The Former Town and Mine of Baltic, Michigan
Even though some sites call this a 'ghost town', I don't feel it is...
The Houghton County village of Baltic sits in the Keweenaw Peninsula's copper country, and was a former station along the Copper Range Railroad. Baltic grew around the efforts of the Baltic Mining Company in 1898, intended for homes where the miners could easily get to and from work.
FAST FACTS:
1882: Exploring began, looking for ore
1897: Land was sold to the Baltic Mining Company
1902: Post office opens. Baltic also had a general store and doctor's office
1905: Population 1,200
1917: The Copper Range Company took over the mine from the Baltic Company
1918: Population 3,000 Deepest shaft was #3, at 3,839 feet
Not long afterward – in 1931 – the mining operation pooped out and workers, their families, and residents left town and looked for a life – and employment – elsewhere. In the 2000s there are still a good number of people living there but it's not how it used to be. There are no businesses, and because of this - and the depleted number of residents - some sites unfairly refer to Baltic as a ghost town.
During the mine's 34 years of operation, over 276 million pounds of copper were produced. To this day, you can still find copper shards, remnants, and pieces surrounding the area.
A trip to Baltic would be a great roadtrip, whether in summer or fall. There are plenty of surrounding old mining (and some ghost) towns including Atlantic Mine, Huron, Messenger, Mill Mine Junction, Obenhoff, Painesdale, Redridge, Ricedale, South Range, and Trimountain.
Ghost Town of Baltic
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