Calumet and Hecla Consolidated Copper Co. - 1930's-50's dated Indian Vignette Mining Stock Certificate

Mining Stock. Nice vignette of Indians around a campfire! This is the older variety. Scarce!!! The Calumet and Hecla Mining Company became a leading copper-mining operation in Michigan's Copper Country. During the 19th century, the company paid out more than $72 million in dividends to its shareholders, outpacing all other mining companies in the United States at that time. In 1864, Edwin J. Hulbert discovered a copper-rich region that would later be known as the Calumet Conglomerate, which dates back to the Precambrian era. This significant find took place in Houghton County, Michigan, positioned between the prosperous Cliff mine to the northeast and the copper mines of Portage Lake to the southwest, although it was situated at a considerable distance from both.

To secure the rights to the land, Hulbert founded the Hulbert Mining Company in 1864 and subsequently established the Calumet Company in 1865 with the backing of investors from Boston. The following year, the company formed the Hecla Company, distributing shares of this new venture to the shareholders of Calumet. Hulbert retained substantial shares in both companies and managed the mining operations. However, despite the presence of abundant ore, he lacked the necessary practical skills for ore extraction, crushing, and concentration. Due to Hulbert's inadequate progress, the company appointed Alexander Agassiz, the son of the esteemed geologist Louis Agassiz, to oversee the mine in Michigan.