| Quincy Smelter Association |
Historical Perspective of the Quincy Mining Works The QSW is one of five copper smelters that operated on the Keweenaw peninsula during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Although the QSW was constructed in the midst of the district's greatest boom and prosperity, this is not obvious today considering how singular the site appears along the drastically altered shoreline of the Portage. However, it stands in complete contrast to the other smelter sites whose above ground remains consist of little more than rubble. The Quincy smelter was one of the last constructed in the district and was the last to shut down in 1971. Its overall historic integrity provides a unique opportunity to examine the local smelting process known historically as "Great Lakes smelting practice." |