We started out from Alger Falls at the respectable time of 8ish. From there we went to Marquette to the ore dock. When we were there we saw a ship that was unloading just a little way down.
Our next stop along the way was Houghton and further up the hill to the Quincy mine and smelter. We did have to stop for a pastie before all of that though.
Both of us enjoyed the smelter thoroughly. It was pretty amazing that we could go into a place that has been so long abandoned. They made us wear hard hats and safety glasses. They were quite sporty. (kidding)
When we visited the mine, it was just as it was the last time for me. On the way down to the mine on the incline railway, they said it was like a very slow roller coaster. I felt that the whole trip through the mine was a slow roller coaster. I mean we were over 300 feet down in the ground, even though we took a ride on a cart straight in. The tour went into a vent for water removal and we were so far inside the mine that the entrance was only a dot when we made our first stop. Then, as usual on mine tours, they turned out the lights. It is extremely dark in a mine if you have never seen one. It is just a little creepy and to top of the creepy of being that far underground in a mine known for its collapses during operating times, then there was the thing of bats. I never saw or heard a bat but they talked a lot about them and how we needed to protect them and that we had to change clothes if we had been in other mines because of white nose disease. Then we had to step on a sponge as we were leaving to disinfect our shoes in case we were going to another mine afterward. Bats are just creepy enough all on their own. All kidding aside though, it is more than amazing to go into these mines and know how much the men/boys that worked in them sacrificed to feed and care for their families. Also, the towns where they once prospered are sadly a lot of abandoned ruins and fabulous buildings that are going to waste because no one is there to use them anymore. It is just fascinating that these houses still exist now after so many years and the mines closing over half a century ago. I just guess you would really have to be interested in the lifestyle here to stay or feel any kinship with this place.
I have to say for the record that the Upper Peninsula is my most favorite place in the entire world.
When we visited the mine, it was just as it was the last time for me. On the way down to the mine on the incline railway, they said it was like a very slow roller coaster. I felt that the whole trip through the mine was a slow roller coaster. I mean we were over 300 feet down in the ground, even though we took a ride on a cart straight in. The tour went into a vent for water removal and we were so far inside the mine that the entrance was only a dot when we made our first stop. Then, as usual on mine tours, they turned out the lights. It is extremely dark in a mine if you have never seen one. It is just a little creepy and to top of the creepy of being that far underground in a mine known for its collapses during operating times, then there was the thing of bats. I never saw or heard a bat but they talked a lot about them and how we needed to protect them and that we had to change clothes if we had been in other mines because of white nose disease. Then we had to step on a sponge as we were leaving to disinfect our shoes in case we were going to another mine afterward. Bats are just creepy enough all on their own. All kidding aside though, it is more than amazing to go into these mines and know how much the men/boys that worked in them sacrificed to feed and care for their families. Also, the towns where they once prospered are sadly a lot of abandoned ruins and fabulous buildings that are going to waste because no one is there to use them anymore. It is just fascinating that these houses still exist now after so many years and the mines closing over half a century ago. I just guess you would really have to be interested in the lifestyle here to stay or feel any kinship with this place.
I have to say for the record that the Upper Peninsula is my most favorite place in the entire world.
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