Public TV Premieres Mining Legacy Documentary

Public TV 13 will premiere the documentary Copper, Iron and Gold: Upper Michigan’s Legacy,  which covers the early days of mining in the Upper Peninsula. It will be broadcast at at 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, and repeated at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, and noon on Monday, Dec. 12.

"We traveled from Copper Harbor to Ironwood to Sault Ste. Marie, capturing memories from communities built by mining," said Sonya Chrisman (WNMU-TV), the show’s producer. “While conducting  interviews with historians and the descendents of the early miners, we discovered a common theme: places in the U.P. exist because of the rich mining heritage.”

Russell Magnaghi (History) has written various books on the subject, and was interviewed for the documentary. Nicole Walton (WNMU-FM) provided the narration. Several NMU students also assisted with the project.

Copper, Iron and Gold: Upper Michigan's Legacy is based on writings by five regional authors. Using historic photos from the late 1800s, vintage footage from the National Archives and the Ford Motor Co., period newspaper articles and reenactments, it tells the story of a human legacy that's more precious than the minerals mined. Public TV 13's camera also captured reenactments from the Old Victoria Restoration Site near Rockland, and from Fort Wilkins State Park north of Copper Harbor.

The soundtrack features the musical talents of White Water, a family band from Amasa. This is the fifth documentary produced by Chrisman. Her other programs include Northern at 100: A Century of Memories, Barnes-Hecker: Memories of a Misfortune, One Room, Many Stories: Schoolhouse Memories, and Lumberjack Life: U.P. Days of Yore.