Between Mohawk and Ahmeek, this operation is most often referred to as "Patrick's". Known for their salvage operation, this is the first place which comes to mind if you have something metal to dispose of, or looking for some odd construction component, like cross ties or something.

But Superior Crafts also makes some nice outdoor furniture, like picnic tables. For several years after we moved to Eagle River our family used one of Patrick's picnic tables as our dining room table. Like a picnic every day... even in the wintertime.

Hey, you guys have been here before - back in the Spring of '99 as I recall.

It's so nice seeing old buildings used instead of torn down. In Europe they still use centuries old buildings but over here everything has to be brand, spanking, new. Nothing elsehas the beauty and ambiance of an old building.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Superior Crafts makes beautiful indoor furniture. We completely furnished our Pennsylvania cabin in his log furniture. Jim made a custom log dining room chandelier. The new owners insisted that it stay or the deal was off - so it stayed. We'll be ordering a new one next year. It's been many years but I think Jim will remember the time we drove off -- leaving our little dog behind -- Jim had her in the office - I hate to think of what could have happened. Our best to all -- See you in 2001.

He does make nice furniture, but that scrap metal all over the place in full view of the highway... I'm surprized that someone hasn't made him put a fence around it. You couldn't do that in other parts of the state.

I remember many a summer vacation driving through the s-curve just south of Mohawk in the 1950's-60's when the shafthouse and poor rock piles still stood there in stony silence, resisting the siren call of passing time. If I remember aright it was an "Ahmeek Shaft" whose # I can't now recall.
Anybody out there who can give my memory a proper jog here as to what the correct C&H christening was please clue me in.
T'anks dere!

Cousin Jack,

That was the Ahmeek no.5 piles. At the time C&H wasn't producing enough ore to operate the stamp mills efficiently. So they loaded the copper rich piles from Ahmeek no.5 into rail cars and sent it to the mill.

I remember lights in the mill when I was a youngster (that ages me!) And now the cottage I rent in Chassell has furniture and loft railings created by your mill. Keep up the good work!

The building on the left was the change house known as the "Dry" for Ahmeek 3 and 4 mines( there were two shafts at this location). The building on the left housed the hoisting engines for both mines but in the late thirties a large hoisting engine was installed in its own building behind this building. It was a large engine about the same size as the Quincy hoist and was used for the Ahmeek #3 shaft. The bottom floor of the Dry was used as storage for mine supplies. My buddy and I used to go to the Dry and take a shower on Saturday mornings so we wouldn't have to take a bath on Saturday night. The smoke stack shown in the picture made us very happy when after years of inactivity during the depression it belched out black smoke one morning signaling that the mine was reopening -- that was a day we all remember :)

Correction: the building on the RIGHT housed the hoisting engines .... SORRY

I remember the poor rock pile and when you rounded the curve you could just see smoke coming from the poor rock pile and our family would say "see the volcano" The smoke stack would be hidden by the poor rock pile.

I would say PAT'S has a certain charm that would be spoiled by a fence around it. It is good that it is being used and kept around to be appreciated as a part of the historic mining years. It would have been a pity to have seen it demolished. Now with the National Park in swing..perhaps someday the building will be displayed for the public view as an important mining site in Mohawk. For now it is rugid and different...just like the Copper Country.