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70-602: The sandstone has been variously called redstone , brownstone , Lake Superior Sandstone , and Eastern Sandstone . In 1907, the Jacobsville Formation was given its current classification and the name Jacobsville , in honor of Jacobsville, Michigan , a town known for its production of the sandstone. The sandstone was deposited within terrestrial fluvial environments early in the Neoproterozoic Era. The earliest geologic studies of southern Lake Superior were made in

140-600: A township in the Canadian province of Ontario in the Algoma District . Formerly known as the Township of Michipicoten , named after a nearby river of that name , the township was officially renamed in 2007 for its largest and best-known community of Wawa, located on the western shores of Wawa Lake . This area was first developed for fur trading. In the late 19th century, both gold and iron ore were found and mined, leading to

210-399: A January high of −7.7 °C (18.1 °F) and a low of −20.2 °C (−4.4 °F) and temperatures below −20 °C (−4.0 °F) occur 45 days per year. Snowfall totals are heavy, averaging over 319 centimetres (126 in) due to lake effect snow from Lake Superior as cold air from the northwest passes over the warmer lake. Summers are cool and mild due to cool, dry air masses from

280-476: A building. The most desired stone was without white blemishes and with uniform coloring. The Richardsonian Romanesque style, which is "particularly suited for expression in colored stone", helped to popularize the sandstone in architecture. Buildings of this style created the impression of stability in a fast-changing society and were well-suited to the character of the Lake Superior region. Several buildings in

350-635: A few feet above lake level, is the oldest formation exposed in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore . The sandstone features prominently on Grand Island in Hiawatha National Forest . Jacobsville Sandstone was deposited within fluvial , lacustrine , and deltaic environments. Sand and gravel were transported in streams that flowed northward out of the Northern Michigan Highlands, remnants of mountains formed during

420-465: A four-year term. Highway 17 , the main route of the Trans-Canada Highway , passes through the township, although the primary townsite is located on Highway 101 , two kilometres (1.2 mi) east of the junction with Highway 17. Sault Ste. Marie is located 227 kilometres (141 mi) to the south. Lake Superior Provincial Park is located just south of the town. In October 2012, the town

490-399: A household in the township was $ 35,893, and the median income for a family was $ 43,077. Males had a median income of $ 31,307 versus $ 25,208 for females. The per capita income for the township was $ 19,158. About 6.9% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over. Wawa, Ontario Wawa is

560-576: A large amount of iron, but there has been little exploration. There has been a history of exploration for uranium resources in the Upper Peninsula, including within the Jacobsville formation. Between 2003 and 2010, a joint operation between two companies spent $ 1.6 million on uranium exploration in the Jacobsville. There has also been some interest in resuming extraction of the sandstone as dimension stone . The Jacobsville Sandstone has been designated by

630-412: A low permeability and water largely moves through cracks and fissures which extend to a depth of about 100 to 150 ft (30 to 46 m). In 1985, 6.5 million US gallons (25,000 m) of freshwater were withdrawn per day for human use. A number of bedrock wells in the Jacobsville aquifer have elevated levels of uranium . The elevated uranium also contributes to high radon levels, particularly in

700-498: A new Wawa Goose was unveiled to replace the second aging goose. The town is also known for snowmobiling and sport fishing. The Voyageur Hiking Trail passes through the town. One notable shopping location is Young's General Store, home of the locally famous Pickle Barrel. The municipal council is composed of one mayor and four councillors. The current mayor is Melanie Pilon. Councillors Cathy Cannon, Micheline Hatfield, Joseph Opato and Jim Hoffmann were elected on October 24, 2022, for

770-553: A portion of the Baraga State Forest which lies along the shores of Keweenaw Bay . The township borders Schoolcraft Township to the north, Osceola Township to the northwest, and Chassell Township to the southwest. The community of Hubbell serves as the major population center of the township, as well as hosting the Township Hall itself. The mostly uninhabited 91-acre Rabbit Island , located offshore in Lake Superior,

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840-647: A similar sandstone located in northern Wisconsin, suggest they may be correlated. Jacobsville Sandstone is most similar to the group's uppermost formation, the Chequamegon Sandstone. Despite their similarities, it is unknown as to whether the two formations are one and the same. A correlation between the Jacobsville and the Freda Sandstone (instead of the Bayfield) has been suggested on the basis on similar mineralogy, texture, and stratigraphic position. The formation

910-520: Is 84% ilmenite , 4–5% leucoxene , 4% garnet , 3% apatite , 3% zircon , and 1% tourmaline . The formation lies southeast of the Keweenaw Fault in the Keweenaw Peninsula, and south of Lake Superior further east in the Upper Peninsula. In Ontario, Jacobsville Sandstone underlies Sault Ste. Marie and extends discontinuously along the lake shore from Bar River in the south to near Wawa in

980-573: Is a civil township of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan . As of the 2020 census , the population of the township was 1,893. The township was established in 1886 and is one of the largest townships in Houghton County by area. It is surrounded by the Torch Lake , the Portage Lake , and Lake Superior . As well as a large number of unincorporated communities, the township also includes

1050-558: Is a part of the township. According to the United States Census Bureau , the township has a total area of 93.0 square miles (240.9 km ), of which 80.1 square miles (207.6 km ) is land and 12.9 square miles (33.3 km ) (13.83%) is water. Jacobsville is a community in the Torch Lake Township. Jacobsville has a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfb ) with warm summers and cold, snowy winters. As of

1120-554: Is known for its 8.5-metre (28-foot) metal statue of a Canada goose , which was built in 1960, and dedicated to the community in 1961. Wawa takes its name from the Ojibwe word for "wild goose", wewe . Wawa was defined as wild goose in The Song of Hiawatha . On July 5, 2010, Canada Post made a commemorative stamp of the Wawa Goose as part of its Roadside Attractions collection. On July 1, 2017,

1190-648: Is provided by a single bus that can accommodate 12 passengers plus up to two wheelchairs. Wawa has Ontario Northland motor coach service on its Sault Ste. Marie–Thunder Bay route. Wawa is home to English and French language schools. The Algoma District School Board is responsible for offering English language instruction and operates Sir James Dunn Public School, offering kindergarten to Grade 8 classes, while Michipicoten High School offers Grades 9 to 12. The Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board provides French immersion language instruction for junior kindergarten to Grade 7 at St. Joseph French Immersion School. In

1260-1027: Is similar to the Middle Run Formation in southwestern Ohio. Early studies also suggested a correlation between the Jacobsville and the Potsdam Sandstone in New York. A red clastic layer in Putnam County, Ohio, was tentatively termed Jacobsville Sandstone in 1948 by Charles Fettke. Jacobsville Sandstone is generally red, due to small quantities of iron oxides, mottled with various pinks, whites and browns. The sandstone exhibits many white streaks and spherical spots, caused by leaching and bleaching, which form sharp boundaries with surrounding colors. Its lithology varies from quartz-rich to feldspar-rich sandstone and shale. The formation consists of four distinct facies : conglomerate , lenticular sandstone, massive sandstone, and red siltstone . The sandstone

1330-648: Is well-cemented and contains no glacial deposits and no fossils. The grains of Jacobsville Sandstone range from .25 to .5 mm (0.0098 to 0.0197 in) in size. Based on an average from samples taken in Marquette and Alger counties, Jacobsville Sandstone is composed of: 27.4% nonundulatory quartz, 27.0% undulatory quartz, 23.0% potassium feldspar , and 12.3% silicic volcanic clasts. Smaller constituents are 3.8% polycrystalline quartz, 2.4% metamorphic, 1.4% sedimentary, 1.3% opaque, 0.8% mafic volcanic, and 0.1% plagioclase . Jacobsville Sandstone's heavy mineral suite

1400-511: The International Union of Geological Sciences as a Global Heritage Stone Resource . Jacobsville Sandstone was popular as a building material because of its strength, durability and aesthetic appeal. In particular, it is resistant to the extremes in temperature of fire and the freeze-thaw cycle of northern climates. The Mining Journal of Marquette reported on November 20, 1875, that: Its fire-proof qualities were thoroughly tested in

1470-541: The Michipicoten Provincial Park . Mining attempts began as early as the late 1660s. William Teddy discovered gold on Wawa Lake in 1897. The population of Wawa village quickly grew with 1,700 claims staked in 1898. However, most gold production stopped by 1906. Beginning in 1914 with the completion of the Algoma Central Railway , gold production commenced again from 22 prospects. In 1898,

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1540-719: The Munising Formation and above the Oronto Group . The formation is an upper member of the Keweenawan Supergroup . Jacobsville Sandstone varies from horizontal to gently inclined and paleocurrents point toward the Lake Superior basin. The Jacobsville Formation outcrops significantly throughout the Upper Peninsula, with lesser exposures in Ontario and Wisconsin. Cliffs of the sandstone tend to have blocky talus that supports little vegetation. Jacobsville Sandstone, rising only

1610-559: The Penokean orogeny . The streams leveled out along what is now the southern shore of Lake Superior, depositing sediment that formed the Jacobsville Sandstone. The environment of deposition was moist and humid, resulting in the sandstone's red color due to the precipitation of pigmentary hematite. Subsequent fluid flow created the bands of color in the Jacobsville where the pigmentary hematite was bleached away. The Jacobsville Formation

1680-565: The Wayne County Courthouse . Use of the sandstone was contracted but eventually rescinded, in favor of stone from Ohio, amid accusations that Jacobsville Sandstone was of inferior strength and durability. The exact end of the industry is unclear, but most quarries were closed by about 1915. Records indicate that the last active quarry, operated by the Portage Entry Redstone Company, closed between 1923 and 1926. Despite

1750-487: The census of 2000, there were 1,860 people, 740 households, and 523 families residing in the township. The population density was 23.2 per square mile (9.0/km ). There were 1,505 housing units at an average density of 18.8 per square mile (7.3/km ). The racial makeup of the township was 98.98% White , 0.43% African American , 0.11% Native American , 0.05% Asian , 0.05% from other races , and 0.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.32% of

1820-462: The great Chicago fire , where Lake Superior brownstone walls ... stood intact, without a crack, scale or blemish being caused by the great heat under the influence of which marble fronts crumbled and fell to the ground. The sandstone was inexpensively obtainable in large quantities and transport by the Great Lakes further reduced costs. It is also easily worked and carved, and could be used throughout

1890-521: The 1090 to 980 million year old Grenvillian orogeny . As a result, the Jacobsville Sandstone is constrained to have been deposited during the final Rigolet Phase of the Grenvillian Orogeny (1010–980 million years ago). The formation is a mostly unconfined aquifer , called the Jacobsville aquifer , that covers an area of 4,363 square miles (11,300 km). Despite being a sandstone aquifer, it has

1960-556: The 2014–2015 school year St. Joseph School will expand its French immersion program to include Grade 8. Exclusive French-language instruction is offered by two school boards. According to the 2011 Census, 19% of Wawa's population claimed French as their mother tongue. The Conseil scolaire du Grand Nord offers public school instruction at École publique l'Escalade for students in kindergarten to Grade 8. The Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario offers Catholic instruction at École élémentaire et secondaire catholique St-Joseph. Wawa

2030-699: The Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa. Throughout the 1990s, Wawa and the Algoma Ore Division continued to be challenged by international market problems that plagued both the gold and iron mining industries. In December 1997, Algoma Steel announced that it could no longer support the high cost of extracting low-grade iron at Algoma Ore Division. Although Wawa's mountain of iron ore had more to give, operations were shut down in June 1998, one hundred years after iron

2100-673: The Helen Mine had the largest production of any iron mine in Canada. In 1909, a second hematite ore deposit was uncovered near the Magpie River , twelve miles north of the Helen Mine. The Algoma Steel Corporation , organized between 1904 and 1909 in Sault Ste. Marie, bought up the claims and operated both the Magpie and Helen mines for the next decade. The Helen Mine continued ore production until 1918, when

2170-468: The Jacobsville Sandstone between these bounding constraints has long been uncertain. Precise dating of detrital zircon grains within the Jacobsville Sandstone now constrain it to have been deposited after 992.51 ± 0.64 Ma. An additional constraint on the age comes from the Jacobsville Sandstone being folded within the Keweenaw Fault zone. Motion on the Keweenaw Fault is associated with the later stages of

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2240-467: The Jacobsville, Freda , and Munising . The Jacobsville reflects the sandstones described as either lower red or Eastern . They also introduced the name Jacobsville in honor of Jacobsville, Michigan , a town notable for its production of the sandstone including the "famous Portage Redstone". Similarities in lithology and heavy mineral suites between the Jacobsville Sandstone and the Bayfield group ,

2310-494: The Keweenaw Peninsula. The earliest extraction of the sandstone occurred in Alger County in the 1860s with two companies providing stone to build nearby blast furnaces for the iron industry . The first widespread and commercial quarrying of the sandstone began around 1870. The industry peaked in the early 1890s. About thirty-two quarries existed over the years, clustered near Jacobsville and Marquette with others scattered along

2380-410: The Lake Superior coast. The end of the industry occurred variably by location, though finishing around 1915 at the outbreak of World War I . One of the principal figures in the Jacobsville Sandstone industry was John Henry Jacobs , to whom the largest producers in the Jacobsville area were associated. The town was founded in 1884 when Jacobs opened his first quarries in the area. Both the sandstone and

2450-518: The Lake Superior region. In 1896, the commissioner of mineral statistics for Michigan reported that: Architects have pronounced against it in their plans and specifications ... for the reason that architecture must have a change of style and material the same as millinery and tailoring. They claimed that too much sandstone was being used, and that the sameness must be broken into by the use of stone of other kind and color ... The industry began to decline and many quarries idled as previously mined sandstone

2520-720: The Upper Peninsula and across the United States and Ontario, Canada incorporate Jacobsville Sandstone in their construction. In the Upper Peninsula, these buildings include The Calumet Theatre , Saint Ignatius Loyola Church , and several buildings in the Quincy Street Historic District . Elsewhere, the sandstone was used in the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Many historic buildings in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario are built of Jacobsville Sandstone, as there

2590-475: The area by the mid 17th century, and a post was built early in the next century. The site was on the south bank of the river, opposite the mouth of the Magpie River . By 1729, it was an outpost of Fort Kaministiquia under command of Vérendrye's Postes du Nord . When the British conquered Canada in 1763, this post was abandoned. Four years later, it was re-opened on the same site by fur traders Alexander Henry

2660-720: The area. Gold mining in the Wawa area prospered and receded several times in the 20th century, and it continues today. Notable producers include the Grace Mine (1902–1944), which produced 15,191 ounces, the Minto Mine (1929–1942), which produced 37,678 ounces, the Parkhill Mine (1902–1944), which produced 54,301 ounces, and the Renabie Mine (1920–1991), which produced 1.1 million ounces. Iron ore extraction has also been an important industry in

2730-457: The area. The search for gold during the Michipicoten boom led to the unexpected discovery in 1897 of iron ore. Francis Hector Clergue , an American entrepreneur, immediately recognized the iron ore for its potential; he established a steel company at Sault Ste. Marie. Wawa was served by the Algoma Central Railway to ship ore for processing. The first supply of ore extracted from the Helen Mine

2800-510: The company felt the reserve of hematite ore was finally depleted. The same fate followed the Magpie Mine in 1921. The Census of Canada records that the population of the Michipicoten region in 1921 experienced a drop from 1,001 in 1911 to 101 just ten years later. It was not until 1937, with the threat of war in Europe and the emergence of a profitable market for Canadian iron ore, that the Helen Mine

2870-459: The decline was caused in part by the Depression of 1893 and the large distance from the quarries to major markets. Artificial stone, concrete, and brick had become popular and inexpensive, displacing all varieties of stone from the market. In addition, brick manufacturers successfully campaigned against the use of stone. Around 1897, Jacobsville Sandstone attracted attention during the construction of

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2940-656: The demise of the industry, some new construction still used Jacobsville Sandstone several years into the twentieth century. Examples include the Baraga School (1903–06), J H Kaye Hall (1913–15) at Northern State Normal School (now Northern Michigan University ), and a statue named the USS Kearsarge constructed in Wolverine by the Works Progress Administration . As most of the quarries were no longer in operation,

3010-489: The dimension stone was rubble stone, which was either sold cheaply or discarded entirely. The sandstone was extracted between April and November, as winter could be detrimental to the stone. When a new quarry was opened, up to 50 ft (15 m) of glacial drift and shale overburden was blasted and removed to access the sandstone beneath. If no cliffs of sandstone existed for a quarry face , long and narrow channels spaced four feet apart were cut to allow quarrying. A key

3080-513: The early 1800s. Many studies used the term Lake Superior Sandstone to describe a number of different geologic formations. Differentiation of the sandstone largely centered on an east-west division across the Keweenaw Peninsula or between the lower red and upper grey sandstones. The current definition for the Jacobsville Formation was made in 1907 by A. C. Lane and A. E. Seaman , in which the various Lake Superior sandstones were divided into

3150-491: The early 1900s, Jacobsville Sandstone was popularly known as Lake Superior Sandstone, brownstone or redstone and prefixed by the location in which it was quarried, such as Marquette and Portage Entry ( e.g. , Marquette brownstone). The sandstone was quarried as dimension stone , ton stone , and rubble stone , with dimension stone the most marketable and costly. Blocks of dimension stone typically measured 8 by 4 by 2 ft (2.44 by 1.22 by 0.61 m). The byproduct of removing

3220-581: The elder and Jean Baptiste Cadotte . The route from James Bay was explored by Edward Jarvis (1775) and Philip Turnor (1781). In 1783, it was taken over by the North West Company , based in Montreal. In 1797, the Hudson's Bay Company built a rival post on the north bank. With the union of the two companies in 1821, the Lake Superior trade was diverted from Montreal to Hudson Bay via Michipicoten. From 1827,

3290-467: The fort was the headquarters of the Superior Division, and several annual meetings were held here. It was a centre for fishing, boatbuilding and small-scale manufacture and repair. It also served as a base for missionaries and surveyors. This lasted until 1863, when the arrival of steamboats and railways made it unnecessary. It was closed in 1904 and gradually taken apart. In 1982, the site became

3360-628: The latest in underground mining technology, the highest-lift single-drive conveyor in the world. During the summer of 1971, Wawa hosted an archaeological field camp known as the Wawa Drop-In Project or the Big Dig, for young hitchhikers traveling along Highway 17. The project was directed by Professor K.C.A. Dawson and supported by the federal government as part of its youth employment program. The results of this fieldwork at several important sites were never published. The records are currently held by

3430-404: The main population centre of Wawa, as well as the smaller communities of Michipicoten and Michipicoten River, which are small coastal settlements on the shore of Lake Superior . These names are derived from the Ojibwe term for the river. Wawa has a humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification Dfb ) that is significantly moderated by Lake Superior. Winters are cold and snowy with

3500-413: The new George W. MacLeod Mine went into production adjacent to the Helen Mine. The ore was transported on an aerial tramline that consisted of over 280 steel three-ton buckets traveling underground and then emerging three-quarters of a mile west of the 2,066-foot vertical MacLeod Shaft. The tramline continued the remaining two miles to the sinter plant on overhead cables. This system was replaced in 1979 by

3570-554: The north. The formation also has a small extent in Iron County, Wisconsin . Due to the highly irregular surface on which it was deposited, the formation varies in thickness from 5 ft (1.5 m) to over 1,800 ft (550 m) in Michigan. The sandstone also underlies most of Lake Superior, west of Munising in particular, at a maximum thickness of over 3,000 ft (910 m). The Jacobsville Formation lies unconformably beneath

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3640-414: The northwest and the cooling of warm air from the south as it passes Lake Superior. As a result, temperatures above 30 °C (86.0 °F) are rare. August is the warmest month with a high of 20.8 °C (69.4 °F) and a low of 9.8 °C (49.6 °F), showing a slight seasonal lag. The average annual precipitation is 970 millimetres (38 in), which is relatively evenly distributed throughout

3710-488: The population. 28.3% were of Finnish , 17.0% French , 12.6% German , 7.7% Italian , 6.9% English and 6.9% French Canadian ancestry according to Census 2000 . There were 740 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who

3780-529: The region's rise as the steel industry developed in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario . From 1900 to 1918 the Helen Mine had the highest production of iron ore of any mine in Canada. Fort Michipicoten was constructed at the mouth of the Michipicoten River . It was at the junction of the main fur trade route from Montreal westward and the route to James Bay via the Missinaibi River . French explorers reached

3850-433: The sandstone was often salvaged from existing buildings. The town of Jacobsville, founded by the sandstone industry, peaked in population around 1897 at about 800 residents. The town began declining around 1910 and by the mid-1960s, the post office had closed and only seventy inhabitants remained. Though Jacobsville Sandstone was primarily used as stone, there exists the potential for other industries. The formation contains

3920-466: The sandstone was shipped to ports along the Great Lakes for distribution inland. The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, with its White City , ushered in a change of style that preferred light-colored marbles and limestones over the dark color of Jacobsville Sandstone. The direction of architecture was dramatically altered within a decade at the expense of Jacobsville Sandstone, especially in

3990-491: The town of Jacobsville are named for him. The two main varieties of Jacobsville Sandstone that were quarried were redstone and brownstone. Redstone came from the Jacobsville area, in both uniform and variegated varieties. A purplish-brown variety of brownstone known as rain-drop, so named for its wet appearance, was described as the "most handsome stone quarried on Lake Superior." Brownstone and rain-drop were supplied from Marquette, however, supplies were generally limited. Until

4060-537: The town site at what is now called "the Mission" was registered as "Michipicoten City." In 1899, Wawa was surveyed and plotted as a town and registered as Wawa City. In the latter half of the 1950s, the town's name was temporarily changed to Jamestown in honour of Sir James Hamet Dunn , but it was later returned to Wawa at the request of the community's residents. Gold production had slowed by 1906, but as mining technology improved, additional amounts began to be extracted from

4130-444: The town's population. It peaked at close to 5,600 in the 1990s but has since dropped to under 3,000, according to the 2011 Canadian census. The collapse of the forestry industry in the first decade of the 2000s also adversely affected the neighbouring communities of Dubreuilville and White River . Wawa, the area's largest settlement, has faced difficulties in attracting new industry to the community and region. The township includes

4200-422: The town, announced an indefinite shutdown of its mill. The final production shift ran at the end of December 2007. Given low demand for wood products, the likelihood of the mill reopening was marginal at best. Since the shutdown, Wawa's economy has suffered a near complete collapse, as the closure resulted in over 135 lost jobs, and more residents left the area. This has had a spinoff effect on other businesses and on

4270-439: The year though the months of July to October see a peak in precipitation. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Wawa had a population of 2,705 living in 1,213 of its 1,377 total private dwellings, a change of -6.9% from its 2016 population of 2,905 . With a land area of 411.89 km (159.03 sq mi), it had a population density of 6.6/km (17.0/sq mi) in 2021. The community

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4340-455: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.86. In the township the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males. The median income for

4410-539: Was an abundance after the excavation of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal in 1895 and the subsequent industrial boom. These sandstones appears lighter, as the St. Marys Rapids have coursed over this deposit for millennia, leaching the iron content and leaving a marbled texture. The rubble stone was commonly used for foundations, cribs, breakwaters and piers. Jacobsville Sandstone has been used as concrete aggregate and flagstone . Jacobsville, Michigan Torch Lake Township

4480-607: Was deposited atop rocks of the late Mesoproterozoic Midcontinent Rift. For example, along the Sturgeon River in the Ottawa National Forest, the Jacobsville Sandstone unconformably overlies ca. 1108 million year old Midcontinent Rift basalt on which a soil had developed prior to Jacobsville Sandstone deposition. The Jacobsville is unconformably overlain by the Cambrian Munising Formation . The precise age of

4550-503: Was first discovered in this remote corner of northern Algoma. Wawa suffered a population decline after the closures of Helen Mine and the sinter plant. Its main industries have been forestry and tourism. In recent years, diamond prospecting and proposals to create a trap rock mine on the shore of Lake Superior have been developed; however, no mining activities of any kind have yet been established. In October 2007 Weyerhauser, which operated an oriented strandboard mill 30 kilometres east of

4620-586: Was forced to declare a state of emergency after severe flooding washed out several roads within the municipality, including sections of both Highway 17 and Highway 101. Wawa is located 24 kilometres (15 mi) west of Canadian National Railway 's Hawk Junction station on the rail line from Sault Ste. Marie to Hearst. The line, formerly known as the Algoma Central Railway , provides tourist operations, as well as passenger and freight service to communities in northern Ontario. A dial-in/demand response transit system has been available since February 2006. The service

4690-459: Was removed from between the channels, either by wedging or blasting, to create a space for blocks to move to as they were removed. Once the key was removed, holes were drilled horizontally under the block to be quarried and then cracked open with wedges. These large blocks were then broken down to size with wedges struck by sledgehammers. Once properly sized, the blocks were either transported by tramcar to docks or directly loaded onto ships. From there

4760-539: Was reopened. A sintering plant was constructed on the northern bank of the Magpie River, two miles west of the mine. It was used to treat the siderite ore before it was shipped to the blast furnaces at Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie. The plant became the centre for a small community called Sinterville, composed of workers and their families. The Helen Mine remained an open pit operation until 1950, from which point on all production came from underground mining. In 1960,

4830-457: Was shipped to Midland, Ontario , in July 1900; this was the "first boat shipment of Canadian iron ore to a Canadian port." The mine produced high-grade iron ore until 1903, when operations shut down due to financial difficulties encountered by Clergue and his company. By 1904, the mine had returned to full production capabilities and was mining one thousand tons of hematite ore a day. From 1900 to 1918,

4900-489: Was sufficient to meet demand. After several years of depressed demand, the industry rebounded around the turn of the century. However, Michigan's total output of sandstone peaked in 1902 at a value of $ 188,073 and fell to $ 12,985 by 1911. By 1914, fewer than three companies were producing sandstone in the state and thus no figures were recorded. According to the director of the Michigan Geological and Biological Survey ,

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