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

Jackson Mine

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 S0002.)

Marker series. This marker is included in the Michigan Historical Commission marker series.

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

Also see . . .

By Mike Wintermantel, August 14, 2014

2. Jackson Mine Marker

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

Categories. • Industry & Commerce • Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers •

Jackson Mine Pyramid Monument image. Click for full size.

By Mike Wintermantel, August 14, 2014

3. Jackson Mine Pyramid Monument

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

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.

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 June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on August 16, 2014, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 424 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 16, 2014, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.