The Keweenaw Copper Rush: America's First Mining Boom (Part 3)

Before California's Gold Rush, there was Michigan's Copper Rush. From the 1840s to the 1920s, the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan's Upper Peninsula supplied over 90% of the world's copper—America's first true mining boom. But this story isn't about striking it rich. The Adventure Mine pulled 11 million pounds of pure copper from the earth and made exactly zero dollars in profit. Why? The copper was too pure. Pure copper is too soft to drill, too heavy to lift, and ironically harder to extract than ore. Shane takes you 300 feet underground into the Adventure Mine, where miners worked 10-hour shifts by candlelight for a dollar a day, and where an underground bike race now navigates the same treacherous tunnels. This is the forgotten story of the boom that ended in ghost towns, abandoned by the companies who scraped even the train tracks when they left.

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Show Notes: In This Episode:

• Why Michigan's copper rush predated and financially surpassed the California Gold Rush
• How the Keweenaw Peninsula supplied 90% of the world's copper from the 1860s to 1920s
• The Adventure Mine's paradox: 11 million pounds of copper extracted, zero profit made
• Why pure copper was actually less profitable than copper ore for mining companies
• What it was like working 300 feet underground by candlelight for a dollar a day
• The underground bike race called "Miner's Revenge" held 300 feet below the surface
• Why boom towns in wet, snowy northern Michigan disappear faster than southwestern ghost towns
• Shane's campground recommendation in Hancock after touring the mines

Key Figures:

• Adventure Mining Company - Operated the mine from 1848 to 1920 without profit
• Dylan - Quincy Mine guide who explained underground bathroom logistics

Timeline:

• 1840s: Keweenaw copper rush begins, predating California Gold Rush
• 1848: Adventure Mine opens under Adventure Mining Company
• 1860s-1920s: Region supplies over 90% of world's copper production
• 1920: Adventure Mine closes after 75 years without profit
• Present: Mine operates as tourist attraction; hosts annual underground bike race

Tags: Michigan history, Keweenaw copper mining, Upper Peninsula history, American mining boom, copper rush, 1800s mining, Adventure Mine Michigan, Michigan ghost towns, industrial history, forgotten American history, Keweenaw Peninsula, copper country, mining disasters, boom towns, local Michigan history

Category: History

Chapter Markers: 0:00 - Introduction: America's First Mining Boom Wasn't Gold 2:00 - The Keweenaw Copper Rush: 90% of the World's Supply 4:00 - Ghost Towns and Winter Destruction in the Upper Peninsula 6:00 - Discovering the Adventure Mine 8:00 - Going Underground: 43 Degrees and Dwarf Script 10:00 - The 25-Ton Copper Lump That Lost Money 12:00 - Working by Candlelight: Life 300 Feet Below 14:00 - The Underground Bike Race "Miner's Revenge" 16:00 - Hancock Campground: A Traveler's Rest 17:00 - Conclusion

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