Circle Michigan 2023 - 18

[UPPER PENINSULA]
Clockwise from
far left: Big
John welcomes
groups to Iron
Mountain Iron
Mine; The Rock
Shop has a wide
array of stones
and rocks for
sale; Groups
ride on a tram
through a tunnel
dug by miners.
A Miner's Life
History comes alive at Iron Mountain Iron Mine
by JACKIE SHECKLER FINCH
T
he old 1961 song " Big Bad John " kept running
through my mind when I visited Iron Mountain
Iron Mine. The cause? The massive 40-foot-high,
12-foot-wide statue named Big John standing
outside the mine is said to be the world's largest miner. And the
attraction's website has a video with Jimmy Dean singing the
popular miner song.
The mine operated for 68 years and produced 21,625,000 tons
of iron ore for the steel mills of the Midwest. It is fascinating to
see how iron miners worked from 1870 to 1945.
" Our goal is to educate young and old about the hard work
of a miner in the late 1800s to early 1900s, " says Karen Carollo
Secinaro, general manager of the mine. " We try to make our tour
adventurous, educational, and fun for the whole family. "
Secinaro's father, Eugene Carollo, and her uncle, Albert Carollo,
joined James Goullete to create the mine attraction. " My dad
was the one who rediscovered the exploratory tunnel back in 1956.
The tourist attraction opened in 1958 with the first walking tour.
Later, they added a train, which is still used today, " Secinaro says.
" We try to keep it nostalgic. "
16 | CIRCLE MICHIGAN PREMIER GROUP TRAVEL GUIDE
My tour started at the Rock Shop, a rock hound and geologist
paradise filled with rocks from around the world. A woman on my
tour was choosing beautiful stones to use in jewelry, while her
husband was picking rocks to display in a cabinet at home. A nice
touch in the Rock Shop was free artesian well water as a refresher.
After donning raincoats and hard hats, we climbed aboard a
tram for a ride through a lighted tunnel carved through rock formations.
Then we walked a short distance down another lighted
tunnel to a large stope or cavern. A tour guide explained that the
stope was created 400 feet underground by decades of mining.
Pointing out various pieces of old mining equipment, our guide
also explained how the equipment was used in the difficult tasks
by iron miners. A tip-the iron mine stays at 43 degrees, so I was
glad I wore a jacket and closed-toe shoes.
As for where Iron Mountain Iron Mine is located in Michigan's
Upper Peninsula, I already knew the significance of
the name of the small town of Vulcan. Thanks to my favorite
high school teacher, I knew that Vulcan is the god of fire in
ancient Roman mythology. Quite appropriate as the home of
Iron Mountain Iron Mine.
PHOTOS IRON MOUNTAIN IRON MINE
Circle Michigan 2023

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