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Chapin Mine, Iron Mountain, MI postcard c.1910
Souvenir Mining Spoon, Chapin Mine, Iron Mountain, MI (2)
Souvenir Mining Spoon, Chapin Mine
  Souvenir Mining Spoon Bowl, Chapin Mine, Iron Mountain, MI.JPG - SOUVENIR MINING SPOON CHAPIN MINE IRON MOUNTAIN MI - Sterling silver spoon, 5 1/2 in. long, engraved mining scene of mine buildings in bowl, bowl marked CHAPIN MINE, IRON MOUNTAIN MICH, handle with image of naked lady, reverse marked with maker’s mark of Paye & Baker Mfg. Co. , North Attleboro, MA (1901 to c.1960) and Sterling, ca.1905, 28 gms. [Iron ore was discovered in what is now the Iron Mountain, Michigan area in 1878. Development was rapid. Iron Mountain was platted in 1879 and the Chapin Mine Company was formed the same year. By gradually acquiring and integrating adjacent producing properties, the Chapin Mine proved to be the most productive in the Menominee Range and one of the greatest iron mines in the world. Part of the ore body was underneath a cedar swamp and water seepage proved to be an ongoing problem. Ground pumps were used at first, but as the shaft depth increased, so did the problems. In 1889, after a number of accidents, the mining company commissioned a water pump from the E. P. Allis Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (now Allis-Chalmers). The company's chief engineer, Edwin P. Reynolds designed a "Cornish Pump" similar to those used in tin mines in Cornwall, England. The company constructed the pump in 1890-91, after which it was installed at Chapin Mine's "D" shaft. The pump engine was installed at the surface near a boiler, to minimize efficiency losses in steam transport and to prevent damage to the engine in case of an emergency shut-off. It was housed in a massive red sandstone pump house, 60 feet high, 36 feet by 42 feet at the base, with a foundation 23 feet thick. The pump itself cost $82,000, and the entire installation cost an estimated $250,000. The pump began operation on January 3, 1893. An underground shift in 1896 misaligned the engine, and further shifts cracked the engine house and the surrounding ground. In 1899, the pumping engine was dismantled and stored away. In the meantime, the Chapin Mining Company had been expanding. In 1890, it had record employment of 2,400 men. In 1894, it acquired the nearby Hamilton and Ludington mines, both of which had been abandoned due to flooding problems. Chapin dewatered the other mines and made underground connections to the Chapin Mine. The Chapin Mining Company was purchased by the Oliver Iron Mining Company, a subsidiary of U.S. Steel, in 1901. In 1907, Oliver reassembled the pumping engine and moved it to its current location near the site of the Ludington Mine "C" shaft. They constructed a corrugated metal building on a red sandstone foundation to house the pumping engine. The pump served the combined needs of the Chapin, Ludington and Hamilton mines until 1914, when it was replaced with electric pumps. By the time the Chapin Mine closed in 1932, it had produced over 27 million tons of iron ore, the most in the Menominee Iron Range. Two years later, the Oliver Iron Mining Company donated the Chapin Mine Steam Pump Engine to Dickinson County as the largest steam-driven pumping engine in the United States. For years it stood outside until a museum was built around it in 1982-83 by the Menominee Range Historical Foundation. The Chapin Mine Pumping Engine was designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Monument by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers on June 6, 1987.]  
Souvenir Mining Spoon Handle, Chapin Mine, Iron Mountain, MI
Souvenir Mining Spoon Reverse, Chapin Mine, Iron Mountain, MI
Standard Mine Mace ID 1912 Photo
Souvenir Ming Spoon Standard Mine Mace ID
Souvenir Mining Spoon Standard Mine

Souvenir Mining Spoon Bowl, Chapin Mine, Iron Mountain, MI | SOUVENIR MINING SPOON CHAPIN MINE IRON MOUNTAIN MI - Sterling silver spoon, 5 1/2 in. long, engraved mining scene of mine buildings in bowl, bowl marked CHAPIN MINE, IRON MOUNTAIN MICH, handle with image of naked lady, reverse marked with maker’s mark of Paye & Baker Mfg. Co. , North Attleboro, MA (1901 to c.1960) and Sterling, ca.1905, 28 gms. [Iron ore was discovered in what is now the Iron Mountain, Michigan area in 1878. Development was rapid. Iron Mountain was platted in 1879 and the Chapin Mine Company was formed the same year. By gradually acquiring and integrating adjacent producing properties, the Chapin Mine proved to be the most productive in the Menominee Range and one of the greatest iron mines in the world. Part of the ore body was underneath a cedar swamp and water seepage proved to be an ongoing problem. Ground pumps were used at first, but as the shaft depth increased, so did the problems. In 1889, after a number of accidents, the mining company commissioned a water pump from the E. P. Allis Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (now Allis-Chalmers). The company's chief engineer, Edwin P. Reynolds designed a "Cornish Pump" similar to those used in tin mines in Cornwall, England. The company constructed the pump in 1890-91, after which it was installed at Chapin Mine's "D" shaft. The pump engine was installed at the surface near a boiler, to minimize efficiency losses in steam transport and to prevent damage to the engine in case of an emergency shut-off. It was housed in a massive red sandstone pump house, 60 feet high, 36 feet by 42 feet at the base, with a foundation 23 feet thick. The pump itself cost $82,000, and the entire installation cost an estimated $250,000. The pump began operation on January 3, 1893. An underground shift in 1896 misaligned the engine, and further shifts cracked the engine house and the surrounding ground. In 1899, the pumping engine was dismantled and stored away. In the meantime, the Chapin Mining Company had been expanding. In 1890, it had record employment of 2,400 men. In 1894, it acquired the nearby Hamilton and Ludington mines, both of which had been abandoned due to flooding problems. Chapin dewatered the other mines and made underground connections to the Chapin Mine. The Chapin Mining Company was purchased by the Oliver Iron Mining Company, a subsidiary of U.S. Steel, in 1901. In 1907, Oliver reassembled the pumping engine and moved it to its current location near the site of the Ludington Mine "C" shaft. They constructed a corrugated metal building on a red sandstone foundation to house the pumping engine. The pump served the combined needs of the Chapin, Ludington and Hamilton mines until 1914, when it was replaced with electric pumps. By the time the Chapin Mine closed in 1932, it had produced over 27 million tons of iron ore, the most in the Menominee Iron Range. Two years later, the Oliver Iron Mining Company donated the Chapin Mine Steam Pump Engine to Dickinson County as the largest steam-driven pumping engine in the United States. For years it stood outside until a museum was built around it in 1982-83 by the Menominee Range Historical Foundation. The Chapin Mine Pumping Engine was designated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Monument by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers on June 6, 1987.] Download Original Image
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