Negaunee in Marquette County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Jackson Mine

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, August 14, 2014

1. Jackson Mine Marker

Inscription. On this spot on Sept. 19, 1844, William A. Burt, a deputy government surveyor, was the first to discover the great Lake Superior iron ore deposits. Peculiar fluctuations in his magnetic compass led Burt to ask his men to seek the cause, and they soon returned with pieces of iron ore from out-croppings in the area. Next year prospectors from Jackson, Michigan, led by Philo M. Everett, arrived at the Carp River. Marji-Gesick, a Chippewa chief, guided members of the party in the summer to this region and showed them iron ore in the roots of a fallen pine tree. As a result of this discovery the Jackson Mining Company, of which Everett was a founder, began taking out ore here in 1847. Thus was born the Lake Superior area's great iron mining industry.

Erected 1957 by Michigan Historical Commission. (Marker Number S2.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1845.

Location. 46° 30.805′ N, 87° 36.09′ W. Marker is in Negaunee, Michigan, in Marquette County. It is at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Maas Street, on the right when traveling south on U.S. 41. Located in Miners Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Negaunee MI 49866, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and on Lake Superior’s South Shore Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Great North Woods,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Marquette Iron Range (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Laughing Whitefish (approx. 1.9 miles away); Tragedy Underground (approx. 2.1 miles away); Ishpeming: Historic Ski Center (approx. 3.1 miles away); Swedes on the Iron Range (approx. 3.8 miles away); Italians on the Marquette Iron Range (approx. 3.8 miles away); 1921 CR 510 Bridge (approx. 4.1 miles away); 2010 CR 510 Bridge (approx. 4.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Negaunee.

Also see . . . Jackson Mine at Wikipedia. (Submitted on August 16, 2014, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, August 14, 2014

2. Jackson Mine Marker

Jackson Mine Pyramid Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, August 14, 2014

3. Jackson Mine Pyramid Monument

Jackson Mine Pyramid Monument plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, August 14, 2014

4. Jackson Mine Pyramid Monument plaque

This monument was erected by the Jackson Iron Company in October 1904, to mark the first discovery of iron ore in the Lake Superior region. The exact spot is 300 feet northeasterly from this monument, to an iron post. The ore was found under the roots of a fallen pine tree, in June 1845, by Marji Gesick, a chief of the Chippewa tribe of Indians. The land was secured by a mining "permit" and the property subsequently developed by the Jackson Mining Company, organized July 23, 1845.

Jackson Mine Pyramid Monument descriptive plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, August 14, 2014

5. Jackson Mine Pyramid Monument descriptive plaque

In July 1974, this monument was dismantled, moved and reconstructed at its present site by the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company.
The original iron ore discovery is exactly 8.468 feet southwest of this site. The monument was presented as a gift to the citizens of Negaunee, "Irontown" USA.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 30, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 16, 2014, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,831 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 16, 2014, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.