James MacNaughton | |
---|---|
Born | [1] | March 4, 1864
Died | May 27, 1949 85) Calumet, Houghton County, Michigan | (aged
Occupation | Business executive |
James MacNaughton (March 4, 1864 - May 27, 1949), also variously known as "the King of Houghton County ", the "Czar of the Copper Country " or simply "Big Jim" was an American business executive. He was general manager and the third president of the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company, including during the Copper Country Strike of 1913–1914. [1]
MacNaughton was born in Bruce Mines, Canada West on March 4, 1864. His father brought his family to Calumet after he found employment with the Calumet & Hecla. In 1876 and aged 12, MacNaughton followed his father's footsteps by becoming Hecla's water boy in Hubbell, Michigan. In time, he progressed to switch tender and then an engineer of the stationary engine on the mine tram road. [2]
After graduating from a high school and receiving a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Michigan, MacNaughton moved to the engineering department. [2]
He was offered to become superintendent of the Chapin Iron mine in Iron Mountain, Michigan and accepted this position. In 1901, Alexander Agassiz hired him to manage the Calumet & Hecla Mining Co. Under MacNaughton's management the company grew and employed 5,000 people in 1906. At the same time, MacNaughton reduced operating costs in half. [2]
During the Copper Country strike of 1913–1914 he organized mine owners and asked Governor Woodbridge N. Ferris to deploy the Michigan National Guard to secure control over mines. MacNaughton received death threats. [3]
When interviewed, MacNaughton blamed the Western Federation of Miners for the strike,
We have Croatians, Austrians, Hungarians, Italians from northern Italy, Poles, and other nationalities working for us, and they are industrious, loyal men; but they do not know our language or our customs, our laws, nor our ideals. They have been influenced by Western Federation of Miners' organizers and hired men who have been here in some cases for years. Constant dropping will wear a stone. [4]
In 1916, MacNaughton distributed bronze, silver and gold service medals designed by Victor David Brenner with images of Quincy Adams Shaw and Alexander Agassiz to long time workers of the Calumet & Hecla Mining Co. [5]
In addition to the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company, MacNaughton managed the Ahmeek Mining Company, Allouez Mining Company, North Kearsarge mine, South Kearsarge mine, Tamarack Mining Company, Osceola Consolidated Copper Company, St. Louis Copper Company, Laurium Mining Company, La Salle Copper Company, Isle Royale Copper Company, Superior Copper Company, and the Centennial Copper Mining Company. [6]
MacNaughton also held a position as the Chairman of the Houghton County Board of Supervisors and became the first chairman of Miscowaubik, a private business club headquartered in Calumet, Michigan. [1]
He died after a long illness on May 26, 1949, in Calumet, Michigan at the age of 85. [7]
The MacNaughton Cup was named in his honor in 1913 due to his support of amateur ice hockey. [8] It is awarded annually to the regular season conference champion of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
Alexander Emmanuel Rodolphe Agassiz, son of Louis Agassiz and stepson of Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz, was an American scientist and engineer.
Calumet is a village in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The village is located within Calumet Township, Houghton County, and had a population of 621 at the 2020 census.
Calumet Township, officially the Charter Township of Calumet, is a charter township of Houghton County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,263 at the 2020 census. Even with a decreasing population, the township remains the largest township by population in Houghton County.
Ahmeek is a village in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The village is located within Allouez Township. The population was 127 at the 2020 census. At 0.07 square miles (0.18 km2), it is the smallest municipality in Michigan by land area, and is the only incorporated municipality in Keweenaw County.
The Italian Hall disaster was a tragedy that occurred on Wednesday, December 24, 1913, in Calumet, Michigan, United States. Seventy-three people – mostly striking mine workers and their families – were crushed to death in a stampede when someone falsely shouted "fire" at a crowded Christmas party.
The Quincy Mine is an extensive set of copper mines located near Hancock, Michigan. The mine was owned by the Quincy Mining Company and operated between 1846 and 1945, although some activities continued through the 1970s. The Quincy Mine was known as "Old Reliable," as the Quincy Mine Company paid a dividend to investors every year from 1868 through 1920. The Quincy Mining Company Historic District is a United States National Historic Landmark District; other Quincy Mine properties nearby, including the Quincy Mining Company Stamp Mills, the Quincy Dredge Number Two, and the Quincy Smelter are also historically significant.
Keweenaw National Historical Park is a unit of the U.S. National Park Service. Established in 1992, the park celebrates the life and history of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a federal-local cooperative park made up of two primary units, the Calumet Unit and the Quincy Unit, and almost two dozen cooperating "Heritage Sites" located on federal, state, and privately owned land in and around the Keweenaw Peninsula. The National Park Service owns approximately 1,700 acres (690 ha) in the Calumet and Quincy Units. Units are located in Baraga, Houghton, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon counties.
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Houghton County, Michigan.
Charles H. Moyer was an American labor leader and president of the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) from 1902 to 1926. He led the union through the Colorado Labor Wars, was accused of murdering an ex-governor of the state of Idaho, and was shot in the back during a bitter copper mine strike. He also was a leading force in founding the Industrial Workers of the World, although he later denounced the organization.
The Calumet & Hecla Band was a band of the miners of the Calumet mine in Michigan.
The Calumet and Hecla Mining Company was a major copper-mining company based within Michigan's Copper Country. In the 19th century, the company paid out more than $72 million in shareholder dividends, more than any other mining company in the United States during that period.
In Michigan, copper mining became an important industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its rise marked the start of copper mining as a major industry in the United States.
The Copper Country strike of 1913–1914 was a major strike affecting all copper mines in the Copper Country of Michigan. The strike, organized by the Western Federation of Miners, was the first unionized strike within the Copper Country. It was called to achieve goals of shorter work days, higher wages, union recognition, and to maintain family mining groups. The strike lasted just over nine months, including the Italian Hall disaster on Christmas Eve, and ended with the union being effectively driven out of the Keweenaw Peninsula. While unsuccessful, the strike is considered a turning point in the history of the Copper Country.
The Calumet Downtown Historic District is a historic district located in Calumet, Michigan, on 5th Street and 6th Street, between Scott Street and Pine Street. It is also known as the Red Jacket Downtown Historic District, reflecting the original name of the village. The Historic District is completely contained in the Calumet Historic District and the Keweenaw National Historical Park. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1973 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Three historic buildings on the 100 block of 5th street were destroyed in a fire that took place on May 22, 2021
The Calumet Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District that encompasses most of the village of Calumet, Michigan. The district was designated in 1989 for the community's importance in the history of the region's copper mining industry.
The Calumet and Hecla Industrial District is a historic district located in Calumet, Michigan and roughly bounded by Hecla & Torch Lake Railroad tracks, Calumet Avenue, Mine and Depot Streets. The district contains structures associated with the copper mines worked by the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company, located along a line above the copper lode, where railroad tracks connected separate mine heads. The Historic District is completely contained in the Calumet Historic District and the Keweenaw National Historical Park. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1973 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Kearsarge is an unincorporated community in Calumet Township, Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Calumet/Laurium on U.S. Route 41/M-26 at 47°16′30″N88°24′58″W.
The Osceola Mine was a copper mine consisting of 11 shafts located in Osceola Township, Houghton County, Michigan. In 1895, it was the site of the deadliest mine disaster in the Copper Country.
Anna "Big Annie" Klobuchar Clemenc was an American labor activist. Born in Calumet, Michigan, she founded and served as president of the local Women's Auxiliary No. 15 of the Western Federation of Miners and was an active participant in the Copper Country Strike of 1913–1914. She is an inducted member of the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.