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VIRTUALFIELD TRIP TO THE KEWEENAW PENINSULA, MICHIGAN - KEWEENAW WEEK 2003

     Keweenaw week is a week of field trips to thevarious waste rock dumps of mines on the Keweenaw peninsula (two field tripseach morning and afternoon for six days) and underground collecting in theCaledonia mine; a reception at the Seaman Museum; lectures on various topics of the mines, their minerals andhistory; trips to view the historical remains in the area; a rock swap (localcollectors selling specimens) and a weekend rock show; and a keynote address andauction. The club is able to secure permission to enter rock piles which arenormally off limits to collecting.

 


The Wednesday evening rock swap/sale at the Quincy is one of three opportunitiesto buy specimens.


The mine dumps are bulldozed to provide fresh rock to search for minerals suchas copper, datolite, mining artifacts (such as copper chips from the chiselingof mass copper) and micro mineral specimens  (This is at the Rockland minesite).


The Rockland site being searched with a metal detector.


People would search the piles visually (here one of the minerals sought wasdatolite nodules) and about two thirds of the collectors were using metaldetectors to search for the copper specimens. Iroquois mine.


Most of the surface plants of the various mines has decayed, but some like thisheadframe/rockhouse south of Calumet still are standing. Note the inclined shaftto the right of the photograph. Most of the mines in this district had inclinedshafts that followed the dip of the ore beds.


Some of the local guardians for Esrey Park on Lake Superior.

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