Originally the Calumet & Hecla Dredge No. 1, but later and now known as the Quincy Dredge No. 2 was originally built in 1914 and now currently sunk in Torch Lake on Keweenaw Peninsula which is part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
The dredge was originally constructed to reclaim stamping sand from the lake for further processing. When copper mining first began in the UP, the stamping tailings were dumped in the lake as there wasn’t an economical way to recover the copper that was contained in the sands.
That all changed with improved reclamation techniques in the early 1900s. The Calumet and Hecla Mining Company contracted with the Bucyrus Company of South Milwaukee to build this and a sister dredge to recover the stamping sands in Torch and Linden Lakes. The Bucyrus Company which is famous as company that supplied the majority of the steam shovels (77 out of 102) used in the construction of the Panama Canal and some of the largest mining shovels and draglines every built.
In 1951, the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company was acquired by the Quincy Mining Company and the dredge was renamed the Quincy Dredge No. 2. It’s sister dredge, the Quincy Dredge No. 1 sank in the lake in 1956, part of the roof is still visible.
Quincy Dredge No. 2 continued to work for another 11 years, finally succumbing to a storm during the winter layup of 1967. By that time the price of copper had fallen where the continued reclamation of the stamping sands was no longer profitable. As a result the dredge and the stamping mill were abandoned in place. The Dredge and surrounding area where declared a Michigan State Historic Landmark in 1978.
These images were taken this past fall. We are planning several trips to the UP after the snow melts and will be making a longer stop the Dredge as well as exploring the remains of the mills and mines that dot the Keweenaw Peninsula.