Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum Facts for Kids

This page is about the former iron mine in Marquette County, Michigan. For the former copper mine in Keweenaw County, Michigan, see Cliff mine.

Quick facts for kids
Cliffs Shaft Mine
Location
Old headframe, built 1919
Cliffs Shaft Mine Location in Michigan
Location	Ishpeming
State	Michigan
Country	United States
Coordinates	46°29′28″N 87°40′31″W / 46.49111°N 87.67528°W / 46.49111; -87.67528
Production
Products	Iron
History
Opened	1868
Closed	1967

Cliffs Shaft Mine
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district

Built	1880, 1919
Architect	George W. Maher
Architectural style	Exotic Revival, Egyptian Revival
NRHP reference No.	92000832
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	July 17, 1992

Owner
Company	Cleveland Cliffs

The Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum is a cool place to visit in Ishpeming, Michigan. It used to be a big iron mine, but now it's a museum! Here, you can learn all about the history of iron mining in the Marquette Iron Range. This special site became a Michigan historic spot in 1973. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. The museum is run by a group called "Marquette Range Iron Mining Heritage Theme Park Inc."

Exploring the Mine's Past
What You Can See at the Museum
Visiting the Museum
See also

Exploring the Mine's Past

How the Mine Started

The Iron Cliffs Company began in 1865. A group of people from New York, including Samuel J. Tilden, started it. They bought land in Marquette County. Their first mine, the Barnum Mine, opened in 1867. This mine had two deep holes called "shafts," named "A" and "B." By 1870, the company had three more mine pits.

In 1877, Iron Cliffs started looking for more iron. They drilled on a site overlooking Ishpeming. They found lots of iron ore! In 1879, they opened the Cliffs Shaft. Back then, it was called the "New Barnum." New buildings like a boiler house and engine house were built in the early 1880s.

Changes and Growth

The mine's name changed to "Cliffs Shaft" in 1888. More big changes happened in 1891. The Iron Cliffs Company joined with other iron companies. These included the Jackson Mine and the Cleveland Mine. Together, they formed the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company. William G. Mather became the president of this new, bigger company.

After a big fire in 1901, a new "dry house" was built. The original wooden structures over the A and B shafts were replaced. In 1919, new concrete structures called "headframes" were built. A much larger and more modern "C" shaft and headframe were added in 1955.

A Major Iron Producer

The Cliffs Shaft Mine was once the biggest producer of hematite in the United States. Hematite is a type of iron ore. The mine shipped ore almost every year from 1887 until it closed. Mining at this site stopped in 1967. This marked the end of underground iron mining in the area.

Becoming a Museum

The Cliffs Shaft mine complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. A Michigan Historical Marker also remembers its importance. In 1998, the old owners gave most of the mine property to a non-profit group. This allowed them to create a museum. The museum officially opened its doors in 1999.

What You Can See at the Museum

A unique headframe, built around 1919

The Cliffs Shaft site covers 15 acres above ground. It has three tall structures called headframes. It also has eight other buildings.

The 1919 Headframes

The two headframes built in 1919 are very special. They are mirror images of each other. They were designed by both mining engineers and a professional architect.

In 1919, the old wooden headframes were getting old and unsafe. The company president, William G. Mather, wanted the new headframes to be practical and beautiful. This was because of their important location. The company hired George Washington Maher, a famous architect. He designed the new headframes to look like ancient Egyptian obelisks. This style is called Egyptian Revival architecture.

The company built the new concrete headframes around the old wooden ones. They were 33 feet (about 10 meters) square at the bottom. They tapered to 21 feet (about 6.4 meters) square at the top. A pyramid-shaped roof made them 96 feet, 9 inches (about 29.5 meters) tall. The building work lasted from July to December 1919.

The 1955 Headframe

The third headframe was built in 1955. It is made of concrete with metal on the outside. This headframe was the first "Koep Hoist" ever built in the Western Hemisphere.

Other Buildings on Site

You can also see other buildings at the museum. These include:

The stone boiler house and engine house (from 1880).
The brick dry house (built in 1901–02).
A laboratory (around 1917).
A brick blacksmith shop.
The brick mine office building.

Underground Tunnels

Underground, the Cliffs Shaft Mine was one of Michigan's biggest iron mines. It had 65 miles (about 105 kilometers) of tunnels! These tunnels went down to depths of 1,358 feet (about 414 meters). It's one of the best-preserved examples of underground mining in the Marquette Iron Range.

Visiting the Museum

At the museum, you can see many cool things. There are mining tools, old photos, and mining machines. You can also explore a chemical lab and see blasting items. The engine house has a large air compressor room. Tours are available to help you learn even more. The museum also shows off rock and mineral collections from the Ishpeming Rock and Mineral Club.

The mine site and museum are part of the Iron Ore Heritage Trail. This trail is 47 miles (about 76 kilometers) long. It's great for biking and hiking. It covers a lot of the Marquette Iron Range area.