Sunk in Michigan's Copper Country

This is a sketch that I did Sunday when I was in Michigan's Upper Peninsula's copper country. The sketch is of a dredge that was one of two that was used in the early 1900s to recover stamp sands from the bottom of Torch Lake in Lake Linden, Michigan. Stamp sands were the by-product of crushing rock from the Keweenaw Peninsula's copper mines to extract copper.  Two large stamping facitities, now abandoned and in ruins, are on the shore of Torch Lake. As was done in that day, the stamp sands were disposed of by dumping them in Torch Lake. The dumping ultimately resulted in a toxic lake...caused by the copper that remained in the stamp sands.

As the mines began to play out and shut down, mine owners realized that they could reprocess the stamp sands and extract the copper that the sand still held. So the Calumet and Hecla mining company built two dredges to suck stamp sand from the lake for reprocessing. This dredge lies partially sunk, rusting, and in ruins close to the shore of Torch Lake. The other dredge sunk in the lake, where it remains today.

Ruby Ann

Ruby Ann was sketched this week when we were on Beaver Island, Michigan. The island is located in the northern end of Lake Michigan and is a bit over thirty miles off shore of the mainland. Ruby Ann is an example of what became a traditional Lake Michigan fishing boat. The boats were enclosed because they fished year 'round from them...winter on Lake Michigan is not a fun thing. Unfortunately, the lake was over fished and the industry died. Today Ruby Ann sits askew on old launch ramp timbers, forgotten and rusting away.

Mac Racer gone Cruising

I sketched this view of Glider last week but couldn't do an upload 'cause I only had my iPad with me. Glider is a 40 footer that sits next to my boat at the marina in Whitehall, Michigan. Glider is a Cal 40. Cal 40s were designed to race from California to Hawaii in the annual Pacific Transpac race.

Glider did her share of racing, doing several Chicago to Mackinaw Island races (300 plus miles up Lake Michigan). Her current owner rescued her from a boat yard and restored her to beautiful and immaculate condition. The boat, and her owner, now spend summers cruising northern Lake Michigan with family and friends aboard. Glider still occasionally races locally. And having been passed by her on the race course, I know how fast the old gal still is. The sketch was done with pen and Prismacolor grey graded marking pens.