The recommendation is to conduct a historical survey that identifies and documents the remains of the Huron and Isle Royale mining sites within the Huron Creek watershed. These sites can be defined as sites where copper was extracted from underground mines and processed during the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries.    Knowledge gained from these surveys will not only be valuable to historians but also can be used to preserve an integral piece of the Copper Country’s history.   After the survey is complete, a historical map identifying key features could be designed for Waterfront Park.  

Preliminary work has been conducted on mapping the archeological features of the Huron Mine complex.   In his Master’s thesis, "The History and Archeology of the Huron Copper Milling Complex" (2004), Joe Wilson identified and mapped sites such as the reservoir, the Huron dam, the stamp mill and pump house ruins, the tramway bed, and some worker houses.

• The Huron dam, although not standing today, created a lake that served as a constant source of boiler water for the steam engines powering the stamps and for the separation/washing process. It allowed the Huron mine to operate an inland stamp mill.

• The Stamp Mill, constructed in 1865, was expanded in the 1880’s to house three Ball Stamps. In 1893, the mill was transformed into an icehouse by the Myer brothers.

• The Pump House was used for a few decades and never seriously modified.

• The Tramway Route was a feature used and occasionally modified to accommodate new phases of mining technology. Currently, there are remnants of a parallel-running masonry lined ditch on the north portion of the route.   The southern and eastern sides have not been mapped and remains of the western end have been destroyed by the wetland mitigation project,

All of these features except the stamp mill are on property owned by the city of Houghton and could be registered on the National registry to preserve the history of the mining complex.  In addition, the evacuation of housing sites along the road and tramway route may give historians greater insight into the lives of Copper Country working class families in the early 20 th century.   The historical survey could be in conjunction with one of the industrial archeology masters classes at Michigan Tech or taken on by a masters student as a portion of their thesis project.  

Developing the Huron Creek Watershed Management Plan