Stambaugh & Iron County's Deepest Mine: Upper Peninsula, Michigan

The Michigan mining village of Stambaugh sits in Iron County, but some articles refer to it as “was a city” like it doesn't exist anymore...but it does.

It's considered a former town because, along with the village of Mineral Hills, it merged and became part of the city of Iron River. But Stambaugh has a legacy of its own.

According to Michigan Place Names, in 1855 before it became a village, the land was given to Elizabeth, the widow of a War of 1812 veteran, Joshua Slaten. Years later, in 1880, the land was sold to three men from Escanaba – one being Richard Selden, who became the village's first postmaster in 1882. The village was platted that same year and was named after John Stambaugh, president of the company who bought the Iron River mine. The village became official in 1890 with Mr. Stambaugh as village president and it was incorporated as a city in 1923.

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Fast-forward to July 1, 2000. Stambaugh and the nearby village of Mineral Hills were consolidated to become a part of the city of Iron River. Mineral Hills was incorporated as a village in 1918 and looks like it may have been a decent size at one time. But now it is just a square block with the road cutting it in half, containing just twelve houses, sitting alone in the countryside north of Iron River with no business whatsoever. Just a few leftover miner homes and a few abandoned ones. Very sad to see. It seems like Mineral Hills became part of Iron River and then was let loose to fend for itself in the woods like an unwanted pet.

All-in-all, as far as being part of Iron River, it really doesn't matter to the residents of Mineral Hills or Stambaugh...because each village will always be known to them under their original names.

The Hiawatha Mine near Stambaugh was operated by the Munro Iron Mining Company in 1893. Other mines soon followed, including the Hiawatha #2 mine. The mine had 18 levels and had a depth of 2100 feet. The original mine was productive until 1967 and was the deepest one in Iron County.