Peterson Mine

Peterson Mine

1950 Employees working on the Peterson shaft
1950 Employees working on the Peterson shaft

PETERSON MINE
Located 1/2 mile from the Colby mine
Dedicated on Sept 6, 1952

The Peterson mine was make up of the former COLBY, IRONTON AND JACK POT, PURITAN, TIKLDEN AND YALE MINES.

The mine was named after Arthur F Peterson (1893-1978), a former Ironwood resident, grauate of Luther L. Wright High School and Vice President of Bethlehem Steel from 1948-1962.  He was also a mining captain a the ANVIL-PALMS mine from 1919-1924.

The mine had a unique aerial tramway with 2 10-ton cars suspended from spans of cable.This could be operated y one man, Ray Forslund, from a control room overlooking the ground.

The new Peterson shaft was sunk to a depth of 3,736 feet and shipments from this shaft began in 1955.

The water in this mine was reported to be so corrosive that steel bolts frequently need to be replaced.  Also reported was a fire between the 29th and 31st levels of the mine on Feb 19, 1957 but no casualties were reported.

The Peterson mine was the last mine on the Gogebic Range to cease operations.  It closed in Feb, 1966 laying off 195 employees.  The last shipment left from the property stock piles on August 1, 1967.

Peterson Mine was located one-half mile west of the Colby Mine.

Inside the Peterson Mine   16 mm film  

 

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