History of the White Pine Mine 

Copper mineralization was first identified near White Pine in the late 1870s, with modest exploration efforts over the following decades yielding limited results. 

The modern era of White Pine began when the Copper Range Company developed the property using a then-novel approach for the region: mining copper sulfide (chalcocite) from the Nonesuch Shale, rather than the native copper historically produced elsewhere in the Keweenaw. Construction began in 1952, with first ore reaching the surface in 1953 and first copper poured at the smelter in January 1955. 

Over the next four decades, White Pine grew into Michigan's major copper producer, producing more than 4 billion pounds of copper between 1952 and its final closure in 1995. At its peak in 1974, the mine employed 3,000 people and processed as much as 15,000 tons of ore per day, making it one of the largest employers in the Upper Peninsula.  

White Pine North Today 

The White Pine North Project is the extension of this historic district. A brownfield copper-silver opportunity built on more than a century of established mining heritage and existing infrastructure. White Pine North is expected to support approximately 800 jobs during steady-state operations, continuing the site's legacy as a major economic driver for Ontonagon County and the western U.P.