Quincy Mining Company Stamp Mills Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Quincy Mining Company Stamp Mills Historic District
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Addition to Stamp Mill Number One in 2010
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | M-26 near Torch Lake, Osceola Township |
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| Area | 350 acres (140 ha) |
| Built | 1888 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000750 |
| Added to NRHP | July 18, 2007 |
The Quincy Mining Company Stamp Mills Historic District is a special historic site where machines called stamp mills once crushed rocks. These mills helped separate valuable copper from other rocks. You can find this district on M-26 near Torch Lake, just east of Mason in Osceola Township. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 because of its important history.
Contents
First Mill: Crushing Copper Rocks (1860–1888)
The very first Quincy Stamp Mill was built in 1860 in Hancock, close to the Quincy Mine. But there was a big problem: the mill dumped a huge amount of sand and waste rock, called tailings, into Portage Lake. This sand started to fill up the lake's shipping channels, making it hard for boats to pass.
By the mid-1880s, the government set strict rules about dumping waste into the lake. They even sued the Quincy Mine! At the same time, the Quincy Mine was growing and needed to crush even more copper-filled rock. This meant they needed a bigger and better mill.
Stamp mills need a lot of water to work. So, the company had to find a new spot near a large body of water. After looking around, they chose Torch Lake, about six miles east of the old location. They bought 300 acres of land right on the lake shore.
Building the New Mill (1888–1894)
Work on the new stamp mill began in 1888. First, they built a place for workers to live, then a dock, and foundations for other buildings. By 1889, six large wooden buildings were ready. They also built a railway to connect the mill to the mine, making it easy to bring in the copper rock.
The first main mill building was made of wood and was very large. The pump and boiler house, which provided power and water, was a stone building. A special bridge carried water and steam over the road to the mill. The entire facility was finished and started crushing copper in 1890. It began with two crushing machines, called stamps. Soon after, a third was added, and then two more in 1892.
More buildings and additions were made over the next few years, including extensions to the dock and the boiler house. The Quincy Mine spent a lot of money to build and equip this new mill site.
Expanding the Mills (1894–1922)
Even with the new mill, the mine was producing so much copper rock that the mill couldn't keep up! So, by 1894, plans for a second mill were already being made.
The second stamp mill was built just north of the first one. This mill was made with a strong iron frame and was even bigger than the first. It was built in 1899 and opened in late 1900 with three more crushing machines. To handle all this extra work, new boiler and pump houses were also built. Over the next 20 years, the buildings were updated, and the crushing machines were improved. A tall, new smokestack was even built in 1916.
During World War I, the price of copper went up a lot. This gave the Quincy Mine a reason and the money to expand even more. In 1919, they added strong concrete and brick sections to both stamp mills. These additions were ready and working by 1920. The mill also improved how it made electricity, building a new brick building in 1921 to house a powerful turbine. This turbine started working in 1923.
Images from 1890–1925
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The Mills Close Down (1922–Present)
After World War I ended, the mill started to slow down. In 1922, the second mill was closed. Even though new, more efficient equipment was added to Mill Number One in 1929 and 1930, the Great Depression hit the mining industry very hard. The Quincy Mine closed in 1931, and the Stamp Mills stopped working.
As the Depression continued, copper prices went up again. So, the mine and mills were fixed up in late 1937 and reopened for a short time in early 1938. However, the mine barely made any money. After World War II ended, and the government stopped guaranteeing copper prices, the mine and stamp mills closed for good.
Mill Number Two was taken down early. Parts of the original Mill Number One were also removed, but the newer additions to Mill Number One are still standing today.
Images from 1978
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Images from 2010
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