By Mary Drew at Pasty Central (Mdrew) on Saturday, July 2, 2011 - 07:44 am:
Michigan Technological Industrial Archeology students and professors have been busy excavating the Cliff mine area and have unearthed remnants of the first copper mining site in the area, which was then closed in the 1860's. Today's photos of the project are from Barb Bouwkamp, who went on one of several guided tours that the students held earlier in the month. The group exposed well preserved wood underneath the dirt that had buried it, including a series of metal boxes, the original floor and steps leading up the level housing the stamp mill. Because the sand has preserved all this so well, the site has been filled back in now, with stamp sand to continue the preservation of it for years to come. For more information about the project, click on the following link, a Cliff Mine Blog that talks about the project in more depth: The Cliff Mine Archeology Project Blog.
Barb's last two photos are grave markers from the Cliff Mine Cemetery, which is located just a short hike from the excavation area. There are a number of stones that remain, marking where miners and their family members were laid to rest.
In conclusion, I don't think I can say it any better than Barb said in her email that accompanied the photos, so I'm going to quote her:
"A great big thank you to MTU students for their project and opening it to the public. It's unfortunate that they covered all these discoveries up with stamp sand to preserve the ruins, but they feel if exposed to air, the wood will deteriorate, so it's necessary to fill it all back in, so it will be there for future generations. It was quite interesting to learn what is just under your feet as you walk around that site.
