Quincy Mine No. 2 Shaft Hoist House facts for kids
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Quincy Mine No. 2 Shaft Hoist House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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No. 2 Shaft Hoist House in 2009, on left. (Old hoist house is on right)
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | Franklin Township, Houghton County, Michigan |
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| Nearest city | Hancock, Michigan |
| Area | 9 acres (3.6 ha) |
| Built | 1918 |
| Part of | Quincy Mining Company Historic District (ID89001095) |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000271 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | February 16, 1970 |
| Designated CP | February 10, 1989 |
The Quincy Mine No. 2 Shaft Hoist House is a special building near Hancock, Michigan. It is part of the Quincy Mining Company Historic District. This building holds the largest steam-powered engine in the world. This engine was used to lift things from deep inside a mine. It sits on the biggest concrete foundation ever made for an engine. The Hoist House became a Michigan State Historic Site in 1969. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
Contents
History of the Quincy Mine Hoist House
The Quincy Mining Company started in 1846. Its goal was to dig for copper in Michigan. In 1856, the miners found a very rich copper vein. The company began making money in 1862. It paid out money to its owners almost every year until 1921.
Why a New Hoist Was Needed
The Quincy Mine shafts became very deep. Between 1905 and 1920, they grew from 5,000 feet to over 7,000 feet deep. This made it hard to lift copper and rock to the surface. The old lifting machines were not strong enough. By 1916, the machine at shaft number 2 could not go any deeper.
So, Quincy Mine decided to build a new, much bigger machine. They hired the Nordberg Manufacturing Company. This new machine would be the largest mine hoist in the world. It cost $160,000 to design.
Building the Hoist House
Quincy Mine ordered the new engine in early 1917. But World War I caused delays. The engine did not arrive until late 1919. While waiting, a building was designed for the engine. J. H. Hoff designed the building. The McLean Construction Company built it. The building was mostly finished in 1918.
Installing the huge engine began in December 1919. It took almost a year to set up. The hoist was ready to work by November 1920. The whole project cost $370,000. This included the building, the engine, and its setup. The hoist worked from 1920 until the mine closed in 1931. The mine closed because copper prices fell.
Today, the building and the hoist have been fixed up. They opened to the public in 1968. Visitors can now see this amazing piece of history.
What the Hoist House Looks Like
The Quincy Mine No. 2 Shaft Hoist House is a large, rectangular building. It is covered with red bricks. It measures 72 feet by 76 feet. The building is almost five stories tall. It has many windows, which is unusual for a hoist house. It used to have a green tile roof.
Inside the Hoist House
The building was designed to be very open inside. It has no columns to get in the way. There was also an overhead crane. This crane helped install the giant hoist. The foundation under the building is very special. It is made of 32,000 cubic yards of reinforced concrete. This was said to be the largest concrete block ever poured for its purpose. It was one of the first very large buildings made with reinforced concrete.
The hoist inside is huge. It measures 60 feet by 54 feet. It weighs 1,765,000 pounds. This powerful machine could pull a skip (a large bucket) with 20,000 pounds of rock. It could lift the rock at a speed of 36.4 miles per hour!
Images for kids
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Shaft No. 2 with the old hoist house, around 1906
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Quincy Mine No. 2 Hoist House, 2006
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Quincy Mine No. 2 Hoist House, 1978
