Railroad: Belt Mine Railroad

Notes

In 1882 a group of British investors based out of London purchased the Bohemia and Great Western mines in Ontonagon County, a few miles east of Greenland. These properties were consolidated and renamed the Belt Mine. The board of directors decided to construct a large surface plant included a stamp mill on the West Branch of the Firesteel River and a railroad connecting mine to mill.

In early 1883 work had begun and by summer the railroad and mill were in full operation. Rolling stock consisted of a new Porter saddle tank 0-6-0 and a few rock cars. It should be noted that the rock cars were identical to those recently put into use on the Hecla & Torch Lake railroad, and the Belt also was built to the same odd 4' 1" gauge as the H&TL. The operation failed in late 1884 and the nearly brand new equipment and rolling stock sat idle until the early 1900s.