The Wolverine Mine was a small copper mining operation in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan, that was in operation from January 1882 until November 1884. In August 1890, possession of the company was obtained and reorganized as the Wolverine Copper Mining Company. It mined the Kearsarge lode until 1922 when it closed. ~wikipedia
These photos were shot from the faint yellow circle area between Centennial and Wolverine.
180 Panorama180 Panorama – Slaughterhouse Creek
This structure looks like it was built well after 1922. I wasn’t able to find solid information to confirm what exactly is going on here, but it appears to be mining. The wind had been quite strong during our trip and it just happened to let up while in the area so I went to the air to capture some scenery and Fall color.
360 Panorama360 Sphere
I managed to find some old photos of Wolverine Mine
~ www.mindat.org
Lac La Belle (French: “Lake The Beautiful”) is a small unincorporated community in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The town was originally the site of a stamping plant for the copper mines of the Keweenaw, specifically the Mendota Mine and the Delaware Mine. Copper-bearing rock was transported from the mines to the stamping plant, where it was processed and loaded onto freighters.
The nearby lake of the same name averages approximately 30 feet in depth and empties into Lake Superior at Bete Gris. The Little Gratiot River and several creeks empty into Lac La Belle. A small roadside park within the town contains Haven Falls on Haven Creek, which also empties into the lake. ~wikidpedia
The weather wasn’t great for our trip, but it wasn’t all that bad either. We endured intermittent rain and the occasional snow flurry with party cloudy skies the majority of the time. The wind was actually calm enough to fly a few times. These shot were taking right from our cabin. The first shot is oriented East shortly after sunrise. The second is oriented West, you can see Lake Superior beyond Mount Bohemia and Lac La Belle. Such a pretty area in the Autumn.
LAC LA BELLEMOUNT BOHEMIA
Our cabin was right on the Lake. We were 4 short miles from Bete Grise/Lake Superior and 15 short miles from Copper Harbor – Hwy 41 was absolutely on fire with color; the canopy over the road was spectacular – more on that in another post. Here are some images of the cabin and surrounding area. A wonderful place to call home for a few days.
This past Wednesday morning I captured a few 180 degree panoramas of the Autumn sunrise in Red Wing, MN along the Mississippi River. With all the rain, the river is on the rise once again. The Mississippi has been high most since the Spring run-off; through the Summer and now into Autumn.
Bay Point Park Fishing PierThe Big TurnRed Wing BoathousesRiverfrontRed Wing Bridge Construction
Bay City, WI; Catherine’s Pass (aka Katrina’s Pass) is an area of much concern, discussion, public feedback and planning over the last year of so. You can read about the project that will impact this area at Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance (LPLA).
You can easily see the sediment flowing into the area via Google Maps. Follow the fuchsia colored lines outlining the sediment settling into Bay City Bay. At one of the public meeting held in Bay City, a local resident recalled that the Isabelle River used to flow into the bay (red line), but that changed course over the years and now flows out of the bay (turquoise line) likely due to sediment build up.
The Problem
Lake Pepin is also threatened by excess nutrients leading to eutrophication and downstream impacts. Phosphorous is the limiting nutrient and excess input from the surrounding landscape has led to eutrophication, characterized by algae blooms that reduce light and oxygen thereby threatening animal and plant survival. It is estimated that the accumulation of phosphorus in Lake Pepin sediment has increased 15-fold since 1830. This eutrophication process is tightly linked with sedimentation because phosphorous binds to soil particles, which are transported together down the watersheds to Lake Pepin. Nitrogen input is also affecting local water quality with cascading impacts all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, where a large hypoxic area, or “dead zone”, has formed at the Mississippi delta leading to environmental problems, such as fish kills.
~LPLA
You can also see quite a difference between 1938 and present day. The Islands have grown in size, and cuts (or passes) have been eliminated as the sediments has filled them in. The sediment is only the beginning.
19382019
These panoramas of the area were shot shortly after sunrise on Saturday September 28th 2019. It is such a beautiful area. I love photographing the area and my wife and I enjoy kayaking here as well. I am hopeful that the project to address the issues in this area moves forward and is fully funded. If you love this area too, please familiarize your self with the issue, get involved and consider donating to the cause through Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance.
There was some beautiful light this morning in Bay City before, during and after sunrise. It was very cloudy early this a.m., but Mother Nature cooperated nicely.
It’s been awhile since I’ve captured this location. March 8th 2019 was the last sunrise attempt I made.
The city of Lake City is located 65 miles southeast of the Twin Cities at the intersection of U.S. Highways 61 and 63 on the Mississippi River at Lake Pepin. Lac de Pleurs (Lake of Tears) was the name given to Lake Pepin by Father Louis Hennepin, who camped on the shore of the lake in 1680. He christened the large body of water Lac de Pleurs after observing his Sioux captors weeping near the lake over the death of a chief’s son. The war party of Isanti Sioux had captured Hennepin and his two companions several miles south along the Mississippi and were camping near the lake on their return north to their Sioux villages near present-day Mille Lacs. ~wikipedia
On September 24th Lake City was hit with an EF0 tornado. Here are a few aerial images of an area that experienced some damage.
Lake Pepin occupies a valley carved by the waters of Glacial River Warren, which drained Lake Agassiz in a catastrophic flood at the end of the last Ice Age, and to a lesser extent from Lake Duluth, a smaller glacial lake which drained through the present valley of the St. Croix River. When the continental glacier’s meltwaters found other outlets to the sea, River Warren was succeeded by the more modest Upper Mississippi, which drains a much smaller basin, and the St. Croix spillway became the present river. Over a long period of time, the deep valley was partially filled with sediments, forming a broad floodplain. In this plain Lake Pepin formed behind a delta comprising sediments deposited into the ancient lake bed by the Chippewa River near the present community of Wabasha at the southern end of the lake. The lake backed up behind this sediment dam as far north as the location of Saint Paul. In the 10,000 years since the lake’s creation, ongoing sedimentation into Lake Pepin has caused its upper end to migrate downstream some 50 miles to its present location east (river direction south) of Red Wing, Minnesota. ~wikipedia
Nelson is located at the junction of the Mississippi River and Chippewa River valleys. The river bottoms surrounding the confluence are home to a large amount of wildlife. A causeway and bridge across the Mississippi River link Nelson with the city of Wabasha, Minnesota at the junction of Wisconsin Highway 25 and Wisconsin Highway 35. Southbound Highway 25 becomes Minnesota Highway 60 upon crossing the Mississippi River to Wabasha.
Nelson lies on Wisconsin Highway 35, the “Great River Road,” a popular tourist route that runs along the east bank of the Mississippi River. ~wikipedia
Nelson, WI is home of the 100 year old Nelson Cheese Factory and J & J BBQ & Catering. Two favorites stops while traveling through this picturesque bluff country. A little North of town is my favorite wood-fired pizza establishment – The Stone Barn.
A couple different views of the causeway and bridge across the Mississippi River linking Nelson, WI with the city of Wabasha, MN.
Cyndie and I were in Prescott, WI this a.m. for a late breakfast at The Kitchen Table. Fantastic breakfast and coffee; fast and friendly service. Biscuits and Gravy is top-notch. I’ve never had lunch there, but the lunch menu looks plenty good.
Prescott is situated at the confluence of the St. Croix River and Mississippi River. You can very easily make out the sediment-laden Mississippi water mixing with the St. Croix down stream from the railroad bridge. You can learn more about this issue @ Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance.
Here are some panoramas I shot of the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers.
I was a bit late for sunrise, but the fog was heavy and flowing nicely through the valley. Solders Memorial Park on top of Sorin’s Bluff in Red Wing is a perfect location to appreciate the vastness of the fog as it flows along and lifts away.
These photos were shot from the faint yellow circle area between Centennial and Wolverine.
![ake Pepin occupies a valley carved by the waters of Glacial River Warren, which drained Lake Agassiz in a catastrophic flood at the end of the last Ice Age, and to a lesser extent from Lake Duluth, a smaller glacial lake which drained through the present valley of the St. Croix River. When the continental glacier's meltwaters found other outlets to the sea, River Warren was succeeded by the more modest Upper Mississippi, which drains a much smaller basin, and the St. Croix spillway became the present river. Over a long period of time, the deep valley was partially filled with sediments, forming a broad floodplain. In this plain Lake Pepin formed behind a delta comprising sediments deposited into the ancient lake bed by the Chippewa River near the present community of Wabasha at the southern end of the lake. The lake backed up behind this sediment dam as far north as the location of Saint Paul. In the 10,000 years since the lake's creation, ongoing sedimentation into Lake Pepin has caused its upper end to migrate downstream some 80km (50mi) to its present location east (river direction south) of Red Wing, Minnesota.[5]](https://i0.wp.com/traun-photo.com/dan/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/2019-09-19-DF068-Around-the-Lake-0001-7-Edit-2.jpg)
