Ferris-Haggarty Mine Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Grand Encampment Mining Region: Ferris-Haggerty Mine Site
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 Location in Wyoming
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Encampment, Wyoming |
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| Area | 160 acres (65 ha) |
| Built | 1897 |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001928 |
| Added to NRHP | July 2, 1973 |
The Ferris-Haggerty Mine Site was once a very rich copper mine. It was located in Carbon County, Wyoming. This mine was a key part of the Grand Encampment Mining District. It helped produce a lot of copper over a hundred years ago. Today, it is recognized as an important historic site.
Contents
The Story of the Ferris-Haggerty Mine
The story of the Ferris-Haggerty Mine began in 1897. A man named Ed Haggerty, who was a prospector (someone who searches for valuable minerals), found a large amount of copper ore. He named his discovery the Rudefeha Mine. Later, it became known as the Ferris-Haggerty Mine.
Ed Haggerty had help from investors, including George Ferris. Most of the other investors eventually left. George Ferris stayed and continued to support the mine. Later, Willis George Emerson joined them. He helped raise money to make the mine even better.
Building the Longest Tramway
One amazing thing built for the mine was a huge aerial tramway. This was like a giant cable car system. It was 16 miles (about 26 kilometers) long! This tramway carried the valuable copper ore. It moved the ore from the Ferris-Haggerty Mine. It even went over the Continental Divide. This is a line of mountains that separates rivers flowing to different oceans. The tramway took the ore all the way to a smelter in Encampment, Wyoming. A smelter is a place where metal is taken out of ore. This tramway was the longest aerial tramway in the world at that time!
Challenges and Closure
The North American Copper Company eventually bought the mine. By 1904, the mine had produced a lot of copper. It was worth about $1.4 million. The mine was then sold to the Penn-Wyoming Copper Company.
Even though copper prices were high around 1907, the company found it hard to make money. The mine was in a very remote location. Also, the company faced big problems. There were damaging fires at the mine site. One fire happened in March 1906. Another was in May 1907. These fires stopped the mining work.
After the fires, business disagreements and lower copper prices made things worse. The mine could not reopen, even after it was rebuilt. In 1913, the mine faced a foreclosure. This means the company lost ownership because they couldn't pay their debts. The machinery from the mine was then taken away. In total, the mine produced about 23 million pounds of copper ore during its time.
What Happened Next?
George Ferris, one of the mine's early supporters, used money from the mine to build a mansion. This house, called the George Ferris Mansion, is in Rawlins, Wyoming. Sadly, George Ferris died in a carriage accident near the mine in 1900.
The Ferris-Haggerty Mine Site is important for its history. Because of this, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 2, 1973. This list includes places that are important to the history of the United States.
The Mine Today
More recently, in April 2015, the Ferris-Haggarty Mine was bought by the Ferris-Haggarty Mining Corporation. This company is from Colorado. They have plans to start mining at this site again in the future.
