Near Garden in Delta County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Smelting Process

Fayette Historic State Park

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2013

1. The Smelting Process Marker

Inscription. Iron ore was crushed, mixed with measured amounts of charcoal and limestone, and lifted by a steam-powered hoist to the top of the furnace where it was dropped into the stack.

Inside the furnace the charcoal burned, fed by forced air heated in the blast ovens. As the ore melted, its impurities combined chemically with the limestone flux and floated to the top of the molten iron. This waste, called slag, was skimmed off the surface and removed. The molten iron was drained through a taphole into channels in the sand floor of the casting rooms where it cooled, hardened into bars (pigs) and was removed by laborers like “Pig Iron” Fred Rink.

Erected by Fayette Historic State Park & Michigan Historical Center.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.

Location. 45° 43.115′ N, 86° 40.13′ W. Marker is near Garden, Michigan, in Delta County. Marker can be reached from State Park Road, one mile west of II Road. Marker is located along the interpretive trail in Fayette Historic State Park, near the northwest corner of the furnace complex. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4785 II Road, Garden MI 49835, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Waterline (a few steps from this marker); Furnace Complex

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(within shouting distance of this marker); Railroad Grade (within shouting distance of this marker); Machine Shop (within shouting distance of this marker); Carpenter Shop Site (within shouting distance of this marker); Furnace Complex, Upper Level (within shouting distance of this marker); Fayette's Neighborhoods (within shouting distance of this marker); Charcoal Kilns (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Garden.

More about this marker. Marker is a large, rectangular composite plaque, mounted horizontally on a waist-high wooden post.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Fayette Historic State Park

Also see . . .
1. Fayette Historic State Park. Fayette was once one of the Upper Peninsula's most productive iron-smelting operations. Fayette grew up around two blast furnaces, a large dock, and several charcoal kilns, following the post-Civil War need for iron. Nearly 500 residents — many immigrating from Canada, the British

Marker detail: Furnace Complex image. Click for full size.

Source: Michigan Historical Museum

2. Marker detail: Furnace Complex

Isles, and northern Europe — lived in and near the town that existed to make pig iron. During 24 years of operation, Fayette's blast furnaces produced a total of 229,288 tons of iron, using local hardwood forests for fuel and quarrying limestone from the bluffs to purify the iron ore. (Submitted on January 19, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Fayette Historic State Park website. (Submitted on January 19, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Furnace Complex (<i>wide view; marker visible at far end, on right</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2013

3. Furnace Complex (wide view; marker visible at far end, on right)

East Casting Room (<i>view from marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2013

4. East Casting Room (view from marker)

Pig Iron (<i>on display beside casting room</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2013

5. Pig Iron (on display beside casting room)

Credits. This page was last revised on January 21, 2019. It was originally submitted on January 19, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 227 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 19, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.