The Michigan Ghost Town and Abandoned Mine of Nonesuch

The U.P. Town of Nonesuch may no longer exist, but the mine sure does.

The mine lies in ruins in the deep Upper Peninsula woods of Ontonagon County. The mine produced copper from 1867-1912, but only made a profit from 1879-1881.

As for the actual town of Nonesuch, it was settled in 1866, acquiring its own post office in 1876. Logging and mining were their sources of income until the post office closed in 1887. The mine then chugged along, opening & closing at least five times before it shut down for good in 1912.

The town got its name from miner Edward Less, who discovered the area's copper vein in 1865. Nonesuch's peak was from 1881-1884. Nonesuch had a baseball team, boarding house, general stores, livery stable, various markets, schoolhouse, and stagecoach stop.

The mine's machinery was ripped out and shipped to other mines in 1887, but “minor mining” continued thanks to the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company. They opened a mine just three miles away at White Pine in 1908 and, in 1912, sent a crew to take another shot at mining in Nonesuch. It wasn't getting anywhere, so the Nonesuch mine shut down permanently that same year.

Nonesuch's total copper production was 390,000 pounds.

The old abandoned mine seems to be OK to visit, as there are signs and log fences around the crumbling structures.

How do you get to Nonesuch?
It's a part of the Porcupine Mountains State Park up near Lake Superior, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find your way there. Aside from that, you may have to park your vehicle along South Boundary Road and hoof it through the woods.

Take a look for yourself. The photos below show what the town and mine once looked like, and what the crumbling old mine is like now!