Grant Awardee Community Spotlight: Painesdale Mine & Shaft, Inc. Upper Level Rockhouse Access
Dedicated to preserving the Champion #4 Shaft House in Painesdale, MI - Painesdale Mine & Shaft, Inc. was founded off of its precursor “Save Our Shaft.” This organization was created to save the last of the Champion Mine shaft buildings from being scraped. Today, they are working on improving the visitor experience in order to continue sharing our area’s mining history for years to come.
No other historic organization in the area offers guided tours of the local shaft houses to the extent that we do. Expanding the guided tours to the upper levels will be truly unique; providing locals and visitors with a hands-on experience to further tell the story of what happens once the rock is pulled out of the ground. We have been making great progress towards this goal, working our way from the ground up, stabilizing structural steel members and wood decking. These stairs being complete allows us to keep moving up.
- Michael Prast, President Painesdale Mine & Shaft, Inc.
Painesdale Mine and Shaft Inc. 2022. Facebook.
History
Champion #4 Shaft House was built in 1902 as part of the Copper Range Mining Co. mines that ran from Atlantic Mine to Painesdale, MI. Champion #4 operated for nearly 65 years before closing in 1967.
When the mine closed in 1967, the mining company was still providing water service to the local range towns up through Hancock, MI. This service could not end, so the keys were handed to the township who took over the hoists, shaft house, and pumps to continue providing water until the 1990s. At this time, maintaining the pumps was becoming too dangerous and expensive to continue. As pumps were pulled above ground, scrapers circled to scoop up the remains.
However, the community did not want to give up. Locals banded together to convince the Township to give the site, including the Shaft house, Hoist House, and Captain’s Office to a local non-profit with the intention of saving and preserving the site to share. This site serves as a monument to the miners, as well as an area for community members and visitors to learn about local history.
Since the non-profit took over, the group has been making large strides to make a difference in the community by stabilizing mining structures and enhancing the visitors’ experiences.
Upper Level Rockhouse Access Project
Painesdale Mine & Shaft, Inc. received a grant from the Houghton County Historical Preservation Fund in Fall 2022 to stabilize and improve the stairs and walkways of the upper levels of the shaft house. An engineering study was conducted to properly outline the recommended repairs, which informed the updates and maintenance to be supported by the grant.
The upper level walkways provide access to different areas of the building where, when improved, visitors have a unique mining education experience. Rather than going below ground like several of the other local mines, this shaft focuses on surface operations in the mining industry. Having access to different types of education around this industry is key to sharing our community’s deep mining history.
Second level staircase before repairs had been made.
A critical part of this project was the set of stairs leading to the second level. Rebuilding this stairway allowed access to the third floor steam engine and view of the rock bin, and the fourth floor rock crushers. These stairs were previously outdated and had little to no safety features. Now, the stairs have been rebuilt, stabilized, and railings have been added.
Second level staircase after repairs.
The group successfully made the necessary repairs to the staircase, which now provide safer access to the upper levels and are compliant with modern requirements. Painesdale Mine & Shaft, Inc. will continue the work to update and improve the upper levels of the shaft house to provide future educational opportunities for visitors.
Learn More
Interested in learning more about Painesdale Mine & Shaft, Inc., ongoing projects, and upcoming events?
Check out the Painesdale Mine & Shaft Inc. Facebook and website.