The 1881 Discovery That Sparked Michigan’s Mining Dreams

If you think Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is only famous for copper and iron, think again. On this day in history—May 17, 1881—Julius Ropes, a local chemist from Marquette, unearthed something that would ignite dreams of fortune and glory: gold.

Ropes had been studying rock samples in the area and noticed traces of gold and silver. When he discovered a gold-bearing quartz vein just outside Ishpeming, it wasn’t long before the Ropes Gold and Silver Company was formed and the U.P. got its very own gold rush. The Ropes Mine was the only gold mine east of the Mississippi, producing more than $700,000 worth of gold and silver before labor disputes shuttered it in 1897.

Copper Not Gold

Mining wasn’t new to the U.P. by then—copper had lured men north as early as 1843, and iron followed soon after. But gold? That was something else entirely. While gold was technically discovered in the U.P. decades earlier—most notably by state geologist Douglass Houghton in the 1840s—his findings didn’t generate a frenzy. It wasn’t until Ropes hit paydirt that the buzz began.

The town of Ishpeming quickly evolved into a mini gold rush destination. Mines popped up across the region, from the Michigan and Superior mines to a number of smaller, short-lived ventures. Unfortunately, not all that glittered was gold—literally. Many of these early mines produced eye-catching rock but little usable ore.

Ropes Mine

The Ropes Mine operated for about 15 years in its first go-around, with 35 men employed and a fairly strict security setup. Why? Well, miners were known to sneak out with a little extra sparkle in their pockets. In one notorious incident, two miners were caught trying to flee to Europe with a trunk full of stolen gold valued at $3,000 (about $100,000 today!). That led to guards and mandatory searches.

Though the mine closed in 1897, the site wasn’t done. Thanks to soaring gold prices in the 1970s and 80s, it was revived by the Callahan Mining Company. Between 1985 and 1989, the mine produced 167,000 ounces of gold and 208,000 ounces of silver, worth over $68 million.

Today, no active gold mines remain in the area, but that doesn’t mean the gold fever has cooled entirely. Exploration continues, and some still pan for flakes and nuggets in U.P. streams.

So next time you’re in Ishpeming, raise a toast to Julius Ropes. Remember the chemist turned prospector who struck it rich and etched his name in Michigan history.

Learn more about the rich history of the Central Upper Peninsula.