Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Open Access Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Industrial Heritage and Archaeology (MS)
Administrative Home Department
Department of Social Sciences
Advisor 1
Timothy J. Scarlett
Committee Member 1
Daniel J. Trepal
Committee Member 2
Sean M. Gohman
Abstract
This archaeological investigation revealed new insights about the story of the Lake District Copper Mining Industry through the Conglomerate Mining Company’s compressor house building. This structure once housed the air compressor powering the mine’s rock drills. Combining archaeological and historical data, this research is one of the first investigations into a compressor house at a mine location. Excavations were undertaken in order to investigate the physical structure and remains of the building. This thesis integrates fieldwork and historical data to understand the changes to the social and working landscape of the Keweenaw, such as the change in ethnic groups, and to set up investigations of technological failure. The compressor house was the catalyst for the decline of the prestige for the Cornish population and is an opportunity for understanding failure as a multifaceted challenge in the Keweenaw mining district.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Muraski, Jill T., "From Riches to Ruin: An Exploration of the Conglomerate Mining Company's Compressor House", Open Access Master's Thesis, Michigan Technological University, 2025.