Da Yooper's Rockhound's Guide to Michigan Silver

Michigan's Native Silver, rarely crystalized, is a beautiful and fascinating mineral, that has a large following among avid mineral collectors. Besides Silver Crystals, one of the most desired habits of Michigan Native Silver is the wire habit, elongate curled wires of metallic Silver, covered by a thin skin of black silver sulfide. And rarely these wires can have small silver bells on the ends.

Silver Copper - "Half Breeds" - nuggets of intergrown native Silver and native Copper, most often with Silver on Copper and more Rarely with Copper on Silver - are very highly sought after. These may occur as Float, (Glacially removed from the vein or lode) and are also highly prized.

Native Silver was a by product of most Copper mines and some were very rich in Silver. When the Madison Mine first opened, it was reported that the miners, would find Silver by kicking over the rocks on the surface. Some of the Copper Mines have provided some very collectable specimens of Silver crystals and Halfbreeds. These were deposited in a basalt at far higher temperatures than the deposits elsewhere..

Silver- Lead ore was mined in a number of localities, the most well known is the mine on Presque Isle (Now a park.) by Marquette, and the mines in the Silver Lake area of Marquette County.

Michigan has it's lost treasure stories and some of them are of Silver Bonanzas.

Ontonogon County, was the scene of a Silver Rush in 1874 that lasted until 1876. The town nearby, Silver City, sprung up in a matter of days.

Michigan Silver

Properties

Da Yooper's Links

Silver City Silver Rush
Between 1876 and 1877 a Silver rush occurred in the area south of this town. Much effort and money were invested in starting mines and building mills to process the Silver, but the dividends were few. The town sprang up to service the Silver Rush and has had three names in its history, Iron River, then Silver City, then Beaser, and today back again to Silver City. In some sense of the word, Silver City is a ghost town.

Some Copper Area Mine Dumps where silver has been found.

Delaware
Central
Cliff
Adventure
Mass
Phoenix
Copper Falls
Madison
St. Claire

Silver can be found pure, but is usually mixed with small amounts of gold, arsenic, and antimony. A natural alloy of gold and silver is known as Electrum, and is usually classified as a variety of Gold.

Silver is a very resistant mineral. It does not dissolve in most solutions, and won't react to oxygen or water. Its weak point is its reaction to sulfur and sulfides, which cause it to tarnish.

Silver is the best conductor of electricity, is the second most malleable and ductile metal, is in greater abundance than those metals with similar properties (i.e. gold and platinum), and has intrinsic beauty, and therefore it is very much used industrially and for ornaments.

Silver is largely used as jewelry, ornaments, and coins. It is very easy to work with, and beautiful objects are created from it, such as goblets, candelabras, trays, and cutlery.

In the industrial sector, silver is used for circuits and other electrical apparatuses. It is also used for medicinal purposes, particularly in dentistry, for bactericides, and for antiseptics. In the past, it had been used as the reflective surface for mirrors.
The mineral silver

Copper and Silver Specimen Images

Some Mining Photos

Mining History Links

Presque Isle Early Silver Lead Mine

Silver Inlet Ontario

Mining Boom