Copper Country Mineral Retreat©
August 3 to 10, 2008

Details of Events

Safety is always first for all events!

All collecting requires safe practices and use of common sense.

No children on rock piles unless registered.

Each year we strive to provide an affordable and quality experience for participants. This year we have scheduled a site not used before, added a Social and Brag session on Friday night, and changed the timing of the initial Sunday evening program to make it much easier for people to eat dinner at a normal time.

We strongly encourage you to register early to save money and avoid disappointment if the event you really want to attend fills to maximum capacity.

Each participant will have a personalized name tag and having it with you for events makes it easier for us to track eligible attendance. Your name tag, personalized itinerary, and maps to the various events will be mailed to those who register before July 1. Be sure to bring along your registration materials as there will be a charge for replacement. Others will need to pick their registration materials up from the museum during Open Registration.

If you did not pre-register there will be open registration on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Those already registered may add or change events at that time. However, your ability to participate in events depends on event availability.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON EVENTS ON THE MICHIGAN TECH CAMPUS AT THE A. E. SEAMAN MINERAL MUSEUM

A Featured Speaker sponsored by the Seaman Mineral Museum Society will kick off the Copper Country Mineral Retreat at 2:00 pm Sunday afternoon. The presentation is “Some Uses of Minerals by the Indigenous People of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan" by Dr. Susan Martin, Associate Professor of Social Science. The presentation will discuss uses by Indigenous People of copper, quartzite, hematite, obsidian, and jasper, among others.  A few rocks may slip into the discussion rather than strictly minerals such as chert and flint, sandstone, etc. And just maybe meteoric iron too. In Room 642 DOW building Michigan Tech campus from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm. For registered participants and Seaman Society Members.

A mineral and gift shop sale begins at 3:00 pm following the featured speaker. There will be a 20 % DISCOUNT on regular gift shop merchandise for registrants of the Copper Country Mineral Retreat ONLY during this Sunday afternoon time. Designated mineral specimens will be on sale the whole week for retreat registrants at a 20 % DISCOUNT (beginning at 3:00 pm Sunday continuing through 4:30 pm on Sunday August 10). We will have new surplus minerals for sale from generous donations to the museum and Sunday afternoon will be your chance to get your favorite specimen before someone else finds it. This is a great time to meet other CCMR participants, ask questions, and view one of finest mineral museums in North America .

A seminar on Copper Country mineral identification will begin at 5:30 pm to 6:00 pm or longer if needed in Room 642 DOW building Michigan Tech campus. This seminar is designed to help first time retreat participants learn about the local minerals and tips on how to find them, but others can bring tips to share too.

PREPARED SURFACE COLLECTING

The retreat organizers have obtained legal permission to access and prepare old mine rock piles for surface collecting. You may be on the site ONLY during the times of the event. We contract heavy equipment (bulldozer or excavator) to move rock to expose new materials for collecting. The newly moved rock will be coated with fine particles, “muck”, which makes finding minerals more challenging. This is one reason that most people will use a metal detector in addition to good ole visual observations when searching for native copper or native silver. But you can find native copper without a metal detector! For finding other goodies such as datolite or greentsone, your eyes are the essential tool. Having some water can be quite valuable to wash away the muck to better see what is in your specimen. See Recommendations for additional practical tips to make your collecting experience both fun and rewarding. We will provide you maps, but you must provide your own transportation to the collecting sites and you provide the skill and luck of collecting.

ONE TIME ONLY!!
MESNARD MINE ( QUINCY #8) DATOLITE COLLECTING WITH ON SITE WATER
There is a restricted number of participants so register early to avoid disappointment!!!!

Offered for the first time ever and only this one time, will be a chance to collect from the locality which made datolite famous! This is a once in a lifetime event!! Vivid reds, oranges, and yellows were commonly found near this shaft in the past and now you will have a chance once again to try your skills and luck at uncovering these valuable treasures. To aid your efforts, several wash barrels of water and screens will be provided at the site to help clean and identify potential specimens. The description of prepared surface collecting applies to this event, except for we will provide water for this event. To provide access to this site we must restore the pile to its condition before it was prepared collecting. The cost for this event includes the preparation, restoration, water, a special one time payment to the Quincy Mine Hoist Association and an extra hour of collecting.

PHOENIX MINE GREENSTONE COLLECTING WITH ON SITE WATER

This year, for the first time, there will be several wash barrels of water, a water pump, and screens for cleaning and rinsing samples to increase your chances of success. To provide the water, the cost of the event will be a little more, but you will have a much better chance of finding greenstone/datolite. The description of prepared surface collecting applies to this event, except we will provide water for this event.

2 ND CHANCE SURFACE COLLECTING

We are offering you the second chance to legally collect at selected sites. The sites, which were prepared earlier in the day for surface collecting, will NOT be prepared again. The prepared areas are large enough that there are plenty of areas that are not really searched during the earlier event. And even an area already searched by one person still can yield more fine specimens. Maybe the people collecting in the morning turned over that one rock that provides you the opportunity to find your treasure. Since the site is not being prepared again, the cost to participate in 2 nd chance surface collecting is discounted.

DATOLITE DAY #1 AND #2
There is a restricted number of participants so register early to avoid disappointment!!!!

A whole day of collecting focused on that elusive datolite. This year Datolite Day will be enhanced with more equipment to help to find a datolite including a sluice and more cutting and polishing equipment too. A whole day devoted to learning about and collecting datolite.

1) Surface collecting in Datolite rich ore brought out from the Caledonia Mine.
2) Lunch (provided in your registration fee): Grilled and served at the Caledonia Mine pavilion includes chicken, brats, soft drink, and lots of extras.
3) Cutting and polishing your datolite finds.
4) Surface collecting at another mine location.

SALE AT THE MINE

This event will take place at the Caledonia Mine. There will be an exclusive sale of newly discovered (2008) treasures from the Caledonia Mine and other Red Metal properties. Caledonia Mine souvenirs will also be for sale.

MINERS PASTY LUNCH

Join in the fun with lunch served at the Caledonia Mine pavilion. The lunch includes a pasty, cole slaw, cookie, and soft drink.

CALEDONIA MINE ENHANCED ORE PILE WITH OPTIONAL SURFACE COLLECTING

A pile of native copper ore from the Caledonia Mine will be placed on a "pad" outside the mine and each pad will have water available for washing. The newly moved rock will be coated with fine particles, “muck”, which makes finding minerals more challenging so having water is very valuable to uncover that special treasure. Each ore pile will be enhanced with the addition of native copper to ensure that you will find copper. However, even without enhancement the ore pile can contain native copper as well as datolite, native silver, and other minerals. While these enhanced ore piles are designed for the beginning collector, even the more experienced collector can have fun.

The cost is for one ore pile for the indicated time-frame. You can invite up to 3 others to share your pile at no extra cost. A maximum of 4 people may share 1 ore pile. One and only one person must pay for the ore pile. The principal “owner” of the pile is responsible for letting us know who else will share the pile and needs to deal with all cost sharing.

Optional Surface Collecting. With four people working diligently or not so diligently on an ore pile it is possible to be finished before the time frame for the event. This year those people can have fun searching for that prized specimen on the ore piles at the Caledonia Mine. For the small additional small fee up to 4 paid registrants of an ore pile can also collect on the unprepared surface at the Caledonia Mine.

MINERAL RETREAT BANQUET AND MINERAL AUCTIONS

We encourage you to attend the mineral retreat banquet and auction. The registration fee for this event includes gratuities. The meal will be buffet style with main entree choices of seasoned baked chicken filets, roast beef, and cheese ravioli with alfredo or marinara, parsley buttered red-skin potatoes, seasoned rice pilaf, green beans almondine, tossed garden salad with three dressings, and cheesecake with toppings. You cannot get a comparable meal at a restaurant for the cost and of course, the ambiance of being with your fellow retreat participants is unbeatable. There will be a cash bar. This event will be held in the recently renovated Wadsworth Hall at Michigan Tech. You can park across the street from Wadsworth Hall or in limited parking next to the entrance. There will be signs on the highway to help you find the location.

Attendees of the banquet will be entered for one of the many door prizes.

A silent auction and cash bar begins at 6:00 pm. The banquet itself will begin at 7:00 pm. The silent auction closes after the banquet is finished at about 8:00 pm and following there will be a voice auction. Last year the there were 60 plus lots in the silent auction. While most lots came from the museum, we are looking for items to offer in the silent auction and hope you will consider donating an item and it does not have to be a mineral. The silent (and voice) auction is for the benefit of the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum .

A voice auction will begin at about 8:00 pm. There will be a limited number of items to be voice auctioned and bidders must register and obtain bidding paddles. A listing for voice auction items will be provided at the banquet to make bidding on items easier. We hope to post voice auction items on line by July 1.

The auctions are open to all participants, even if you do not attend the banquet; show up by 7:30 pm to take part in the last silent auction bidding and then on to the voice auction at 8:00 pm.

MINER'S DAY

There is a very restricted number of participants so register early to avoid disappointment!!!!

Get a taste of underground mining first hand at the Caledonia Mine. Miner's Day will include safety instruction, drilling, blasting, mucking, and collecting. This will be a small group experience on mining for specimens. Lunch, safety glasses, gloves, hearing protection, and use of equipment (such as lights AND hard hats for underground work, rain suits for drilling, rubber boots) are included in the registration fee. The underground mine activities involve walking and dark, dusty, noisy, or damp situations, and participants should prepare accordingly. You must be 18 years of age and in good health to register for Miner's Day.

QUINCY MINE ROCK SWAP AND SALE

Held in the Quincy Mine Hoist Parking Lot. The Quincy swap is for buying and/or selling minerals to participants and to the general public. Reserve a swap table directly with Quincy Mine, call Quincy Mine 906-482-3101 . This event is open to public.

CALEDONIA MINE LIMITED ACCESS UNDERGROUND COLLECTING
There is a restricted number of participants so register early to avoid disappointment!!!!

Collect underground in the stopes of the Caledonia mine. Visit areas not normally open for group collecting. The number of participants will be limited so the group can be mobile and can visit several locations. Safety glasses, gloves, hard hats, and mine lights are provided for participants in this event.

YOU MUST BE IN GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS EVENT. Participants will need to be able to navigate the steep inclined surface in the underground stopes with a lot of loose rock making tripping hazards common. Since safety is of highest concern, Red Metal Explorations reserves the right to refuse your participation immediately prior to the event. You will forfeit your event fee or in other words you will not get a refund! If you have any doubt about your own personal physical condition then do not register for this event. You may call the museum for additional information. You must be at least 18 years of age and IN GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION to register for the underground collecting event!!

PHOTOGRAPHING MINERALS WORKSHOP
There is a restricted number of participants so register early to avoid disappointment!!!!

A workshop on photographing minerals will be lead by Curator and Professor Dr. George Robinson and Adjunct Curator and Professor Dr. John Jaszczak. They are both recognized mineral photographers. The workshop will cover the basics of digital and film photography and involve the taking of multiple digital photos of minerals using the Seaman Museum 's mineral photography laboratory. These, and pre-taken, pictures will be used to demonstrate the effects of various camera settings, lighting, and backgrounds on the photographing of minerals. Drs. Robinson and Jaszczak will provide participants tips and advice on taking quality mineral pictures. Digital enhancement of mineral photos will be demonstrated. Participants are encouraged to bring one of their favorite specimens (thumbnail to small cabinet size range) to photograph. The participants will get a high quality photo of their favorite mineral on a CD. Begin in Room 226 EERC (same building as museum).

OPEN HOUSE AT RED METAL MINERALS IN ONTONAGON

Red Metal Minerals and the U.P. Candle Company retail shop and warehouse is located on the water front in downtown Ontonagon. Follow signs towards downtown Ontonagon. Continue northwest along main street through downtown and then left to Gitchie Gumee Landing Building . Their warehouse and retail shop will be open for sales of minerals and gifts. This is your chance to get minerals and candles. A storewide discount will be give to retreat participants ( this day only! ). Free tours of the Lake Sturgeon hatchery, copper cleaning information and demonstrations, and door prizes.

MINERAL BRAG SESSION AND SOCIAL
You will not want to miss this new event.

This year there will be a mineral brag session and social at the Keweenaw Brewing Company in downtown Houghton from 8 to 10 pm on Friday. We will provide the popcorn and pretzels while you purchase the drink of your choice. And then let the show and tell begin. Bring you special finds of the past week to show others and tell your favorite story from the retreat. Door prizes will be distributed at around 9 pm.

Park on Houghton Parking Deck and gather in the outside area of Keweenaw Brewing Company. Find the bowls of popcorn and pretzels for retreat participants and enjoy the company of your fellow retreaters. We look forward to seeing you at this new event.

OPEN HOUSE AT KEWEENAW GEM AND GIFT IN HOUGHTON

Keweenaw Gem and Gift open house is a regular event and climax of the mineral retreat. They will open their doors for sale of minerals and hands-on demonstrations. The demonstrations will include copper cleaning, bead working, and cutting and cab making for datolite and agate. You can bring your datolite or agate for cutting. There will be complimentary food and beverages and door prizes too!! Keweenaw Gem and Gift is located on M-26 in Houghton near Pizza Hut.

Updated January 29, 2008