirely removed from the mine. The metal is sometimes almost entirely free from foreign matter, yielding when melted down in the furnace from 90 to 95 per cent, of copper. The first actual mining operations, within historic times, were commenced near the forks of the Ontonagon, in 1761, by Alexander Henry, but under the peculiar circumstances they proved entirely abortive. In 1841, Dr. Douglas Houghton made a report to the Legislature of Michigan, in which the earliest definite information in regard to the occurrence of native copper on Lake Superior was given to the public. Shortly after this, mining operations were commenced in this region, explorers anct in his Geological Report to the United States Government, in 1849, and gave some interesting details of what had been discovered up to that time. Further mention of it was made by Messrs. Foster and Whitney, in their report in 1850, and several illustrations were given. Since then our knowledge of the subject has been much enlarged by the prosecution of mining operations on the very sites of the ancient Avorks. It must not, however, be supposed that our information is now complete. It is by no means an easy task to discover remains buried, as those of the ancient mines of ox TIIK WHORES OF LAKR SUPERIOR Lake Siiporior nro, in oxtcnsivo and donso forests, where the explorer can only see a few rods, or, perhaps, yards around him, and where there is seldom anything which rises sufficiently high above the surface to attract the eye. They are, for the most part, merely irregular depressions in the soil, trenches, pits, and cavities ; sometimes not exceeding one foot in depth, and a few feet in diameter. Thousands of persons had seen the depressions prior to 1848, who never suspected that they had any connection with the arts of man ; the hollows, made by large trees overturned by the wind, being frequently as well marked as the ancient exca- vations. Besides this, there are natural depressions in the rocks on the outcrop of veins, formed by the decomposition of the minerals, that resemble the troughs of the ancient miners, as they appear after the lapse of centuries. There is not always a mound or ridge along the side of the pits, for most of the broken rock was thrown behind, nearly tilling up the trenches. A mound of earth is as nearly imperishable as any structure we can form. Some of the tumuli of the west retain their form, and even, the perfection of their edges at this day. But mere pits in the earth are rapidly filled up by natural processes. Some of those which have been reopened, and found to have been originally ten ft deep, are now scarcely visible. Others that have a rira of earth around the borders, or a slight mound at the side, and were at first very shallow, are more conspicuous at present than deep ones without a border. TTiere are, however, pits of such size as could not fail to surprise one at first view, were not the effect destroyed by the close timber and underwood with which they are surrounded. A bnsin-shaped cavity, 15 feet deep and 120 feet in diameter, would immediately attract the eye of the explorer were it properly exposed. But it is not unusual to find ten and twelve feet of decayed leaves and sticks, filling a trench, and no broken rock or gravel. In such cases a fine red clay has formed toAvards the txtttom, a deposit from water, which indicates the long period of time since the excavation was made. From the accompanying map it will be seen that the positions of the principal ancient mines correspond to tho^c which are worked at present. There are three groups or centres of operation in both cases, one a little below the forks of the Ontonagon River, another at Portage Lake, and a third on the waters of Eagle lliver. Other works are knoAvn to exist, and more will probably be found ; but we have probably discovered the most important ones Avithin the district embraced by the map. Although the old works are not always situated upon what would be considered good veins, yet they are regarded by practical miners as pretty sure guides to valu- able lodes. In the opening of our principal mines, we have followed in the path of our pre- decessors, but with much better means of penetrating the earth to great depths. The old miners performed the part of surface explorers. In giving detailed descriptions of the antiquities of the mining country, we shall commence with those most easterly, near the extremity of Point Keweenaw, and proceed along the mineral range in the ord(>r of position to tlie southwest. There are, liowever, ancient works found over a much greater space than is included in the map. fi AXCIEXT MIXIXa The veins on Isle Eoyale, and near the north shore, opposite Point Keweenaw, were extensively wrought in olden times. In the other direction, sixty and eighty miles to the southeast, in the iron region near Marquette are remains that are also ancient, and wliich will he noticed here- after. No doubt future examinations will bring others to notice on the continuation of the mineral range to the southwest, as it extends in that direction into Wisconsin. DESCRIPTIOX OP THE SEVERAL WORKS. 1st Group, The Agate Harbor Company has an extensive property on the range south of Agate Harbor, on which there are reported to be Iiulian diggings, as these excav.a- tions are frequently called by the miners. They are well developed at the works of the Native Copper Company, on the northern slope of the range, and on the Northwest Company's ^rounds at their mines, south of the "Greenstone" cliffs. The same veins extend across both these locations, a distance of a mile and a half, indicated by the presence of old works. At the Northwest Mine the pits are conspicuous, showing on the surface the position of three veins that have since been wrought. Stone mauls were abundant in them. Some of the pits had been made in a band of red conglomerate, which lies between the strata of greenstone (or crjstallinc) and amygdaloid trap. This conglomerate is composed of pebbles and boulders principally of red trap, cemented by argillaceous red sand, forming a very compact stratum, twelve to twenty feet thick. It here carries copper in small grains or pieces, near the veins ; also cr}S- tallized calcareous spar and epidote. The ancients did not neglect tlie most trifling indications of metal, but appear to have instituted a thorough investigation as to whether the copper existed in true veins, in metalliferous baiids, or in detached nests. There is nothing remarkable in their operations at the "Native" Co])per and the "Northwest" mines, except this closeness of pursuit, through all the veins and "branches to their most minute extremities. Waterhiry Wnc. — The works of tliis Company are situated about one mile and a half west of the Northwest Mine. A person passing to the interior from Eagle Harbor or anywhere r^ong the northern shore of Point Keweenaw, and crossing the mineral range to tlie valley of the Little jSIontreal, witnesses everywhere tlie same topographical featur(>s. The mountain range rises from the lake level, in the distance of a mile, to an elevation of oOO and ()()() feet; in the next mile tlie ascent is less precipitous, but the ground continues to rise from one to two hundred feet more. From tlie summit of the range there is along tlie whole line, from the extremity of the point to the Albion location, two miles west of th(> Cliff Mine, a vertical wall of naked trap rudely colnninar, tlie upper edge, or crvxt, of which forms the summit of the range. This niin(>riil front has the ajiiiearance of a vast upheaval from two to three Imiidicd feet higli fncing the soutl: and about thirty ON THE SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 7 miles in length. The ground from the bottom of this wall rises gradually to the south until it reaches another range of about the same elevation, thus forming a long narrow valley, through which flow, in opposite directions, the Montreal and Eagle Rivers. From the summit of the perpendicular cliif at the Waterbury Mine this valley presents a view extremely picturesque, and such pjs is seldom seen by the traveller in other regions. The general contour of the valley is curvilinear, so that the eye, placed at the middle of an arc in the position above mentioned, takes in the boimdary ridge on each side as well as the whole inclosure. At the Waterbury Mine, which is situated near the middle of the length of the valley, there is in the face of the vertical bluff an ancient artificial recess or cavern, which is twenty-five feet in horizontal length, fifteen feet high, and twelve feet in depth. In front of it is a pile of the excavated rock, on wliich are now standing, in full size, the forc;^ trees common to this region. Some of the blocks of stone which were removed from the recess would probably weigh two or three tons, and must have required the use of levers to dislodge them from their original position, lioneath the surface rubbish the remains of a gutter or trough composed of cedar bark were discovered, the object of which was clearly to conduct off the water which was baled from the mines by wooden bowls, of which mention will be made here- aftc'. Portions of fine or pulverized copper scales remained in the upper end of this trough. After removing the water and decayed leaves at the bottom of the excavation a piece of wliite cedar timber was found, one end of which exhibited the marks of a cutting instrument like those of a narrow axe. Fig. X. WATF.Hnrnv Misk, artiScial cavern.— ('. Talus of the blndf and drift. - l>ed. — c c. Jointed chloritic bed. Lreok. ^1. Crystallino or greeiiRtone trap, dipping S. 28°. — li. Amygdaloid trap. — II. Ancient rock excavation. — h. Rubbish thrown out of «.— d. Conglomerate — c r. Inclined shaft of Waterbury Company. — 2. Little Montreal River or The above profile is made at right angles to the bluff, and shows the geological structure as seen from the western side. It would Jinswer etiuully well for the Xort/i, Wifif, Xorth W(:st( ni, Edijle fihrr, (^Hff., or any nunc situated on the southern \'mv. of the eoiist range of Point Keweenaw. 8 ANCIENT MINING The copper bearing amygdaloid (B) is separated from the crystixlline or " Green- stone" trap (A) by a parting of conglomerate (en riscul njion it, 1 think the marks would be easily seen, particularly on that part which was protected from the atmosphere by water. At oik; place something r(>sembliiig th(> impression made by {\w point of a light sharp pick was discernible, but not very plain, and only in a single instance. ON THE SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 9 In the Porcupine Mountains I have seen works made by the English miners in the years 1769 and '70, where an adit or open cut made in the face of a cUff has been always exposed to tlie frost and rains. But here the marks of picks and drills appear as fresh and as perfect as if they had been recently made, although in some places the sides of the cut are covered by old lichens and mosses. Copper Folia Location. — The ancient miners made very extensive excavations on the property of the Copper Falls Mining Company, both upon veins and metallife- rous bands, which run parallel with the formations. By the profile and explanations here given the geological structure of the place wiU be well understood. Fig. 3. ■?^ ft#^l0 »7 »ffg> ,• /•./ .'-^ bA \^^^ lake Loy^cl-ji; I Trap rouk. | 6.°o"j''ri°l Conglomerate benty-four feet, while the modem shaft has already descended more than 250 feet, and the mine has rock galleries of great(>r total length than all the old trenches of the ancients. In the profile their pits are shaded, and represented at a a d, occupying about half a mile on the "East Vein," or as it is sometimes called, the "Copper Fulls Vein." Before they were obliterated, as tliey are in part now, the surface appearaiice was that of an irregidar channel or trough ascending the mountain from tlie edge of the sandstone beds to the band (/ p, crossed tliose made on the vein. They are denoted by heavy black dots on the map. Tlie first named s(>ri(\s were from two to five feet deep and five to ten broad, and the latter five to eighteen deep, with a diameter of twenty to 120 feet. Forest trees and underbrush stood alike within and without them. 10 A N C I E N T M I M N O There is u heavy vein lialf a mile west of the East Vein, which is styled the West or the "Hill Vein," where the old works are similar in all respects to those above noticed and sketched on the East Vein. Those on the "Owl Creek" Vein are not so ext(>nsive, l)e(;anse the cri-ek occupies tlu; "hiick" of the lode. Still further east other veins are seen with pits, not only on this location, but on that of the Eagle Harbor jSIhiing Company. Brok(>n sUmv. mauls are common in all of them. About the iroint where the Owl Creek crosses the " scoriaccous" or metal bearing bed d tf, the excavations on that bed near the creek arc very marked. Here is something similar to the cave on the Waterbury Location. A very large pit to the cast of Owl Creek was partially explored by S. W. Hill, Esq., the Superintendent of the mine, in IHo'J. IJy nuining in an adit on u level eighteen feet below the edge of the depression, after passing some distance in the gravel, rock Avas met in place; cutting through this at a distanct* of 100 feet, the miners discovered loose fragments and rubbish that had b(>en liandled, and ])iece8 of timber still in good pn-servation. The adit was not deej) enough to drain the pit to its bottom, and its depth was not ascertained. T have in my possession a portion of a pine tree from the end of tliis adit, in complete preservation, except a part which was charred by fire. Th(> adjacent rock contained sheet copper, and small lumps, being a part of the metalliferous l)and. By examining the section, it will be seen that the order of succession in the striata is as follows: — Beginning at tlu; shore of the lake first, a bed of trap, that dips northerly. It rests upon a stratum of n(f cniit/loiiicni/)' of great tliickuess, dipjdng conformably UTider the trap, and is succeeded Dy conformable and alternating beds of trap and red sandstone, known by the geologist as tlie " I'otsdam" red. Tn these beds tlu; miiu'ral veins an^ not ricli euougli for working; a fact which the ancients kiu^w fidl well, for it was only on the regular and uniform strata of trap underlying the variable beds that they exiu-nded their labor. On clearing out some of the old i)its, Mr. Hill found woo(l(>n shov(>ls like those at the Waterbury Mine, more or less worn and of the sanu) size and shape. In the bottom of trenches, and among the nd)bish, tlie workmen saw continually ashes and charcoal, with other traces of the presence of fire. Tliey threw out fre([uently broken hammers or "mauls," with a groove aroiuid the middle. These maids weigh from five to fifteen pounds, and are merely oblong water-worn bouldcTS of hard, tough rocks. Nature has done ev(>ryfhing in fasliioning them, excci)t the groove, which was cliiselled around the middle. They w(T(> collected from the smooth boulders of the lake shore, and from l)aiiks of coarse gravel that abound in the; country. Most of them are traj); but the liornljlende, sienitic and granitic rocks furnish some. The ring or groove appears to have been cut for tlie purpose of attaching a witlie, to b(> used as a handle, when^vitli to swing the maul. In one of the treiulics on the Cliff ^line, nortli of tlie iip])('r engine, one was found with a root of cedar still twisted in the groove, but so miicli deciiyed that it fell to jjieccs and was not Inought away. Dr. M. 1). Senter, of tlie Cliff .Mine, states that he siw it bcf(>r(> lieing disturlied, and it was evidently the intention of the operators to ii-^e (lie twisted root or withe for a handle. ON TIIK S II ORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 11 Most of these hammers are fractured at lx)th ends, and tlie peculiar sliarp cut character of the fracture in many cases indicates that tlu; imple- ment had heen used to drive m(>tallic wedf^ea, such as quarrymen call a "gad." (Copper gads of this kind have been found in old pits at the Minnesota Mine. It will be seen also that tliere are heavier mauls with double grooves, ])robal)ly to be handled by two men. In tlie description of works at the Central Mine, a class of hammers will be noticed without a groove. Tlic one lierc figured was taken from a pit near Shaft No. 1 of the section above given. Not far to the south of the same shaft was found a copper spear or javelin head, in the rul)- bisli near the bottom. Three others were found by Mr. Hill on file surface. One of them was so much corroded that the socket was nearly gone. Tlic other I have sketched of natural size and thickness, from the orighial in the pos- session of Mr. Hill. It was evidently formed by beating the metal while cold, probably between stones, liaving a rough and not a polished exterior; it is not much decayed. The section of the blade B sliows that its two faces were not symmetrical. A piece of decayed wood was found in tlie socket of one of them, being apparently the remnant of the shaft, by which it was hurled. As the edges of the "slmnk" or socket are not soldered together, but oidy bent around the shaft, it was jwobably womid with some ligiunent to give it strength. It is too large and heavy for an arrow-head; neither has it the shape proper for that puqwse. The description h(>re given of the pits of the east vein will answer for almost all others. In working the surface of the vein, or of the copper-bearing bed, the ancient operators must liave wrought open to the day. They no doubt commenced as low down the sIojm' of the range as the copper app(>ared to thi'm worth Ix'ing taken out, and worked upwards towards th(> scmth, in order to keep tlieir drainage. From their rude and tedious method it was of the highest consecpienco to cause the water to flow away behind them, withoiit the necessity of baling. The "attle," or broken rock, was generally thrown back into the vacant space whence it had been taken: but little of it was cast out to right and left along the margin of the vein, which explains why the pits are so shallow at the present time. In many plae(>s on this location, the vcnn is wide enough to allow men to work between its walls. Fig. 4. Stonb Hammrr on MAri., with one gmnvp, niul brokun liy umi; Icngtli 7 iiiulii-H. (.'opper Kalln Mini!. Fig. S. Pp Coi'PER SpRAII-HKAt)— Clipper Fulls Mini>. — H. Swtioii of Mailo .it (■ il. .1. Sectiiinof Kliaiik nl " '■. .SmIii. full Bin-. 13 ANCIENT MINING Thin sheets of copper were left standinf? at the bottom of the ancient excavation, which might readily have been extracterl, and it seems smgiUar tliat they were not. Central Mne. — Near the road from the "North Western" to the "Winthrop" Mine, in an open grove of sugar trees, a depression was observed about five feet deep and thirty feet in length. It was generally free from water, and differed so little from cavities that are not artificial, but which are due to geological causes, that it did not attract much attention. Mr. John Slawson, the agent of the North Western Mine, after a careful surface examination, concluded that this pit was not wholly due to nature, and the tract was on that accoxmt purchased for mining, in the fall of 1854. Fig. «. CKNTRAt MiNB. Section of tho vein and old pit. East and weat.— yl A. Trap rook wall of the vein d d. — a. Ancient excavation partly fllled. — <• c Masses of native copper in the vuin. — 6 ft. Drift gravel covering the rooks. The Central Mining Company having been organized, a drain was constructed to take off the water, which was no sooner done than all doubts were removed; about five feet in depth of leaves and rotten sticks had accumulated at the bottom, among which a hard substance could be felt with a stick. This proved to be a flat piece of native copper C, from five to nine inches thick, and nine feet in length, forming part of a large vein d d, as sho^vn in the profile. The vein material had been worked away from one foot to eighteen inches lUong side of it, and it extended forward as well as do^vnward in the vein. Its upper edge had been beaten by the stone mauls so severely, that a lip, or projecting rim, had been formed, which was bent downwards, over the sides. A large number of broken mauls were found in the place, and around it on the surface, all of them without grooves, of which the annexed woodcut is an illustration. I have seen similar ones on the Humboldt Location, next west of Copper Falls. WTiere this class of stone hammers is found, those with grooves are wanting. The grooveless ones appear to have been used for percussion only at one end, as though the manner of holding them was such that a blow was not given on the other. The Peruvians have a copper axe without an eye, or a groove, to which, how- ever, they attach a handle in the form of a split stick, bound with thongs. The* ancient miners, probably, had some such mode of tying a handle to these smooth ON THE SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 13 oblong stones. Different parties of men may have preferred tools of different kinds, which would account for mauls, which are seen at one mine, being among them- selves alike, but dissimilar to those at other places. Fig. 7. Bbobkn UtkVh, Cbhtbal Mine. — Without groove, J siie, weigUt S| lbs. The usual remains were here thrown out, consisting of charcoal, ashes, and broken wall rock. The general bearing of the vein is 10° or 12° west of north. The section is made across it, east and west, looking south, and is vertical. As the labor of uncovering the mass of copper progressed, another one was met with, overlapping the first, and adliering to the cast wall. Further on, in the adit, a third mass was found, attached to the western wall, partly overlapping the one which the ancients had left. By sloping out a space about sixty feet in length by twenty deep, on the vein, the Company took out fifty-three tons of mass copper. Such unwieldy pieces ajjpear to have been beyond the control of the old miners. Their object seems to have been to secure small lumps, such as could be fashioned without melting. Whatever pieces might have been detached, by diligent poimding with their stone mauls, were broken off, and the remainder was abandoned. It was impossible for them to cut into pieces, reduce by melting, raise from the l)it, or transport blocks of metal weighing many tons. There are neither marks of !i futiing tool upon them, nor of the action of fire. It is quite singular that they had not discovered the art of melting copper, which can be effected so easily in an open fire made of wood, but no evidences have fallen under our notice tliat this was done by that ancient race. 14 ANCIENT MINING I 2d Group. Portage Lake Region. Qtiincy and Pewahic Mines, — Portage Lake resembles in form the long, narrow, and crooked Scottish lochs. Like them its quiet surface reflects the outlines of most exquisite scenery. It connects with Lake Superior through the channel of Sturgeon River, which has so little descent below the point of junction, that all material changes in the level of the great lake are felt throughout this inland water. The Quincy landing is situated on the north side of Portage Lake, about twenty miles from Keweenaw Bay. The northern shore, which is nearly east and west at the landing, docs not show rocks at the water level. A succession of drift, knolls, points, and headlands, rising about 200 feet above the surface, overlook this shore. Above this elevation, and attaining a height of 500 to 600 feet, are seen projecting ledges and blufFs of trap rock, inclosing mineral veins. This rock is also visible at the heads of ravines where rivulets fall over low precipices forming small cataracts. The first signs of ancient excavations occur near the lake level, and what is remarkable, are not in the rock, but in the sand and Imdder " drift." Fig. 8. AltciRST Pits in tuk noriDRn IlBitt or Oravrl, QnixrT LuCATinir. The most capacious of these gravel pits, however, occur on a line nearly level and about 100 feet above the surface of the water. ON THE SUORES OP LAKE SUP Ell 10 11. 15 They arc partly upon the land of the Quincy Mining Company and in part on the Pcwttbic, a short distance east of the landing, as shown in the sketch. Those constituting the upper scries are even, broad, deep, and regular, having the appear- ance of old fortifications. They extend around the headlands of gravel, connecting adjacent ravines, as though the object was to bring water from the rivulets along the face of the bluff. At the points of the ridges they arc much broader and deeper than they arc at the heads of the ravines. The resemblance to a race way, or "sluice" for running water, is such that it required much examination to convince me that they had not been used for that purpose. There are, however, no openings at the extremi- ties, such as would have been the case in sluices, to admit and discharge water. A bench, or narrow terrace, breaking into the slope of the hill, forms a regular plateau for the uppermost group ; the other groups being scattered along the slope at irregular intervals. Some of them extend down the declivity nearly to the water's edge. Pits of a peculiar shape arc occasionally seen to the westward of the landing, particularly at the distance of about a mile. Here is a group of small ones covering several acres on a piece of level land, which is elevated about 200 feet above the lake, constituting one of the upper drift terraces. There are no doubt many others, large and small, concealed by the thick brush wood with which the ground is covered. Mr. C. C. Douglass, formerly an assistant of Dr. Houghton, in the geological survey fif the Upper Peninsula, and since for many years the superintendent of the Quincy and Isle Royalc Mining Companies, states that lumps of water-rolled copper and small masses are frequently foimd on both sides of the lake in this drift grixvcl. In digging cellars, constnicting roads, and exploring trenches, such pieces are so common, that it has been thought that tliey would pay for their collection by washing the earth. One mass of 1500 poiuids weight was found in digging a cellar where there is no rock visible in place. To obtain this transported mineral, Mr. Douglass conjectures to have been the object which the ancients pursued in their gravel trenches, and at the same time, tluvt they selected from the water-worn boidders of the coarse drift such stones as had the proper size and shape for mauls, to be used in the adjacent rock excava- tions. The earth from the trenches near the landing, on the slopes, was principally thrown out over the hneer side, forming embankments with an extreme height of lift(;en fecst above the bottom of the ditch as it remains now after the lapse of centuries. Some of the ditches arc fifty feet wide at the present time. The beds of trap, constituting the minend range, at this place, have a total thickness of about a mile and a half, presenting the ends of the strata towards tlu> lake. To reach the rock excavation of tlie ancients, it is necessary to follow a road from the landing up the mountain three-quart<'rs of a mile to the north- east. Here the copper bearing rocks protrude from the soil in ledges ; the ititervals when; no rock is setn being cov(>red to a slight d(>i)th with earth. The veins of this part of the range liave a direction different from those l)efore described on Point Keweenaw. Thiv have run with the formation, and not at 16 ANCIENT MINING III I'l. right angles to it, like those at the CliflF, Copper Falls, Northwest, and other neigh- boring mines. The true lodes of the Quincy, Pewabic, Isle lioyale. Portage, Huron, and other companies adjacent to Portage Lake, are cidled "■parallels," while those further east belong to the system of " transverse" veins. In the winter of 1854-5, after the land had been explored and worked ten years, a line of depressions was discovered on the summit of the range that attracted immediate attention. On this elevated ground the old operators had discovered and worked a rich deposit of copper which was nowhere visible upon the surface. The direction of the line of pits is northeast and southwest, corresponding with the range. The mines now in operation on this lode are among the richest of I^akc Superior. At first view the excavations appeared to be irregular, like those in the gravel at the foot of the bluffs, but after clearing away tl:-,^ growing timber, they assumed an allignment such as I have given on the map. There are also veins in the vicinity that have a bearing different from the general course of the pits. When the cavities came to be opened, it was evident that a deposit of great richness had been worked there in past times. Lumps of copper W(per n n. On the Minnesota there is a group of veins nearly parallel among themselves, four in number, and on all these the ancients labored. The surface presents a cot' 18 ANCIENT MINING W n "per. Not far to the west of this spot a portion of ; . had bee.i left like a pillar as a support to the hanging wdl, wliile they excavated bc>neath. It is cut or bruised quite smooth, but shows no marks of other tools than the mauls. This rocky support is about four feet in thickness, and is high enough above the present bottom of the trench to allow a person to ])ass under it. The marks of fire on the '■icks of the walls are still evident. Charcoai, ashes, and stone mauls arc found in all . :ho p'tH . .tlierto <;leaTied out. One of th(> heaviest mauls yet seen, weighing thirty- sir .x);:i Is, came from this location. It hiis a double groove, as shown hi the annexed iigiire, which is do; usual, and it was intended, no doubt, to be usetl by two men. ON THE SIIOUES OF LAKE 8UPEFUOU. 19 FlfT. II FlK. U. 1 STom Madl, with doaMt* proovi's.- HiunesolA Hiiio. -Woigiit ;)K ibii. In one of tlic pits a rude ladder was found, formed of an oiik tree trimmed so as to leave the stumps of the branrhtss projecting, on which meft could readily descfnd or ascend to or from their work. Wood.n levers are also found among the rubbish, i fscrved by water, which covered them com nually. On the edge of the excavatioi in which the mass m was found there stooi an aged hemlock, the roots of which extend i ayed trunks of trees of a previous gcner tion were seen lying across the pits. Near the place where the detached r lass m was found Mr. Hill discovered a too of which the following is a sketch, and nea. it a copper maul or sledge weighing fn m twenty to twenty-five pounds. Like all t ■ other implements found this maul had bee fashioned by pounding in a cold state Originally the mass appeared to have had the shape of the letter T, the cross hi'ad at the top being about an inch thick and two or three inches broad, tapering towards each end. These two prongs had been folded over each othi^r and beaten into a shape rudely resembling a man's fist, but larger. Tl is lump of copper had evidently been battered either by pounding, to make it more compact, or by use us a mauL The handle of the maul wius eight or nine inches long. roppRB CiiMBt. Fnll alie.— Length 7^ in.; hivailth \\ in.; tliioknesi J iu. Miuuenota Mine. View edge- vise. 20 ANCIRNT MINING The chisel above figured was somewhat bruised at the upper end, as though it had been used. Towards the upper end the comers are taken off, apparently for the purpose of being held in one hand, while it was struck by a mallet with the other. It has a rough surface, common to these relics, but is symmetrical in form, with a bevel at the cutting edge on botli sides. None of the tools shoAV signs of having been ground to an edge on stone , but are lieatcu down roughly by hammers. Artificial Caverns, — On the Aztec, Ohio, Adventure, and llidge locations, in addition to the pits which arc so common along the range, there are caviti(^s in tlie mural faces of trap at various elevations, which are ancient and belong to the old copper works. Tlic bluffs are sometimes as high as three lumdrcd feet above the valley. Then* are also breaks or gajjs in the range formed by dislocations of the strata or faidts, enlarged by the wearing action of the drift forces. The ends of different beds of trap are thus presented to view, rising on either side of the gorges, with precipitous fronts of different heights. One of the strata, and perhaps more than one, is metalliferous, like the scoriaceous bed worked at Copper Falls and at Phujnix Mines, on Point Keweenaw. At the Adventure the metal bearing stratum is very thick and highly charged with copper, disseminated irregularly through it. The ancients ,vrought upon it extensively, seeking with assiduity for the rich portions, no matter liow difficult of access. Some of their excavations on the side of the bluff are scarcely large enougli to shelter a bear. Others are more extensive, formed in all concei\ablc shapes, extending wherever indications of minerals were apparent. The agents of tlie Adventure Mine have followed the example of their predecessors, but on a larger scale, pursuing the strings and bunches of copper in all directions, till they disappear. AVlien the mineral fails, like the ancients they strike off at random, and seldom proceed far without encountering other lumps or small masses. Hitherto the true veins near tlie copper bearing stratum have not proved profit- able. Tlie ancients, exercising their usual skill, expended very little labor \\\nm th(>m. They showed in tliis very considerable knowledge respecting the different systems of veins, and also in regard to those anomalous deposits in wliicli tlie caves are situated. Forest Mine, Eperfjreen Bluffs.— On the ground known by the name of tlie Ever- green Bluffs ancient pits have been opened soiitlieasterly of tfie Minnesota works. Some prominent ones have rec(-ii(Iy {IHih)) been cleared out on the "Joliiisou preemption," wliidi disclosed in a few days several tons of cojiper. Miusses had been partly uncovered in the vein, as at the Central Mine, and thus left. On the; Nebraska location and on the Rockland, tli(> old (Excavations are numerous, and wherever they are reopened valuable lodes are exposed. They are not wanting on the west of the river. At the Forest Mine the present works were comm(>nced ui)()n tlie site of earlier and ancient operations. A wooden bowl was found near tli(> bottom of one of them, that had been used for baling. l)onl)tless many others ill the vicinity of tlw Oiitoiiiigoii exist that are not yet discovered. ON THE SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR T'g- 12. Fig. 14. n.iii. B«otIon on a h, full size. ,\\N :i. .W^v '^1 N' i Fig. 13. Copper (Un, full niae. MiimuxoU Mlue. \^^^ 2.1-0.. Section on c d, fall size. Tiiilii]' \ \ i n:Ti' A (K ^ , '! ...I t \ 21 HpRAR IlKAn.— Half size. 14 inoIicR loii^. Ontonagon. From dntw- Ings of John 1''. Miillowiify, Ka(|., Siirvf^or. CmsEi.. — Ilnlfaizp. 13 Indies long. Ontonagon. } it 22 ANCIENT MINING Copper Implt'mejits, Ontonajtm. — Some Ifiborcrs in the employ of Mr. Greenfield were levelling 'le ground for a brick yard on the east bank of the Ontonagon River, half a mile above the village, in the year 1854, when they perceived some pieces of copper, which were well fashioned implements. They arc said to liave been found upon a bed of clay in a ravine, and covered about two feet with alluvisil earth, a large cedar tree growing nearly over the spot. They consist of two imple- ments, which may be described as s\)vn in the annexed sketches. These show the form and size better than any written description. The socket of the spear is small, and not of the best shape to give a good fastening to a staff, which may perhaps favor the idea that it was a weapon for the use of one hand, like a dirk. The blade is symmetrical and strong; it apparently had not been much bruised or injured by use. If it was to be thrown like a javelin, the stock or staff must have been fitted on around the Bhank and driven down over the blade some distance, to make the wooden attach- ment proportionally strong with the metal part. The chisel also had not been used, since neither the cutting edge nor the head is battered. It is bent up longitudinally from near each end in the manner shown by the cross section in c d. The object in giving it this form must have been to stiffen it and thus save metal. This contrivance speaks well for the inge- nuity of the maker. Those instruments have better proportions than sinilar ones found in Ohio. They were probably fresh from the hands of the workman when they were lost upon the banks of the river. Although I have myself exaniined these implements, I am indc^bted to Messrs. Emerson, Coburn, and MuUowney for facts respecting them. Both are r(^presentcd to be more hard and less malleable than the native copper of the mines, from which it has been inferred that they have undergone a hardening process. I jike those found at INIarquettc and elsewhere, I suppose the hardness is due only to prolonged hannnering, by which the d(msity is increased. The copper of the ancient inhabitants of Europe was hardened by alloying it with tin. Copper Imphine)its, Carp Hirer. (Not on the Map.) — In August, 1854, while workmen were engaged for ]Mr. Jolin Rurt in making a dam across the Carp River near ]\Iarquette, signs of copper were discovered in gravel. They were wheeling earth from the banks of the stream, and did not at first preserve the remains that were visible in the form of spots of green carbonate, which on exam- ination presented a core of unoxidized metal. Mr. Biu't states that tliere were num(>rous thin chips of cojtijer not entirely decayed, which apjx'ared to have been cut from a piece of native metal by a shar]) and thin tool. There was also found a rude copper knife, the sha-.ik two and a hiilf inclu^s, and (he blade four and a half in length, making seven inches. The blade reseml)Ies in siiajK' a short butcher knife very nnu'h worn. It has si)ots of native silver imbedded hi it like those frecpiently seen in Lake Sui>erior speeinieiis of copper. Another tool resembles a Ixxlkiii, with a socket for the insertion of a wooden handle. There were also arrow or spear heads of c()])per, wliich were jtroltably made upDU llir spot. These relics wvw Ijing upon :i bed of will* r-\Viisli( tl p;ravei. m ON THE SHORES OP LAKE SUPERIOR. 23 ro In la V r Fig. 15. Fig. IG. Mr' I whi(^h Mr. Burt conjectures once formed the bed of the river, but the channel of this time is ten feet lower. Soil had accumulated over the tools to a depth of two feet, and on it were pine trees, considered to be at least one hundred years of age. The knife was harder than the chips, and does not bend so easily. This hardness is probably due to the process of hammering which the mass underwent while it was in a cold state, and not to any tempering. If the bodkin-likc implement had not been of this parcel the others might have been referred to the present race of Indians. They pos- sessed knives and other implements made of copper when the French came among them, but these were very rude. Mr. Baily, of Eagle Harbor, has one which resembles feomewliat the semilunar knife used by saddlcTs. There is a notch in the middle by which to attach a handle. Mr. B. thinks it was used in dressing and work- ing skins. It was found in the gravel withir. the pickets at Fort Wilkins, Copper Har'/or. Near the mouth of Carp lliver tlu re are remains of cabins, placed in a row like the houses of a village. This is sbjwn by a line of heaps of stone and clay, like the remains of cliimneys, and ccmnected with them slight ridges of clay, resembling the low embankments around a log building after the timber has decayed. They may have been formed of clay which was used to daub the chinks. A forest of ancient growth cov(>red these ruins. Although I know of no historical evidence illustrating the point, I should hesitate to give them a greater antiquity than the early Freiuh ad- venturers. It is about two hundred years since the Jesuits established themselves on Lake Su])erior. Traders may have jjreceded thi"m thirty years, and construetetl cabins at j)laees not mentioned by the Jesuits. I have seen the ruins of buildings on the west fork of the Ontonagon, near the old C()pi)er Rock, th(> history of wiiich has readied us, and which were erected in 17(i{). In 1K4.'), eighty-four years afterwards, I'otSTKD TiMlI, WITH A yiHKKT. — Full ililU. Corp River. RrPE CnrrKR Knmfk. — Full rIzp. Cnrp Kivor. l,li. Spots of ailver. all tlie logs except such as were of cedar, hatl disappeared. Near a cabin which 24 ANCIENT MINING was used for u blucksiiiith shop, the outlines of a forge were quite distinct, with cinders, charcoal, and pieces of rusty iron lying u])on it. Tlierc; were also several pounds of corroded steel and brass, mostly tlie locks and guards of muskets, and Fif(. n. CoppEB IssTRDMEXT. — Full size. Fort Wilkius. '': iv Section tlirongli tlinmuli <■ its ns(>, which was that of a rutting instrument like a chisel. Its bruisctl head shows tiio etit tt of blows from a mallet of wood or stone. m Si ji, 20 ANCIENT MINING A rude knife and spear-head of copper were recently picked up by Mr. WiDiam Wiudross, at Oak Orchard, Oconto County, Wisconsin, on tlie western shore of (ireen Bay. They are in the possession of Lyman C. Draper, Esq., of Madison, Wisconsin, to whom they were presented by tlic Hon. C. D. Itobinson, of Green Fk'. 21. Cdi'I'kk Kmkf. N.itiiriil sl/.i'.- KlawH. ft Section of blado from n to '. Uuy. Tlie spear or arrow-head differs from those of Lake Superior principally in tii(> state of tiuish, and in having ii hole c in the shank to fasten it to a handle or shaft. Both these specimens are rou<^hly forged and a])parently ground to a blunt edge. 'J'hey are, with little doubt, recent, the work of some half-breed or French- man. Bf/ tplinm icere (he ancient mines wromjld? — I have already giv(m reasons going to show that it was not the present Indian race by whom these mines were worked. As yot no remains of cities, graves, domicils, or highways luive b(>en found in the copper region. As the race appears to liiive been farther advanced in civilizati(m than their succijssors, whom we call tlie aborigines, they probably had better means ot transportation than th(> bark canoe. They niiglit thus carry provisions a great • listance by water. Their mine-works are open cutH exposed to tlie day, wliicli in the winter in tliis country, where snow lies from three to five feet in de])t]i, could not be occupied comfortably Avithout shelter. No remains of such coverings have been discovered, nor is it jn'obable that any traces of siu-h sliould 1U)W be recover aide. On the upland the thermonu'ter descends to minus ;}H°, This would not nuuler these trenches aI)soliitcly untenable, but would present great difficulties in working them. Even in modern shafts and galleries, that are closed by self-shutting doors, frost penetrates to a de])th of twenty aiul thirty fatlumis. It is fretiuently necessary to put stoves in the \\\)\)vx levels in order to prevent tlieir being filled with ice. It would therefore be barely possible, by no means ])rofi'ah1e, to work in ojx'u trenches during whiter. The miners could n-adily bring wiili tliem in the si)ring supplies for three months, and before these were exhausted the saiiii: craft might ON THE SHORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. 27 return for additional supplies. After spendinpf the months of summer, the miners could return to their homes for winter, carrjing with them the mineral obtained during the season. In relation to their dead, it may have been a custom, perhaps a part of their religion, to restore the bodies to their friends. If the number of operators was not great, and the mortality was no greater than it is now, this would not have been a great burden. In case there were no women and children the proportional number of deaths would be less than at present. It is now, for the season of navigation, not far from five in 1000, including females and children, and including also those killed by accident. All the anci(!nt excavations hitherto examined could have been made, with our m(!ans of working, at less expense than has been incurred during the last ten years. But we must allow much for the imperfect modes of operating, and thus increase the number of men recjuired to do the same work ; we must also, on the other hand, conclude tl\at the old mines were wrought a great length of time, and infer that a less mining force was kept up than we have in our times. In the prosecution of mining in this remote region, not only would the deaths be few, but among them such distinguished persons as were entitled to sepulchral mounds or monuments would not be found in great numbers. The absence of arti- ficial mounds, therefore, need not excite surprise. The Mound Builders consumed large quantities of copper. Axes, adzes, chisels, and ornamental rings are so common among the relics in Ohio as to leave no doubt on this subject. We know of no copper bearing veins so accessible as those of Lake Superior to a people residing on the waters of the Ohio. Neither are there any others now known that produce natire, vwlal in quantities to serve as an article of commerce. Spe(;imons of pure copper art; found in other mines of North America, but not as a pred()niinan.t part of the lode. The implements and ornaments found in the mounds are made of metal that has not been melter it is found. It also proves conclusively that such pi(>ces have not undergone fusion, for th(>n the pure white spots would disappear, forming a weak alloy. Copper with blotches of native silver has been taken from the mounds. Dr. John Locke, of Ciurinnati, possessed a flattened piece of cojujer weighing several pounds, which was found in the earthworks at ( '()l(>rain, I lamiltou County, Ohio, having a spot of silver as large as a pea forming a part of the mass. At the first view of the logs which supported the mass m of the Minnesota v(>in, the marks of the tool by which they were cut brought to mind the old copper axes I had seen in Ohio, figured by Mr. Squier, The cut was about an inch and three- teiitlis wide, not smooth like that of a perfectly sharp e(lg(>, and not deep enough for a modern axe or iiatcliet. No such axes have been fotuul on l,ake Su]'erior. Those of Oliio may have been used us u chisel, although Mr. Stpiier thinks u 38 ANCIENT MINING handle was attached to them. Tlie difference between the axe and elnsel is principally in the taper of the axe towards the head. No fjroove or eye has been noticed by which to insert a handle, but the Periivians had means of fastening a handle to a similar instrument without either. There are also chisel-like tools from the Ohio mounds almost identical with those I have already figured. James McBride, Esq., of Hamilton, Butler Ctnmty, Ohio, has in his possession four of them, found in 1855 near that place, that may be regarded either as chisels, axes, or adzes. How much time has passed since these mines were wrought, or since they were abandoned, is a question of great interest. The timber fomid in some of the ancient mines is in a better state of preservation than that of the Ohio mounds ; but it does not follow that it is more recent. Most of the pieces exhumed were covered by water, or wet earth. In a northern climate the decay of wood is slower than in warmer regions. The timber itself is mostly resinous, which assists in its preserva- tion. The wooden cobwork that remains in the Ohio tumuli, hitherto examined, always lies above water, and the loamy earth in which it was buried does not wholly exclude the atmosphere. In the Grave Creek mound the timber was very much decayed, but the chambers inclosing the skeletons were elevated above the naturtU surface, and the surrounding earth was dry. These circumstances being considered, it does not follow that the wood work of the mounds is the most ancient because it is the most decayed. The living trees now standing, with their roots ent^vined among the mauls, skids, and shovels of the old miners, are reliable witnesses as to the least space of time since the mines were abandoned. The age of such trees varies from 300 to 350 years. Beneath the shade of these ))atriarchs of the forest are the prostrate and rotten trunks of a preceding generation. General Harrison, in a discourse before the Historical Society of Ohio, adds another score to the tally of ages that have passed since the earthworks were evacuated. When groimd that has been cleared of its timber is abandoned, the second growth differs from the first in kind. It is not >mtil several generations of trees have disappeared, that such places produce the varieties which constituted the original forest. The sam(> thing is obs(>rved on Point Keweenaw; where a sweep- ing fire has consumed or deadened the resinous trees of the mountains, the first succeeding growth is that of birch and aspen. In process of time, however, the balsam, cedar, pine, and hemlock, resume their ancient domain, overshadowing and ohseiiring tlie deciduous trees. On the ancient burrows, and in the old pits of Lake SuiK-rior, the. same kinds of timber fiourish now as are observed in the surrounding forest. Thes(> works could not liavc been carried on without destroying the growth of timber of that day. Befim; the ])ines, and other evergreens that now oteupy thes(> places, overcame the birch and aspen trees, one or two generations must have passed away. Is it going too far, on the strength of thi« evidence, to place the nhandcmment of the mines at a distance of 500 to 600 years fnmi our times'? Then; may have been inliabitants cov(Ting large territories for long periods who have disappeared without leaving any monumental evidences of their occupation. ON THE SHORES OP LAKE SUPEUIOR. 39 If the North American Indians had ri destroyed by a general pestilence before Pamphilo dc Narvacz landed in Florida, what traces of them should we be able to find^ They have left no distinctive marks of their existence impressed upon the soil. Some faint signs of cultivation in the shape of little hillocks or hills of com, not entirely obliterated as yet, are the sole vestiges of centuries. But avoiding all mere conjectural speculations, the following conclusions may be drawn with reason- able certainty: — An ancient people extracted copper from the veins of Lake Superior of whom history gives no account. They did it in a rude way, by means of fire and the use of copper wedges or gads, and by stone mauls. They had only the simplest mechanical contrivances, and consequently pene- trated the earth but a short distance.' Thej do not appear to have acquired any skill in the art of metallurgy or of cutting masses of copper. For cutting tools thoy had chisels, and probably adzes or axes of copper. These tools arc of pure copper, and hardened only by condensation or beating when cold. They sought chiefly for small masses and lumps, and not for large masses. No scpiUchral mounds, defences, domicils, roads or canals arc known to have been made by them. No evidences have been discovered of the cultivation of the soil. They had weapons of defence or of the chase, such as darts, spears, and daggers of copper. They must have been numerous, industrious, and persevering, and have occupied the country a long time. Eaole UiVEn, Sfay 1, 185r>. ' Their deepest works nre about the Kanic as that of the oUl tin mines of Cornwall, which were wrought before the conquest of Britain by the UomuoB, PUBLlSIIF.n nv THE SMITHSONIAN I N 8T ITi; T ION , WA81IINUTUN, D. C. APRIL, 1»63.