Richards Mine (Dunn Mine; Richards-Dunn Mine), Alpha, Iron County, Michigan, USAi

Regional Level Types
Richards Mine (Dunn Mine; Richards-Dunn Mine)	Mine
Alpha	- not defined -
Iron County	County
Michigan	State
USA	Country

Commodities (Major) - Iron
Deposit Type: Secondary Enrichment
Development Status: Past Producer
Deposit Model: 241: Superior Fe (BC name is Lake Superior & Rapitan types iron-formation)
Host Rock Unit: Riverton Iron-Formation
Host Rock: Iron Formation

An iron mine worked between 1887 and 1927. This mine worked the early-Proterozoic Riverton Iron-formation, Paint River group, Marquette Range supergroup.

The mine opened on the Dunn property in 1887 by the Cherry Valley Iron Works. Initial operations were as an open pit (N46°04'08", W88°22'22"); later a shaft was sunk in the middle of the pit, and another on the northwest edge. The orebody dips to the northwest at 45º down, so as the mine grew deeper, it approached the Richards property on the north. Also, when Corrigan McKinney took over in 1899, they found the original works partly collapsed, so a third shaft (N46°04'15", W88°22'29") was sunk 900 ft. to the northwest. References are not clear on timing, but the works centered on this shaft seem to become known as the Richards or Richards-Dunn Mine (the old and new works are connected). Also, it is not clear whether this shaft is actually on the Richards property, although the new works cross the section boundary by the 11th level. Records indicate the Dunn part of the entire operation was closed in 1915, and the Richards (or Richards-Dunn) started up in 1913, although the new shaft had been producing ore at least since 1907.

Ownership:
1887, Cherry Valley Iron Works
1888, York Iron Co.
1893, Dunn Iron Mining Co.
1899, Corrigan McKinney and Co. (later Corrigan-McKinney Steel Co.)

Property descriptions:
Dunn: W1/2-NE Sec. 1 T42N-R33W (80 acres between N46º3'55", N46º4'21", W88º22'20", and W88º22'39")
Richards: S1/2-SE Sec. 1 T43N-R33W (80 acres between N46º4'21", N46º4'34", W88º22'1", and W88º22'39")

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References