Photo courtesy of waymarking.com The Mohawk Mining Company constructed its stamp mill on the shore of Lake Superior in 1898, creating the mill town of Gay. The mining company fell victim to low copper prices during the Great Depression and closed in 1932. The mine did not reopen, and the mill was destroyed to reclaim its iron for scap. Today, only foundations and one smokestack remain.

SHERMAN TOWNSHIP — A group of concerned citizens has begun a grassroots effort to save the smokestack in Gay that, which has been offered up for sale by the Keweenaw County Road Commission.

The Road Commission announced at its regular May meeting that there are no funds available to have the smokestack of the former Gay stamp mill inspected or repaired. During meeting, the board discussed having the smokestack structurally inspected, but decided they had no revenue for repairs to the stack, given the many roadway, equipment, and building needs.

In an effort to save the Gay Smokestack from demolition, the Road Commission has offered it, along with three to four acres of the stamp mill ruins, up for sale for $1 to any party or parties who may be interested in preserving them.

Sherman Township resident Chuck Bennetts said in an email Wednesday that such a party has recently been organized.

“We have had two meetings so far to discuss what can be done to prevent the demolition of the smokestack,” Bennetts said. “This is the only remaining visible mining-related structure on the ‘South shore’ of the Keweenaw. Also unique being, entirely concrete, it is still shown as a landmark on nautical charts, and is used as a limit marker for fishing tournaments.”

Bennetts said the group, which is very new, does not yet have a definite name.

“We call ourselves Friends of the Smokestack,” he said, “but even that is not nailed down.”

Bennetts said the group has been in contact with structural engineering firms for a cost quote on an assessment of the stack’s integrity. The assessment is required for any potential buyer of the stack and mill ruins to determine liability. As the Road Commission will not pay for an assessment, Bennetts said, the group is looking at how they can get that financed.

The group has contacted the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the Keweenaw National Historic Park, and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, but Bennetts did not say whether the group has received responses.

“We are not at this time naming any groups, organizations or individuals who are currently involved in this grass roots effort,” Bennetts said. “(It’s) too early to be any more specific.

He said the group will have a float in the Fourth of July parade in Gay, and will be handing out fliers and, as well as having an information tent/booth at the Gay school.

“(We) just hope to get the word out that there are people working on this and looking for others to get involved,” he said. “(We) hope those interested will come to the parade for more information.”

The Gay school, operated by the Keweenaw County Historical Society, has a thorough collection of pictures and newspaper articles, said Bennetts, but the group also asks if anyone has additional historical information on the smokestack/mills they would share; looking for construction plans, pictures, specifications, anything.

The iconic stack, which is 265 feet high, was part of the Mohawk Mining Company’s stamp mill, built in 1900, on the shore of Lake Superior, approximately 12 miles south of the mine in Mohawk.