View from the Copper Harbor Lookout on Brockway Mountain Drive. Mid 1930’s
History is not really my favorite subject, I am more of a rock guy. I will tell you about hunting for Brockway Mountain agates, but first I will show you some historic pictures of the area.
I married into a family of historians. Bonnie’s parents collected many things, including postcards from 1930 through 1960. While she was looking through their old cards she discovered several that depict the Keweenaw when it looked a bit different. Some pictures from 1935 of Brockway Mountain were especially interesting, considering what it looks like 80 years later. I enjoyed looking back and comparing it with the area as it is today.
View from the Copper Harbor Lookout today. Really it is surprisingly similar to the earlier pictures. How many other areas as beautiful as this are not cluttered with huge mansions and gated communities or condos?
From the 1950’s, This sign welcomed people to the Keweenaw. The “Copper Country Vacationist League’ was the forrunner to the Keweenaw Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Mid 1930’s. The trees are bigger today. You can see the top of Brockway Mountain in the distance.
From the mid-1930s, shortly after Brockway Mountain Drive was completed, you could see Lake Fanny Hooe on the right and Copper Harbor on the left. The trees frame this view today.
Thanks to the persistence of many folks, the mountain was saved from private development and access was retained for the public. What a loss that would have been!
Making jewelry on the mountain top while waiting for the sunset.
I made this Firebrick Beauty on the mountain
The sunsets from the top of Brockway Mountain have to be some of the most spectacular sunsets on earth.
I shared my secret hole with a couple of my best rockhounding buddies. Chris Cooper and I.
You finding anything in that hole Gary (Gary Katt)?
Looking for agate seams
During the constuction of Brockway Mountain Drive, many large egg-shaped agates were found. The inside of these were pretty much colorless Quartz. Very few had any banding except near the crust. I had one in my collection, did not know what it was, cut it and found the Quartz. In recent years I did some digging in the hard rock, opened a hole that has been very productive. You can see this in the videos.
Close up of an agate seam in matrix
A nice nodule collected
Don’t these Keweenaw agates look nice when they are washed?
State law limits collecting to 25 pounds per year now. When this was collected no limit was in place.
THE FOLLOWING MOVIES ARE REAL; AS THEY HAPPENED; WITH NO CAMERA TRICKS OR EDITING. ENJOY!! I just thought they’d be more exciting with disclaimers.
Today, further down the Mountain, some nice Seam Agate can be found. This agate is referred to as Keweenaw Agate, Ledge Agate, or Brockway Mountain Agate. This Lake Superior Agate is often opaque and peachy colored, but some have nice banding. Many diggers, including me, have secret glory holes on Brockway. I have told a few rockhounds I trust to keep a secret and hope they find good Brockway Mountain Agates.
A prime example of Keweenaw Agate, also called Ledge Agate.
Opaque Ledge Agate from Brockway Mountain.
As you can see from my pictures and videos I love the Keweenaw and the gemstones that come from that area. If you like these stones, I invite you to purchase our pendants either as gifts or for yourself. They are great reminders of Brockway Mountain, Copper Harbor, Eagle Harbor, and other copper mining areas. Visit our selections of Lake Superior Agate jewelry, Michigan and Isle Royale Greenstone jewelry, Firebrick, Mohawkite, Prehnite, Datolite, Thomsonite today.