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Mining in the USA Part 32: Wisconsin Compiled by Amy White, Associate Editor WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Mining has always been an important part of Wisconsin’s way of life. Even the state's nickname, The Badger State, pays homage to its mining past. Metallic mining has taken place in Wisconsin since the time of the Old Copper Culture about 2000-5000 years ago. The Old Copper Culture refers to the dense concentrations of recovered copper items made by early inhabitants of the Great Lakes region, such as ancient axes, knives, and fishhooks found in eastern parts of the state. The earliest recording of copper exploration by European settlers in northwestern Wisconsin occurred from 1845-47 below Big Manitou Falls and in the Copper Creek section of what is now Pattison State Park. Prospectors opened crude holes in the rock, but their lack of mining skills, along with transportation problems and limited success, led them to eventually abandon the endeavor. Interest returned in the Civil War, with the growing demand for copper. “Copper fever” hit Wisconsin, and experienced miners from Michigan came to the state in great numbers. After the war, copper prises fell, and mining came to a halt. High copper prices renewed interest in the state’s copper at the turn of the century, though deposits have not yet proved to be of sufficient value to make mining successful. Places in southwest Wisconsin with names like Mineral Point and New Diggings recall an earlier time when local mines produced a large portion of lead for the U.S. In the early nineteenth century, lead mining was more promising and attractive than the fur trade and farming. The potential for quick rewards brought over 4000 miners to southwest Wisconsin by 1829, where they produced more than 13 million pounds of lead annually. Miners had little time to construct shelters, and some simply burrowed holes into hillsides, earning them the nickname “Badgers”. Lead mining in Wisconsin peaked in the 1840s. The state’s mines yielded over half the national output, but demand for lead began to decline once the easily accessible ore was exhausted. Many miners moved on in hopes of finding fortunes in gold out west. Those who remained often supplemented farming with mining on the side. Iron mining took place for more than 150 years in Wisconsin. Iron mines were operating in Dodge and Sauk counties by the mid-1800s. By the turn of the century, iron was also being mined in Jackson, Florence, Marinette, Iron, and Ashland counties. Much of this early iron mining occurred in small, underground mines and the legacy is still a major contributor to the cultural identity of these areas to this day. The last operating iron mine in Wisconsin was the Jackson County Iron Company Mine, which ceased operations in 1982, and has since been reclaimed as the Wazee Lake County Park. From time to time, Wisconsin’s iron reserves still attract interest from industries, though no iron mines are currently active. Today, most mining in Wisconsin occurs as nonmetallic mining, producing rock, stone, sand, gravel, limestone, and other materials used for industry, construction, road building, agriculture, as well as many other purposes. Prized for their uniform grain size and high silica content, the state’s abundant sandstone resources have been mined for over a century. Wisconsin sand is used for glass manufacturing, foundry molds, and golf course traps. It has been mined for use in the petroleum industry for many years as well, especially with advances in ex- tracting oil and gas through hydraulic fracturing. Sand for the oil and gas indus- try is currently being mined from sandstone formations in western and central portions of the state.The current slump in oil and gas production has definitely taken a toll on Wisconsin’s sand mining operations, but industry experts like Rich Budinger, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Industrial Sand Association, are optimistic demand will rise again when oil prices inevitably go back up. Extraction of marketable minerals has always been a valued industry in Wisconsin, and mining in the Badger State is likely to remain a significant contributor to the economy for years to come. Wisconsin’s New London Quarry has been in continuous operation for over 75 years, mining limestone, dolomite, and industrial sand. 2::2?? &1 2:?;: $5;:2 .C &607 ;=: =80/6? 3=;:?62= 0;9 288 .>;: ;=: =80/6? 3=;:?62= 0;9 288 +++ #! 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