Mine: Bristol-Youngstown Mine, Crystal Falls, MI

Claire Mine → Bristol-Youngstown Mine → Bristol Mine → Closed

Operated for 77 years.

From: 1892

Location: E ½ of SE 1/4 of Section 19 of of T43N-R32W (Bristol) and W ½ of SW ¼ of Section 20 (Youngstown) of T43N-R23W

Owned by: Bristol Mining Co. (Oglebay, Norton & Co. agent). Lease surrendered 1933. Oliver Mining Co. and then to Inland Steel Co. in 1949 and reopened.

Produced: Iron Ore, coarse, brown, high phosphorus, manganiferous. Crushed.

Method: Underground by shrinkage and sublevel stoping systems. Depth: 1,525 feet.

Railroad connection: C&NW to Escanaba. MILW to Escanaba (via E&LS). Pool by both on C&NW after mid-1930’s  

Until: 1969

Lifetime Production: 8,726,697 between 1890 and 1950. Continues as of 1950.

Notes

Operated by Bristol Mining Co. from 1892 to 1934 (except 1894-1898). Mining lease surrendered in 1933. Shipments from stockpile completed in 1934. Once known as Claire mine. The Bristol together with NW-SW Sec. 20 (part of Youngstown Mine) was operated as Bristol-Youngstown mine by Oglebay, Norton & Co. from 1923 to 1933. The Youngstown was leased by Inland Steel Co. from Oliver Iron Mining co. in 1949, reopened together with the Bristol as Bristol-Youngstown with shipments in 1950.

In 1890, a shipment of 6,844 tons called "Manganate" was made from this property. Probably made by a Mr. Roberts who was active in that  property until it was taken over by Oglebay Norton & Co. in 1899. [LSIO-1950]

Time Line

1881. Briar Hill Iron & Coal Co. gets hold of the lease. Worked with a diamond drill. Worked continued to Section 19 until spring of 1882 when the company closed the deal for the W 1/2 of the SW 1/4 of Section 20. [DD-1902-1206]

1911. The Bristol mine is located in the E ½ of the S ½ of Section 19-43-32 about 1½ miles from the city of Crystal Falls. The mine was originally called the Claire, but was leased in 1889 by the Bristol Mining Co. and renamed the Bristol. The first shaft was 960 feet deep and is being replaced by a steel lined 4-compartment shaft, which will be put down to a depth of 1,000 feet. A Webster, Camp & Lane hoist and a Norwalk tandem compound compressor are the equipment at the old shaft. Two grades of ore are shipped; the Manganate ore containing over 3 per cent, manganese, and the Bristol 1 running higher in iron and lower in manganese. Total output 1 to January 1st, 1911 is 2,456,109 tons. E. W. Hopkins is General Manager and Arvid Bjork, Superintendent. [LSMI-1911]

1913. Fire in the Bristol open pit: On February 20, 1913, fumes were seen issuing from a point about 100 feet below the surface in the north side of a large open pit at the Bristol mine, 1 mile west of Crystal Falls, Mich.. The ore formation here contains several bands of combustible black slate. The foot-wall black slate is probably 300 feet in width. The fire, supposed to have been of spontaneous origin, started in a block of this rock about 50 feet thick that had sloughed off and settled some distance into the pit. The fire gradually gained headway until an area of approximately 100 square feet was affected. Early in May a trail was cut down the side of the pit to a point under the fire zone and a 2-inch water line was laid (PI. II, A). The rock was excavated with pick and shovel and water was poured on the fire (PL II, B). In this way much headway was gained, but the work was abandoned on account of the possible danger of a slide of rock catching the fire fighters. In July the fire was being held in check by the use of water. Although the rock was still very hot, the sulphureous fumes were barely noticeable.

Also known as the Bristol Mine and the Claire Mine, this mine was located on the northwest side of Crystal Falls in Iron County.

1916. The power company has its lines completed to the Bristol mine. The company is installing a new electric powered compressor, which will replace a steam-powered compressor. For a time, the hoisting and pumping will be done by steam. The mine is too deep to use electric power to advantage the pumping. [DD-1916-0205]

1965. Reported as an active mine, operated by the Inland Steel Company of Chicago. [DMP]

1969. The mine was closed by Inland Steel.