Location: Houghton, MI - Copper Range Railroad Dock, MI

The Copper Range railroad built its own dock on the Portage Canal west of the village of Houghton. This dock sent copper ingots out from smelters and received coal and other supplies for the mines and railroad.

Photo Info: Top, an early 1900's postcard view of the dock. The boat is identified as a "New York Central Boat". 2nd photo, another view of the dock and boar in a postcard view.

Notes

Time Line

1906. The dock of the Copper Range railroad will be lengthened 150 feet this spring, making it 1,300 feet long. The addition is made necessary by the increase in copper shipments from the Michigan Smelter and other plants tributary to the COPR. [DFP-1905-0206]

1907. Almost all of the available space on the wharf of the Copper Range railroad's dock on Portage Lake is filled with ingot copper, the property of various mining companies whose product is refined at the works of the Michigan Smelting Co., and it is said that there are 5,000 tons of the red metal there awaiting shipment. It is "corded up" much like a similar bulk of firewood, but it represents enough to buy wood for a nation. Exact figures are not obtainable but this bulk of copper is valued at about $2.3 million. Other docks in the range have similar stocks. Just why this great amount of metal is stored at this time of lake navigation is not learned, but it doubtless has to do with the efforts of producers to maintain prices at the present level. [DFP-1907-0728]

1915. August 17. The biggest theft of copper reported for years was frustrated when Sheriff Cruse and two other officers discovered 21 ingots hanging from the rods of a car in the special train of the Gollmar Brothers circus which was showing in Laurium. The theft was reported by the Copper Range railroad, 28 ingots having been missed from a pile on the dock. The ingots were tied to the rods of the car with haywire. The value of the loot was about $300. Verdun Carduy of St. Louis and Harry White of Daroughton, Wisconsin were arrested by the sheriff. Both men are "razor backs" connected with the circus. [EMP-1915-0818]

1950. The Copper Range company coal dock at Houghton was removed. Coal was no longer needed at the mines to generate electricity. [MIS-2024-1]

1962. April 14. A fire destroyed the freight house and a portion of the Portage Lake wharf of the Copper Range railroad early today. Loss was estimated at $120,000. Eight Copper Range cars were destroyed. The blaze also damaged two cars of other railways. Fire departments of Houghton and Hancock fought the blaze together.  Although there was little freight was in the freight house, the building houses products of the Bosch Brewing Co., 7-UP Co, both of Houghton, and the Gartner Furniture Co. of Hancock. [IDG-1962-0414]