The Quincy Mine Fatalities

The Quincy Mine was founded in 1846 by the merger of the Northwest Mining Company and the Portage Mining Company. Due to poor communication between government offices, these two speculative mining companies had purchased the same tracts of land during the mining rush of the early 1840's. The directors met and decided to merge, with significant investment coming from Massachusetts (the town of Quincy, Massachusetts lent the mine its name). While many other copper mines were founded at the same time, the Quincy Mine became the most successful of the 1840s-era mines, and was the country's leading copper-producing mine from 1863 (when it exceeded the production of the Minesota Mine) through 1867 (after which it was exceeded by the Calumet and Hecla.)

The Quincy company expanded laterally along the lode by buying out adjacent properties. The company bought the Pewabic mine in 1891, the Mesnard and the Pontiac in 1897, and the Franklin mine in 1908. This helped the mine survive longer than almost all other Keweenaw copper mining companies, except the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company and the Copper Range Company.

The Quincy Mine was known as "Old Reliable," as the Quincy Mining Company paid a dividend to investors every year from 1868 through 1920, and operated continuously from 1848 to 1931.

Due to the increasing cost of mining at such great depth and the low price of copper during the depression years, the company ceased its underground mining activity in 1931. Government regulated copper pricing allowed the mine to open briefly during World War II, but the continuing low price of copper after September 1945 forced the company to confine its operations to reclamation work on older mill tailings and custom smelting work. Before closing on May 6, 1967, the Quincy reclamation plant recovered nearly one hundred million of refined copper during its twenty-two years of operation.

A total of 9 shafts were driven; 2 of these shafts, No. 2 and No. 6 reached 9,260 feet (2.82 km or 1.75 miles) along the dip of the deposit on a 55 degree decline.(measured vertically from the shaft collar, the depth is 6,200 feet.). No. 7 shaft is unique in that is was driven on a catenary curve. No. 2 shaft housed the largest steam powered hoist in the world, built in 1918. Produced by the Nordberg Mfg. Co., the 30' drum held 10,000' of 1 5/8" wire rope and it could hoist 10 ton skips at the rate of 3,200' per minute.

In 99 years of operation, Quincy produced 424,000 tons of native copper from the underground workings. A large amount of native silver was also recovered from the mine. Starting in 1947 and continuing through 1968, another 50,000 tons of copper was recovered from reclamation activities in Torch Lake.

An estimated total of 253 fatal accidents occurred at Quincy in that 99 years.

This is a subproject of the Michigan Mine Fatalities

OLD QUINCY NO. 1

One of the original shafts, the "Old" Quincy No. 1 was in full operation by 1854. After the development on the Pewabic Lode and additional shafts were driven, this shaft was used only as a winze after 1874 and was eventually shut down in 1892. The location for this shaft is northeast of the No. 2, adjacent to the current Quincy Mine Gift Shop.

PEWABIC MINE A.K.A QUINCY NO. 6

An underground copper mine located north of Hancock, Michigan, and just north of the Quincy Mine. The Pewabic Mining Company was organized in 1853. For the first two years, work concentrated on opening prehistoric mining pits that traced an apparent amygdaloid bed. The first, and only, shaft Pewabic drove was driven on an incline following this bed. The shaft was located approximately 1,900 feet north of the Quincy No. 2 shaft. The mineralization on the "Pewabic Lode" at the Mine was not as rich as it was on Quincy's property. However, the company did manage to pay dividends amounting to $1 million. In 1884, management allowed the mining charter to lapse without renewal, and the company was forced to close. In 1891, Quincy Mining Company purchased the property and renamed the shaft Quincy No. 6, which became famous for its fabulous shafthouse. A total of approximately 27 million pounds of refined copper was produced between 1855 and 1884.

• Bellemy, William November 20, 1871
• Connors, Thomas June 24, 1891
• Downey, Timothy 1879
• Hooper, Sampson November 20, 1871
• James, John November 20, 1871
• Newfisher, Joseph July 25, 1892
• Rosewarne, Thomas November 20, 1871
• Thomas, Andrew January 11, 1883

MESNARD MINE A.K.A QUINCY NO. 8

An underground copper mine located approximately one mile north of the No. 2 Shaft house. Originally organized as the Mesnard Mining Company in 1859, it was taken over by the Pewabic Mining Company in 1876 and later sold to Quincy Mining Company in 1897, thus becoming Quincy No. 8 Shaft. The shaft was extended to the 86th level, or approximately 8,600 feet on the incline (6,000 feet vertical). Between 1863 and 1877 the mine produced 84,000 pounds of refined copper. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Homestake Mining Company dewatered the shaft to the 22nd level to explore for additional copper ore, but this proved unsuccessful and the shaft was allowed to refill with water. Today the mine is owned by the Quincy Mine Hoist Association and is therefore on private property.

PONTIAC MINE A.K.A QUINCY NO. 9

Very little is known of the Pontiac Mining Company. It was organized in 1859 to explore and mine the Pewabic and Franklin Lodes between the Albany and Boston and Mesnard Mine properties where ancient pits were discovered. It was reported that good barrel copper and masses were found in the shaft, but the overall results were not promising. The company was bought by Quincy in 1897 and work was started on a new shaft in 1908 which was to become the Quincy No. 9 shaft; however, the great strike of 1913 forced Quincy to abandon sinking this shaft. A very small rock pile exists from this shaft sinking in 1908. Some copper can be found. source: https://www.mindat.org/loc-125489.html

QUINCY MINE FATALITIES

• Aittama, Emil Arvid 1927 No. 2
• Backman, Emil 1907
• Benney, Henry September 16, 1868
• Berger, Mathias 1878
• Biagini, Emilio 1904 No. 2
• Biagini, Joseph 1909 No. 7
• Brewer, Martin November 1, 1901
• Broad, Samuel Henry March 19, 1896
• Burt, John January 2, 1896
• Cardoni, Santino 1909
• Carroll, Martin D. 1900
• Carroll, Thomas W. June 26, 1893 No. 2
• Ciabattari, Angelo 1910 No. 7
• Colombo, Antonio 1912 No. 2
• Crocker, Philip March 26, 1902
• Daniells, John 1902 No. 7
• Dannibale, Eliseo 1909 No. 2
• Defilippi, Joseph November 11, 1908
• Della Franca, Antonio November 26, 1906
• Dennis, Joseph July 17, 1894
• Fabbri, Pietro 1911 No. 6
• Fasana, Ferdinando 1901 No. 2
• Fasana, Giovanni 1910 No. 6
• Fisher, James August 2, 1876
• Fleming, Martin 1877
• Fleming, Michael January 3, 1884
• Fleming, Patrick September 22, 1882
• Francioni, Giovanni 1910 No. 2
• Frosio, Luigi 1904 No. 2
• Gale, Alfred JR. 1901 No. 2
• Gale, Alfred SR. 1901 No. 2
• Galliani, Ludovico 1910 No. 7
• Garland, Richard May 23, 1894
• Giulio, Erick 1905
• Goetsche, Blaise March 28, 1891
• Goggin, Dennis May 10, 1905
• Goggin, William 1901 No. 4
• Goggin, William December 5, 1906
• Haaraniemi, Jaakko July 3, 1899
• Halonen, Aleksander 1907
• Hanley, John December 6, 1906
• Harrington, John October 13, 1893 No. 2
• Hassan, Anton September 4, 1912
• Heikkila, Leander 1905 No. 6
• Heikkila, Leander June 27, 1918
• Hirsikoski, Henry October 29, 1927
• Hoar, William 1909 No. 7
• Holland, Dennis March 1884
• Huuskonen, August 1908
• Israelson, John Daniel 1927
• Järvelä, Otto Wilhelm November 10, 1881
• Jauch, Christian March 2, 1888
• Jenkins, James 1860
• Jennings, Albert July 6, 1885
• Johnson (Hurja), Edward 1909
• Johnson (Hyvärinen), Mikko 1906 No. 7
• Johnson (Saariniemi) Peter Arvid 1906
• Joki, Andrew 1917 No. 7
• Joki, Peter Ole February 12, 1884
• Junttila, Matt 1916
• Jurva, Alfred 1902 No. 2
• Kaarlela, Vilho November 22, 1906
• Kaartinen, Jakob Edvard 1907
• Kähkönen, Otto 1911 No. 7
• Kaisajoki, Olli November 10, 1887
• Kallatsa, Olof May 10, 1898 No. 7
• Kallio, David April 22, 1895 No. 6
• Karppinen, Jaakko 1911 No. 7
• Kemila, Matti 1910 No. 8
• Kemppainen, Heikki Leonard 1917
• Kemppainen, Iivari 1906
• Kemppainen, Perttu 1906
• Kernick, John Jun. 7, 1900
• Keskitalo, August 1904 No. 7
• Kivelä, Alexander 1910 No. 7
• Kivelä, Kaarlo Jaakko 1917
• Kiviniemi, Matti March 31, 1905
• Koistinen, Mike 1909
• Korhonen, Jooseppi 1918 No. 2
• Korhonen, Juho Herman 1910 No. 8
• Korpi, John 1900 No. 4
• Koskela, Jacob December 31, 1914
• Krajacic, Mike May 18, 1909
• Landucci, Egidio August 22, 1902
• Lantto, Charles 1937 Stamp Mill
• Larson (Tauriainen), Juho August 6, 1899
• Lassheikki, Karl John 1903 No. 7
• Latva, Matt 1911
• Lavorini, Attilio 1910 No. 8
• Lazzari, Cesare December 14, 1908 No. 7
• Leahy, Patrick February 4, 1889
• Leary, Dennis 1876
• Leary, Timothy April 18, 1906
• Link, Andrew June 1, 1895
• Letcher, James Wilton 1900 No. 2
• Lindvall, Thomas 1902 Old Man Engine Shaft
• Lord, George 1904 No. 8
• Lowney, Dennis 1901 No. 6
• Määttä, Matti Heikki 1920
• Mahar, Gabriel 1913
• Mahoney, Dan 1877
• Mahoney, John March 1, 1888
• Maki, Matt 1903 No. 6
• Malmgren, Viktor 1909
• Marchini, Aurelio Settimo 1903 No. 7
• Martikainen, Kristian 1913
• Marttila, Jaakko 1920
• Matkovic, Matt 1909
• Mayrand, Eugene 1910 No. 6
• Mazzoni, Cherubino 1903 No. 2
• McCarthy, James 1878
• McCarthy, William November 15, 1893
• Meyer, George 1881
• Mitchell, Joseph Ernest 1901
• Moilanen, Herman 1930 No. 8
• Mustonen, Nante 1910 No. 6
• Naasko, Arvid 1927 No. 2
• Nancarrow, George Frederick 1902
• Neulikko, Lauri 1911 No. 7
• Nevala, Isak 1900 No. 2
• Niva, Abraham Alexander 1905 No. 2
• Nivala, Kustaa 1901 No. 6
• Noppa, Isaac September 3, 1897 No. 6
• Nousiainen, Alfred 1908 No. 7
• O'Brien, Dennis July 6, 1898 No. 2
• Olson, Eldred 1909 No. 8
• Olson, Isak Wilhelm September 10, 1905
• Omans, Louis May 22, 1899 No. 6
• O'Neil, Timothy July 24, 1898 No. 4
• Orn, Juho Erkki 1902 No. 2
• Pääkkönen, Johan June 3, 1905
• Palo, Erik Johan 1874
• Pardini, Angelo November 12, 1902
• Paterni, Francesco 1910 No. 7
• Pelto, Waino Esaias 1925 No. 2
• Pescatore, Giorgio Apr. 11, 1907
• Peterson(Ulkoniemi), Petter Oskari 1911
• Pera, Samuele March 28, 1918
• Pietikainen, Olli 1906
• Piirainen, John 1904
• Pikkarainen, Paul 1910 No. 2
• Pirttimaa, Leonard 1908
• Pischong, Nicholaus September 17, 1882
• Pucci, Giuseppi 1911 No. 8
• Puska, Matti 1911 No. 7
• Quinn, James 1876
• Raak, William 1918
• Rantala, Kalle 1904 No. 2
• Reinikka, Emil 1916
• Ritola, Henry 1915
• Rosdahl, Henrik Theodor August 14, 1891 No. 2
• Ruokanen, Jaakko 1909
• Saaranen, Alexander 1908 No. 7
• Saaranen, Fred 1912
• Saari, Herman 1908 No. 7
• Sakari, Per 1878
• Säkkinen, John 1900 No. 6
• Santini, Giovanni Egidio 1909 No. 2
• Saviniemi, Malakias Rafael 1926
• Shaughnessy, Timothy March 6, 1876
• Shea, John October 13, 1906
• Simu, Arvid Manfred July 22, 1897
• Sippari, Juho Heikki 1912
• Sonninen, Paavali 1911
• Squire, Isaac February 4, 1908
• Stefani, Joseph July 5, 1906
• Steimle, Eugene 1876
• Sullivan, John
• Sullivan, Timothy 1904 No. 8
• Tabarracci, Antonio 1908 No. 7
• Takala, Jacob 1905 No. 7
• Tervonen, Aukusti 1915 No. 6
• Tervonen, Eeli 1916
• Tervonen, Vaino 1906 No. 7
• Toivanen, Johannes 1906
• Trivall, James 1876
• Tuura, Matti 1906 No. 6
• Uutala, John 1902
• Vanhatalo, Antti 1908 No. 7
• Venton, Thomas 1911
• Verran, John May 10, 1905
• Wickstrom, August 1907 No. 8
• Williams, Richard December 12, 1907
• Williams, William April 3, 1899 No. 4
• Wivell, John August 8, 1879
• Wuopio, Johan 1911 No. 7
• Wuotila, Johan 1910 No. 8