Up in the U.P. lies Crystal Falls, home of the Mansfield Mine cave-in.....and home to what many locals feel are paranormal presences.

Back in 1893, a group of miners were working down in the Mansfield mine along the Michigamme River, about 8 miles northeast of Crystal Falls, when the mine caved in. Some drowned from the rushing waters of the river and others were crushed or suffocated to death...a total of 27 lives lost. Years later, in 1918, a total of 16 more miners were killed when the Porter Mine caved in.

Since then, residents in the area claim to have heard and seen paranormal activity; the sounds of a workman's pick & shovel hitting solid rock and screams of the trapped men. Others say they've witnessed ghostly shadows or apparitions near the water where the cave-in occurred. Some locals say they've looked down into the water and seen the mining helmet lights of the long-deceased miners.

This area has MANY, MANY lost & abandoned mines and more than 27 lives were probably lost in the Crystal Falls area mines. When a miner was killed in one of the mines, his family didn't receive much compensation; the mining company would pay for the funeral and two - maybe only one - month's pay, which was $1.70 to $3.50 for a ten-hour day.

Mines in the area other than the Mansfield were the Armenia, Carpenter, Cayia, Columbia, Fortune Lake, Genesee, Hagerman, Hilltop, Hollister, Hope, Kimball, Lamont, Lawrence, Lee Peck, Lincoln, McDonald, Monongahela, Odgers, Paint River, Porter, Ravenna-Prickett, Richards, the Victoria and others.

If someone was to take the time to search the grounds in and around Crystal Falls and the rivers, he or she could find old mining stock piles and plenty of open pits, test pits and shafts hidden among the brush and in the countryside.

Always get permission to explore land that is private and use caution when exploring ANY area.

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