Quincy Mine No. 2 Shaft Hoist House

The Quincy Mine No. 2 Shaft Hoist House is an industrial building located north of Hancock, Michigan along US Highway 41 within the Quincy Mining Company Historic District. The Hoist House contains the largest steam hoisting engine in the world, which sits on the largest reinforced concrete engine foundation ever poured. The shaft hoist house was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1969 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.HistoryThe Quincy Mining Company was first organized in 1846, and incorporated two years later, to mine the then-recently discovered Portage Lake copper formations. It wasn't until 1856 that the mine hit upon their most productive lode, and it took until 1862 before the first dividend was paid. However, after that time, the Quincy Mine was a reliable investment, paying dividends every year from 1867 until 1921.In the early part of the twentieth century, the shafts at Quincy Mine were increasing in depth at a prodigious rate as the company pushed farther underground in search of copper. Between 1905 and 1920, the depth of the principal shafts increased from 5000 feet to over 7000. The requirements to lift rock to the surface from ever-increasing depths severely strained the capabilities of the company's mine hoist equipment. By 1916, the hoist servicing the number 2 shaft had reached its depth limit. Rather than abandon the shaft or eke out a little more depth by retrofitting the existing hoist, Quincy hired the Nordberg Manufacturing Company and Bruno V. Nordberg to design a new hoist engine at a cost of $160,000. It would be the largest mine hoist in the world.