Location: Wakefield Mine, MI

Opened → Wakefield Mine → Closed

Operated for 42 years.

From: 1912. First shipping in 1913.

Located: West of Plymouth mine.

Owned by: Wakefield Iron Company, then Hanna Iron Ore Co

Produced: Iron Ore

Method: Open pit, then underground (2 shafts).

Depth: 400 feet.

Railroad connection: C&NW to Ashland.

Until: 1954

Lifetime Production: Almost 14 million tons between 1913 and 1954

Image info: A view of the "A" shaft at Wakefield Mine.

Notes

The Wakefield Mine was located in Section 16 & 17, T47N-R45W, southeast of Sunday Lake. It was east of the Plymouth Mine. The mine was operated by the Hanna Iron Ore Company.

Time Line

1939. May. The fire department was called out at 11:45 yesterday noon to extinguish a fire in a large pile of railroad ties belonging to the North Western railway company and which was located on the Wakefield iron mine properties. The fire department fought the blaze for several hours before it was extinguished. It is thought that the fire started from flying sparks from an engine. [IDG-1939-0510]

1942. The Plymouth mine pit and Wakefield mine pit are connected excavations making a large continuous excavation over one mile in length in an approximate east and west direction along trend of the Gogebic iron range. The Wakefield mine orebody was opened three years in advance of the Plymouth mine. The Wakefield mine in the time became deep and changed from open pit to underground mining, which is served by a hoisting shaft on the east end of the Wakefield property. The Wakefield mine is operated by the M. A. Hanna Co. This mine operated as an open pit for 21 years with an all-railroad pit haulage system. [BHN-1942-1023]

1957. The old Wakefield open pit mine had another year of operation under Pittsburgh-Pacific Co., of Hibbing and produced about 1/4 million tons by open pit methods on this range, which has always been predominantly underground territory. [EDP-1957-0114]