Photo Courtesy of Michigan Tech Archives
By Kris Palmer, CDA communications consultant
Kris Palmer is a communications consultant for the CDA. She and her family toured the Quincy Mines and visited the Calumet Theatre in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in July. She shares her adventures and insights about the copper industry in Coppertalk.
The Calumet Theatre, located in the city of Calumet in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula “Copper Country,” opened in March 1900 and was one of the first municipal theatres in the country. Taxes on Calumet’s numerous saloons helped make the project possible while theatre patrons enjoyed years of first-class entertainment by famous Broadway Actors. The Calumet Theatre has been restored to its former glory, and is now only missing its beautiful electric copper chandelier (which fell and broke years ago). The interior has been re-painted using rich colors to recapture the original proscenium murals. In 1900, there was a second-story ballroom built over the village offices for use as a dinner and dance venue. This space is still in active use today. Tourists come from across the country to not only see the beautifully restored theatre but to experience what life was like during the boom years of the early copper mining industry in northern Michigan. Although Calumet is no longer a bustling city as it once was, the copper mines from the turn of the century have left a legacy of elegance and beauty found in the historic Calumet Theatre. Read more…
By Kris Palmer, CDA communications consultant
Kris Palmer is a communications consultant for the CDA. She and her family toured the Quincy Mines and visited the Calumet Theatre in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in July. She shares her adventures and insights about the copper industry in Coppertalk.
Ingenuity
Above the surface of the mine we met with tour guide Carol Dolata who showed us the “Nordberg Steam Hoist,” an engineering feat that took one year to re-assemble inside a building that was designed specifically for the massive hoisting drum, steam engine, and operations. The thick steel rope or cable on the drum can reach up to 10,000 feet on the incline. The new hoist and building which cost the Quincy Mine Company more than $370,000 in 1918 could move larger 10-ton ore capacity skips (total weight 13 tons) at a rate of 3,200 feet per minute or about 36 miles per hour. The hoist, which was reconstructed in a reinforced concrete building with brick veneer and Italian tiled walls, served the Quincy Mine for only eleven years – from 1920 to 1931 – but it ran 24 hours a day. Today the massive steam hoist remains an engineering marvel and is still known as the world’s largest steam mine hoist. The building now contains many exhibits including the train layout representing the activities of the Quincy and Torch Lake Railroad.
Our trip into the Quincy Copper Mine gave me and my family an appreciation for the hard work and sacrifices that were made both by the mine workers who risked their lives to provide a better future for their families and by the investors who risked a fortune to fund a copper mine. Read more…
By Kris Palmer, CDA communications consultant
Kris Palmer is a communications consultant for the CDA. She and her family toured the Quincy Mines and visited the Calumet Theatre in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in July. She shares her adventures and insights about the copper industry in Coppertalk.
Two words came to mind as my family and I embarked on a tour in mid- July of the old Quincy Copper Mine overlooking Houghton and Hancock in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula…“Resilience” and “Ingenuity.” To begin, the miners who worked in Quincy Mine, one of the first major copper producing companies in the world, used to climb long ladders down into the mine – we took the cog-wheel tram down a steep hill offering a panoramic view of the Houghton Lift-Bridge. At the bottom of the hill we put on our hard hats and 
foul weather gear, provided by the Historic 1894 Hoist House, and took an underground train through a horizontal mine tunnel opening called an “adit.” Our trip into the mine took about 15 semi-cozy minutes. For the miner of 1846 a one-way trip could take up to 2 bone-chilling, dark hours.
Read more…
How Best to Comply with EISA if You Need to Fix or Replace a Commercial Motor
By David Brender, Copper Development Association (CDA) National Program Manager
Any new motor manufactured or sold after December 10, 2010 must meet certain energy efficiency standards, as stated in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. David Brender, of the Copper Development Association, has some tips on how to comply with the new law.
There are a number of reasons you’ll want to replace a motor, primarily because an existing motor has failed, or it may not have failed, but it’s inefficient. The electricity the motor uses is about 98 percent of the cost of owning the motor. The purchase price is almost insignificant. In fact, with load cycles typical of an industrial or commercial application, the first cost of a motor may represent only one or two percent of the full cost of ownership. Most people don’t consider that – they just want the cheapest one. But that’s not the way to look at it. Read more…
The U.S. Department of Energy has New Energy Efficiency Requirements for Commercial-Size Motors
By David Brender, Copper Development Association (CDA) National Program Manager
David Brender has provided power quality and energy efficiency expertise to the copper industry for the last 15 years through his work with the CDA. A licensed professional engineer in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, he is certified as a Power Quality Professional from the Association of Energy Engineers.
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) goes into effect this year. The Act aims to slow down and eventually reduce America’s energy consumption. It’s important to understand EISA if you plan to purchase an electric motor this year. Under the law, motors of a commercial size become regulated as to energy efficiency. EISA expands on previous energy policy acts, expands the range of motors covered and the mandated efficiency of some of them. Read more…
Expanding Educational Opportunities
Andy Kireta, Sr. is President and CEO of the Copper Development Association. He also serves on The Copper Club Board of Directors.
I’m privileged to be a part of The Copper Club’s effort to assist students as they pursue careers relating to the copper industry. Since the club began awarding scholarships to college students in 1994, we’ve awarded 73 grants totaling $1.4 million.
The awards dinner this year, held on June 2nd, marked the first time that The Copper Club has included high school students as grant recipients. Three deserving students each received a grant of $1,000. This new development allows us to extend needed funds to students from anywhere, including high schools in towns with mining sites where the kids might not otherwise have the opportunity to go to college or technical schools. This year, we gave out16 scholarships totaling $114,000.
Not bad for a not-for-profit.
Those interested in more information about The Copper Club educational grants should call 212-217-9874 or direct an email to info@copperclub.org. More information about The Copper Club can be found at http://www.copperclub.com.
