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C.Bolduc

Date Visited: 7-14-11

EarthCache Name:

Short Description:

“Ginormous Stamp Mill Ruins”

At this site you will see a mill stamper.

These were used during the mining years to crush rock that was pulled up from the mines. The rock was then separated into poor rock, left over or waste rock, and ore, the rock that contained copper.

Google Earth

Coordinates: N47 10.103’ W088 26.144’

Difficulty:

Terrain:

1

Please Note: • Wear closed toe shoes • Be aware of rusted wires/nails left over on ground • Be careful walking under structures

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Osceola Township Board PO Box 437 Dollar Bay, MI 49922

Please Note: The Osceola Township Board has deemed this place UNSAFE for visitors at this time.

Please enjoy the information but do not attempt to visit.

Contact Person: Judy Odgers

Thank you.

Ownership:

Picture/Data Collection:

Figure 1: Stamper This is a stamper that was unable to be dismantled.

Picture By: Carolyn Bolduc

Figure 2: Stamper Pedestals Each of these pedestals once held a stamper like the one pictured in figure 1.

Picture By: Carolyn Bolduc

Google Earth:

http://screencast.com/t/NsVoH0sSH

Captured from Google Earth 7-24-11

Key Earth Science/Geological Vocabulary Words:

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Stamp Sands: Left over or waste rock that was stamped, or crushed, into course grain sands and dumped into Lake Superior and on surrounding land during the mining boom.

Poor Rock: The rock that was left over, or waste rock, and either dumped into piles near the mines or deposited directly into water.

Ore: Rock that contained copper or other wanted material/minerals Stamper: The machines used to crush rock into smaller pieces to be sorted into ore and poor rock Gravity: A natural force of attraction that acts on objects and draws them toward the center of the Earth.

Density: An object’s mass per unit volume. Example: If you were to hold a piece of copper in one hand and a piece of poor rock in the other, the copper would feel heavier in your hand.

Content Explanation: Copper mining began in the 1840’s. Rock was pulled up from the mines and sent to this stamper by railcar for rough stamping. The stamper would crush the rock into smaller pieces, which would be sorted into ore, rock with copper, and poor rock, or waste rock.

The ore rock would then go through another round of pulverization to break down the pieces even further. Once the ore pieces were crushed to pebble size they were considered stamped sands. These sands were crushed rock mixed with copper. The sands would be sorted into jigs to obtain as much copper as possible. A jig is a smaller basin filled with water with a screen. The jigs job was to further separate the pieces based on the law of separation. This law states that heavier or denser pieces will settle toward the bottom while the less dense or lighter pieces would stay at the top.

Copper has a higher density than the stamp sands. So gravity assisted the pieces with a heavier concentration of copper and pulled them to the bottom, while rock with little to no copper would float toward the top. (continued on next page)

Content Explanation Continued:

The last stop for the rock was the wilfley table. The table was tilted at an angle with a tray on top. The rock/water mix was poured over the table. The lighter stamp sands would wash over the table while the denser rock with copper would catch in the seams of the tray. The ore could then be collected. The stamp sands mixed with water and created slurry. This slurry was piped out and deposited directly into Torch Lake. The sands are still there along with concerns about the effect the sands have on the environment.

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Here is an example of a wilfrey table at work (You Tube): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFKNCD-w2uk Here is an example of a stamper: (You Tube): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORYO9VZ9T2M&feature=related

Figure 3: Stamp Mill Process Here is an example of the route the ore rock took to be processed.

Historic American Engineering Record.

Heritage Conservation & Recreation Service. Delineated By: Eric M. Hansen, 1978.

Logging Question:

How many pillars are still standing at the site?

a) 3 b) 4 c) 8 d) 1

Connections to Content: 1) What was the purpose of the stamper?

2) How was copper sorted from the rest of the poor rock?

Earth Science: Big Idea: Big Idea 9: Humans significantly alter the Earth.

Misconceptions: 1. People do not have a big impact on the environment. The environment will balance itself out.

2. Mining and exploration cannot be accomplished safely with respect to the environment.

Earth Science Standards:

E.ES.E.5 Human Impact- Humans depend on their natural and constructed environment. Humans change environments in ways that are helpful or harmful for themselves and other organisms.

E.SE.E.3 Using Earth Materials- Some Earth materials have properties that make them useful either in their present form or designed and modified to solve human problems. They can enhance the quality of life as in the case of materials used for building or fuels used for heating and transportation.

Taken from the Michigan Department of Education Grade Level Expectations.

References: Â Forgrave, Mike. (2001). The Copper Country Explorer. Retrieved July 29, 2011 from: http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/ Google Inc. (2011). Google Earth (Version 6.0.3.2197) [Software].

Hansen, Eric. M. (1978). Stamp Mill Process c. 1900. (pp. 27-34). Historic Engineering Record. Heritage Conservation & Recreation Service.

Kyburz66. (2008, June 22). Vintage Stamp Mill. Retrieved July 29, 2011 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORYO9VZ9T2M&feature=related PTPath. (2009, November 26). Wilfley Table 1. Retrieved July 29, 2011 from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFKNCD-w2uk Schaetzl, R. J., Darden, J. T., & Brandt, D. S. (2009). Michigan Geography and Geology.

New York: Custom Publishing.