Date of Award
2016
Document Type
Open Access Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Industrial Archaeology (MS)
Administrative Home Department
Department of Social Sciences
Advisor 1
Patrick Martin
Committee Member 1
Carl Blair
Committee Member 2
Seth DePasqual
Abstract
The lodes of native copper found in the Lake Superior region presented new opportunities for investors and miners alike. Making these opportunities pay required the unique challenges presented by the region’s remoteness and unique geological formations to be overcome. A primary way in which these newly emerging companies overcame these challenges was through successful vertical integration of the copper refining industries. Smelting came to the region early, but met with little success as the workers first needed to retool their skills and experiences to the demands of the region’s mineral deposits. In 1848 the Isle Royale and Ohio Mining Company commenced their short-lived copper furnace operation near the settlement of Ransom on Isle Royale. The archaeology and history of this furnace provides insights on a newly emerging industry, technological adaptation, and social and labor relations within this remote but rapidly emerging industrial frontier.
Recommended Citation
Blake, Adrian, "Early Copper Smelting In the Lake Superior Region:A Case Study of the Isle Royale and Ohio Mining Company, 1846-1852", Open Access Master's Thesis, Michigan Technological University, 2016.