Mine: Atlantic Mill, Redridge, MI

Began → Atlantic Mill → Closed

From: 1892

Owned by: Atlantic Mining Company

Produced: Copper Ore

Method: 6-stamps, 2,100 ton daily capacity

Railroad connection: Atlantic & Lake Superior Railroad

Until: 1912

Lifetime Production: 

Notes

Served the Atlantic Mine south of Houghton.

Atlantic Mill was located on Lake Superior near Freda. It was first constructed in 1895 and processed copper ore from the Atlantic Mine near South Range.

Note: The original Atlantic (Mine) Mill was located on Portage Lake, northwest of Houghton and was operated until 1911 when operations were moved to Lake Superior because the amount of tailings was obscuring marine traffic on Portage Lake.

The mill was powered by water impounded on the Salmon Trout River by a timber-crib dam across the creek. Water was piped to the mill. Later when the Baltic Mining Company built a second mill, they joined with the Atlantic Mining Company to build a higher steel dam across the river, holding even more water back to power both mills on the Lake. This new Redridge Steel Dam obscured the old crib dam which remained in place. In later years when the steel dam was opened, the old cribbing dam remained in operation.

The Copper Range Railroad crossed this 400 foot long, 75 foot high timber trestle on their route to the Old Atlantic Stamp Mill, south of Houghton.

The Mill had a turntable to turn locomotives. [SBM-1907]

The mill is 151x234' in size, of wood, on stone foundations. Water is furnished from a dam across the mouth of the river. The old dam, completed in 1894, is submerged 20 feet by the new dam, which was created when the Baltic mill was built. There is about two miles of lake frontage, affording sand room for all time to come. The mill went into commission in 1895 and has six stamps, with 18" cylinders, which when first installed crushed about 300 tons each daily. Solid foundations were placed under the heads in 17898-9 and condensers were added in early 1900, increasing the capacity of each stamp. Power for the mill is supplied by a 14x42" Reynolds engine of Corliss pattern. There is a 7ix14x12" Gardner fire pump in the mill, also a similar pump in the boiler house adjoining, for fire protection. There is a machine shop and boiler house 71x101' in size. [CHBK]

Started in 1892 with two heads. By 1895 it had six heads. The mill used wood for fuel until 1896 and then coal. The mill cosed in 1912. Ore was brought to the mill by the Atlantic & Lake Superior railroad.

The mining company built 23 homes from 1894-1898 along with a store, warehouse, schoolhouse, barn and superintendents home. From 1899 to 1910, 6 more frame homes were built along with a boarding house, ice house, doctor office, new barn and new store. 

Time Line

1895. New mill at Redridge goes into effect. [CHBK]