Located deep in the Keweenaw near the small town of Eagle River, North Cliff Mine was one of the many copper mines in the area. This mine was organized by the North Cliff Mining Company, which was a separate entity from the Cliff Mine. Opened in 1859, the goal of this mine was to extract copper from the Cliff Fissure above the green stone flow using land from the Pittsburgh and Boston Mining Companies.
The mine operated until 1861 when the company ran out of funding and reopened in 1863, sinking a total of four shafts. The company mined sporadically and ultimately shut down operations in 1899 after failing to generate enough capital. The production total for North Cliff was 6.59 metric tons of ore over its forty-year lifespan.
Unfortunately, not much of this mine remains today. A small foundation is all that remains of the operation. For more information and pictures of ore samples from the mine please visit mindat.org/loc-17078.html.
