Abandoned Ball Mills at White Pine Mine: Ontonagon, Michigan

One of Michigan's most intriguing abandoned sites is the ruins of the ball mills at the old White Pine mine near Ontonagon.

Beginning in 1953, the balls were used to grind sandstone rock that contained copper. The giant 'cauldron'-type containers had ball bearings inside that were supposed to do the trick. As the container rotated, the ball bearings ground the stone.

Unfortunately, the ball urns just didn't work all that well.
It closed in 1995.

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Lucky for explorers and historians, these were never ripped apart and used for scrap; they still sit in the woods near Ontonagon, and seem to be devoid of any 'no trespassing' signs.

Found at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula, these are some of the coolest abandoned ruins in Michigan you will ever come across. Take a look at the gallery below, with images courtesy of Duluth Urbex...