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Michigan Mining School
By: Ashley Gilmore
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is known as one of the most gorgeous vacation spots in the Midwest and home the famous Mackinac Island. This region not only offers beauty, but also many valuable natural resources, specifically, copper. Evidence of plentiful copper dates back to geologist Douglass Houghton. While exploring the area Houghton reported, “After entering the lake, the first place met with containing copper is an island about forty or fifty leagues from the Sault, towards the north shore, opposite a place called Missipicooatong” (Halkola xiv). This island was just the start of the mining operations in the Upper Peninsula. In order to harvest all of the wealth possible from the region, the state of Michigan decided to establish a school to train mining engineers (mtu.edu). This school was known as the Michigan Mining School. With a great location in a mining rich area this institution was set up for success.