Re: Tale of the "wall of silver mine"up in the Keweenaw.....
Anyone seriously interested in "The Wall of Silver" tale should take the time to read the debunking discussion written by a professional geologist from Wisconsin that was sent to the publisher of the book, Avery Color Studios. See:
http://www.michrocks.org/other/articles/silver.html
I have watched, with interest, the stories and the posts develop regarding this tale since the book was published . I have generally stayed away from any detailed personal comments regarding the story and the claims since I didn't want to ruin the fun of anyone who took up the search. The quest is the "journey".
The above mentioned dissection of the claims in the book is relatively well done and raises too many questions and identifies too many conflicting claims made by the author, Kellogg. It should not be ignored.
I note that others are starting to address the "problems" associated with the details of the tale.
Additional to the information and assessment presented in the "debunking" letter to the publisher I have personal observations that add to the veracity of the debunking.
Let me first address the background that allows me to add to this discussion with some authority. I am a retired geologist who started my career working in the mines and on exploration projects in the Keweenaw for Calumet and Hecla for a number of years prior to their closure. I also worked for other mining and exploration companies in the Copper Country and western Upper Peninsula. In the latter part of this career I again did consulting work on mining and exploration projects throughout the Copper Country. I have nearly 50 years of experience with Michigan copper and silver deposits.
From a mining standpoint, there are no workings that I have ever seen, underground, that would even tangentially approach some of the descriptions offered in the book. Too many things conflict with reality.
More importantly, as directly relates to the "Wall of Silver" story, I actually saw the silver specimens offered for sale in the Sportsman's Bar. This bar was one of our watering holes after a day in the mines or the field. Kellogg did have silver specimens for sale, along with some rather nice copper-in-calcite crystals. These specimens originally resided in a case on the west wall of the bar room, which would have been to the right of anyone entering through the front door. They were not cheap, even at the value of the dollar back then.
I know for a fact that many of the excellent collections of Copper Country mineral specimens were originally assembled when the miners would trade their "lunch-box" specimens for various items from the local business men. One of the better old collections in Calumet was put together by a butcher who traded meat and groceries for specimens.
There are a few people who have been associated with the mineral specimens of the Copper Country for so long that they can recognize the subtle crystal habits and associated accessory minerals of specimens so that they can identify, with a high degree of accuracy, whether specimens were from fissure zones or lodes, and also can be fairly accurate in identifying from which lode the specimens originated.
The silver specimens that Kellogg had for sale in the Sportsman's Bar were very likely from the Kearsarge Lode,
not from a fissure deposit. The most likely sources within that lode were from the workings of the Centennial No.2 and the Centennial No. 3 & 4 shafts. Some of the silver specimens had a little matrix on them that contained the epidote and quartz association typical of the Kearsarge Lode. The Sportsman's Bar happened to be rather close to those operations.
My belief is that Kellogg was accepting silver specimens in payment of bar tabs. A secret source up along the cliffs to the northeast, delivered by an elusive person, was a good cover story for both himself and the miners.
