Description

Take a tour of the Nonesuch Mine and explore the history of one of the most unique mines in the copper boom era.

Once a flourishing community, all that remains of the Nonesuch are a few crumbling remnants of the mining operation and an open field where the village once stood.

Copper-bearing rock was first discovered at the base of the Nonesuch Falls in 1865.

The Nonesuch was mined periodically over a span of 48 years producing a total of 390,000 pounds of copper. The fine flakes and grains of this particular copper lode proved nearly impossible to extract profitably. The mine saw a profit for only a couple of years and closed permanently in 1913.

The Nonesuch site was acquired by the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in 1988. A small parking lot to access the ruins is just off the South Boundary Road in the southeast corner of the Park.

Join Park Interpreters Katie Urban and Bob Sprague for a virtual tour of the Nonesuch site as they help you visualize the boom and bust of copper mining on a wilderness frontier.

Produced by The Friends of the Porkies. Filmed and edited by Kristin Ojaniemi. Narrated by Kristin Ojaniemi. DNR Park Interpreter Katie Urban.