Iron Mine

One of the things that Zack has been begging to do when we go up north is to visit the Iron Mountain Iron Mine.  He's been there three times already but the first time he was 18 months and the second time he was 3 - he doesn't remember those.

The last time we were there was about 6 years ago so I looked up the cost - which was not an easy task since they don't answer their phone and they haven't updated their pathetic webpage since 1996!

Anyway, the price wasn't too bad so I decided to take him on Saturday while we were dealing with another ridiculously cold and cloudy day.

The Gift Shop and Mine Entrance

While paying for our admission, I glanced at their price sheet and bought tickets for one adult and one child.  After I paid, I noticed a "child" was considered ages 6-12 not 6-17.  Oops!

"Big John"

When you go inside the mine you must wear a raincoat and a hard hat.  It is a cool, constant 38* in the mine at all times...so I dressed warmly.

Zack waiting for our tour...notice the raincoats and hard hats in the background

Our tour guide was hilarious (not intentionally) but he spoke like a true yooper - as they call themselves up in the UP (Upper Peninsula of Michigan)

For instance if he wanted to say, "they used three men to put the dynamite through the hole"...it sounded like "dey yooooosed tree men to put da dynamite troo da hole." 

This sign is hanging at the entrance of the mine.  The two stopes (in dark blue) are where most of the valuable iron was found.  To get that deep into the mine, we rode a train partway and then get out and walk to the two stopes. 

The tunnels we walked through looked like this:

tunnels in the mine

The pictures inside the mine didn't turn out well.

Calcium deposits on the rocks

Zack looking at the larger stope

We had a great time...and educational.  Our tour guide may have spoken yooper dialect but he was extremely knowledgeable about the subject area!